Today we’d like to introduce you to Gustavo Aguirre and David Matheny.
The story of The Stookie Brothers begins with a couple of friends from the Dallas/Ft Worth area, David & Gustavo. These two friends, who over a decade worked together, lost jobs together and raised families together. Back in 2015 David had a major health scare from a childhood condition which changed his life going forward as he knew it. Once back on his feet David decided to jump into the kitchen to take on his love of cooking and from there, he has sharpened his craft. Gustavo was right there learning through trial and error as well. Over years of experimentation with different dishes and the constant suggestion from Gustavo to take it into the business world both friends decided that tacos would be that gateway. So in early 2018 the two friends decided on the name “Stookie Brothers” as a joke that resulted from at the time watching White Men Can’t Jump and endlessly recycling quotes from the movie.
They then planned out and worked a local for a local streetwear brand and to their surprise the feedback was overwhelmingly good. From there, it has been a process of refining, expanding the menu, and constantly building based on customer feedback. Their taste and style is a direct reflection of their love for childhood nostalgia. From 90’s Hip Hop to sneakers, the pair are able to strike up countless conversations with customers while working events. The Stookie Brothers motto is “Good Food for Good People” and now looks towards working to become a recognized name within the Dallas food community with not only great food but also with memorable customer experiences.
Has it been a smooth road?
From the perspective of the events we have worked and the customer experiences the road has been awesome. Our biggest struggle to this point is the fact that we are completely mobile and not a physical brick and mortar location. So creatively some of the ideas for our tacos we have is a little more difficult for us to fully execute on just because of the resources we have. This also forces us to think outside of the box with developing and producing the tacos with the scale we are at. All in all we take the highs and the lows of what we have gone through as learning experiences for future goals to help us grow.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The Stookie Brothers are in the food industry specifically tacos, which we all know are a staple in Texas. With our tacos we specialize in a fusion of flavors based around Texas traditions with a nostalgic twist and a nod to our two different childhoods. We are known for our willingness to experiment with flavors. From “The OG” which a smoked carnitas taco with a twist, to our Fried Bologna taco we are always looking forward to taking a risk on creating a taco that might not be very traditional. We fully respect the tradition of tacos but we don’t let it limit us. We are incredibly proud of what we have been able to do thus far simply because we have done it on our own starting from a small idea. What has probably meant the most to us in the grand scheme of things is the people. With all the things we are passionate about in our personal lives we have a lot of interests that allow us to strike up meaningful conversations with our customers. On nearly every interaction with make it intentional to have a conversation with our customers over a common interest. We have had conversations about sneakers, about movies, about music and the list goes on. While the food brings a customer to us, we fully believe taking a little time to have a genuine conversation with them can truly brighten their day.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, we feel like Dallas is a great place for a business like ours. Dallas is a huge melting pot of people and cultures. So you can find a little something for everyone. Being Dallas natives we have seen a huge change in the last ten years of various areas in the city that have opened up more of a family atmosphere. Places like Deep Ellum and Lower Greenville that historically catered to more of an adult nightlife are now lined with various restaurants that people can take their families to. There have also been various parks that have popped up around city that allow for food trucks. So for anyone that is truly looking start a business in the food industry they are a lot of options right now.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 9727953520
- Email: stookiebrothers@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/stookiebothers
- Facebook: facebook.com/stookiebrothers
Image Credit:
Profile Photo-Emilee Prado
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