Taco truck moving into permanent space

The taco truck next to the Chevron gas station in downtown Blaine is moving into a permanent space between the Starbucks and the visitor center.

After moving out of the food truck and into the new building, the eatery will be renamed Bordertown Mexican Grill. It will celebrate a grand opening on Saturday, June 8 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Those who attend the grand opening will have a chance to bite into a $1,000 burrito – a burrito with 1,000 U.S. dollars hidden inside. The burrito will be served at random to one lucky customer during the day.

The new space features a stainless steel kitchen with brand new equipment. “We put like $300,000 into this kitchen, and it’s going to be nice,” said building owner Mike Hill.

While the new space does not have indoor seating, it has an outdoor patio with chairs and tables under red umbrellas, where customers will be able to enjoy the same menu as the food truck – authentic Mexican dishes including burritos, tortas, quesadillas, nachos, tacos and taco salads.

There is currently no sign for Bordertown Mexican Grill outside; they are still in the process of getting a sign approved by the city of Blaine.

Hill said there was high demand from various high-profile companies to lease the space, but he decided to lease it to Abi Garcia, who started his food truck business about two and a half years ago in the parking lot of the Chevron, which Hill also owns.

“We thought we would give the underdog a shot,” said Hill. “We made a deal with him. We built him a kitchen. Instead of having his truck, he’ll have that kitchen.”

According to Garcia, the menu will eventually be expanded to include enchiladas, soups and breakfast.

Garcia said that he is also looking to expand his staff by about four people. Currently, a team of three works in the food truck: his wife Nelly, his sister-in-law Elsa Santiago and Orfa Marquez.

Garcia, who is 39 years old, came to Washington state about nine years ago from Los Angeles. He now lives in Ferndale with his wife and three kids. “We came to visit here, and we liked the weather,” he said. “We decided to stay here and start our business.”

Garcia, who was born in Oaxaca, Mexico and moved to the U.S. at the age of 21, worked in many restaurants in Los Angeles, including Mexican restaurants and even a Chinese restaurant.

“I started as a dishwasher and then they moved me to the prep station,” he said. “That’s where I got experience.”

About two and a half years ago, he approached developer Mike Hill about the possibility of putting his food truck next to the Chevron station, which Hill has owned for about 30 years.

“It was just him and his wife, and I figured, hey I’m going to give this guy a shot,” said Hill. “We tasted his food and we loved it. It’s the best food in town.”

The business had a bumpy start, said Garcia. “It was hard at the beginning,” he said, “but later on, it got better and better.” His customer base gradually expanded, and now he has many regulars – especially Canadians. “We have a lot of Canadian customers,” he said, adding that his most popular dishes are azada (beef) and pastor (marinated pork) tacos.

According to Garcia, the food truck may eventually be relocated to the other side of I-5, near exit 275 by the truck route. But this won’t happen right away, as his energies will be focused on making Bordertown Mexican Grill a success.

“We are excited but a little nervous,” said Garcia. “This is the first time we’re going to have a real kitchen.”