Tacos for Strength is Stronger Than Ever
Over the three years that Tacos for Strength has been in action at Mercadito, chef Patricio Sandoval has amassed top culinary talents to join him in supporting Share Our Strength via inventive charitable tacos. As the campaign moves into its fourth year, Sandoval's lineup of guest chefs tasked with creating their own inspired tacos has reached a new pinnacle. From Kevin Sbraga in Philadelphia to Gerard Craft in St. Louis and Sean Brock in Charleston, revered chefs join Sandoval this year in thinking outside the tortilla for a good cause. Each month, a different chef and a different taco, and 2014 marks the first year Mercadito goes beyond its market cities of Miami, Chicago, and New York for guest chefs. As Tacos for Strength gets stronger than ever, Sandoval reflects on the campaign:
Matt Kirouac: Where did the idea for Tacos for Strength originally come from and why was it something you wanted to pursue?
Patricio Sandoval: Back in 2011, we were really exploring ways to collaborate with other chefs, whether it was a dinner, a special, etc. We also thought that partnering with a charity would be a great way not only to encourage chefs to participate, but also a great outlet for using our talents to give back to the community. Tortillas are such an integral part of Mexican cuisine and our menu at Mercadito (all of the tortillas we use for our tacos are housemade), and at the same time, they also offer a wonderful blank canvas for chefs to exercise their creativity!
Kirouac: How has the campaign gone so far? What has been your favorite taco featured?
Sandoval: The campaign has been highly successful, both from a culinary standpoint and the amount we've been able to donate to Share Our Strength. As far as favorites, Rodelio Aglibot did a fantastic fried oyster taco with radish, cabbage, lime, and aïoli, and I also loved Michelle Bernstein's galbi churrasco taco with green tomato slaw and queso fresco.
Kirouac: In regards to the growth of Tacos for Strength, what inspired you to raise the bar and bring it outside the restaurants' markets to other chefs around the country?
Sandoval: We've built a program that has involved some of the top chefs in Chicago, Miami, and New York, so we felt that it was time to use this strong foundation to elevate Tacos for Strength to a national level. Our end goal has always been to support Share Our Strength and its mission, which is near and dear to many chefs, so we thought to challenge some of the nation's most highly regarded chefs to get creative with a tortilla to benefit the cause.
(Black bean-braised oxtail tacos from Edward Lee for a recent Tacos for Stength promotion)
Kirouac: How beneficial has the program been over the years since its inception?
Sandoval: Since Tacos for Strength started, we've raised nearly $10,000 — that's a lot of tacos!
Kirouac: Who are some of the chefs participating in this year's Tacos for Strength lineup? Anyone you're particularly excited to see make a taco?
Sandoval: We were overwhelmed by the incredible response from chefs who wanted to participate this year, and each and every one of them is such high-caliber. We have a Top Chef winner (Kevin Sbraga), several Food & Wine winners in various categories (Jamie Malone, Matthew Gaudet, Josh Adams, Jason Vincent, Justin Cogley), a number of James Beard winners and nominess (Gerard Craft, Paul Virant, Sean Brock), and more. I can honestly say that I'm truly excited for them all! For instance, this month, Jamie Malone from Sea Change has created a crispy cod taco with fermented black bean mayo, citrus, jalapeño, and cilantro that I thought was a really exciting use of seafood in a taco.
Kirouac: In your mind, what is the key to successfully "thinking outside the tortilla"?
Sandoval: People of course associate Mexican cuisine with tortillas, so I think that one of the key factors is really thinking beyond that genre and exploring others that you'd never expect to find inside a taco. The beauty of the program is that chefs can draw from inspirations big or small, from an admiration for an entire culture to a Sunday morning breakfast tradition. But the most important part is that they feel truly connected to what they've created. We have had some pretty crazy things though, like meatballs, pasta, and even Indian food!