Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenneth Tirado.
Kenneth, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve loved food and cooking as far back as I can remember. I always wanted to start a restaurant but never thought it was possible until the food truck revolution started. I love going to festivals and parks to try all of the amazing food that these trucks are putting out but hated the hour-long waits to try it all. That’s when we came up with the idea to serve Puerto Rican food with a Texas twist that’s not only delicious but that can be served quickly! Then, Streakin Ricans Empanadas was born! We serve traditional Puerto Rican cuisine with a down South Texas twist. Its been hard work to get the business started but we’ve learned so much along the way, a lot of bad ideas but those spawned the GREAT ideas! Luckily people love our food and we have really grown by word of mouth! It’s taken a few years but we now have a following and we do lots of events & caterings. We are currently looking at locations to hopefully open a brick and mortar in the future. As of right now, we will keep doing festivals and events around town.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a roller coaster ride for sure! We’ve had any and everything go wrong along the way but it’s those struggles that have helped us get our process down and to work so much more efficiently. We’ve had fryers spring a leak in the middle of events, grills that wouldn’t fire up when we are on a location, forgotten important supplies that we needed. All these things happen, the key is to not overreact but to assess the situation and do your best to resolve it and get our food in everyone’s belly!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Streakin Ricans – what should we know?
We are Streakin Ricans Empanadas, we cook Puerto Rican food you’d find at the beach or festivals around the island but we do it with a Texas twist! We are most known for empanadas, kabobs, and seafood cups made with octopus and other types of seafood. Being a Puerto Rican who was born and raised in Texas, I get to enjoy the best of both worlds and have been combining Texas, Texmex, and Puerto Rican flavors together for years. I am most proud of the food we are making, a lot of it no one is doing here or back in Puerto Rico! Actually, I saw that someone started selling one of the empanadas that we created and although they are selling it, I’m pretty proud that our ideas are good enough to steal!!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
LOVE! If you have love for your passion, then that shows in all aspects of the business. It shows in the food, the way we interact with our customers, the feedback we receive, and how hard we work to put out the best possible food we can make.
Pricing:
- Empanadas $3 (Meat and Veggie options), Seafood $4
- Big Kabobs with French Garlic Bread $6 (Chicken, Pork, or Shrimp)
- Variety of other Puerto Rican dishes $2 – $5
- Cuban Sandwiches $6
Contact Info:
- Website: streakinricans.com
- Phone: 682-704-2733
- Email: streakinricans@gmail.com
- Instagram: @streakinricans
- Facebook: Streakin Ricans Empanadas
- Twitter: @streakinricans
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