At one point in time, the thought of getting food served out of a small concession stand window on a truck was just as foreign as choosing to get a fresh meal from your local gas station (enter Wawa). Now, what once was an anomaly is a rapidly growing industry.  No matter what part of Jacksonville you’re visiting, you’re bound to spy a food truck tucked away in the corner of a local business’s parking lot or packed together (usually in a semi-circle) at any outdoor function. Food trucks have claimed their spots in town and a little “rookie” taco truck is definitely making moves so everyone in Jacksonville can “catch the crave.” 

Jordan Perry, co-owner of Brochachos Fusion Tacos food truck, is no stranger to taking risks. When he was a student at Orange Park High School in 2009, he and his friend, Austin Heiman, invented The Lazy Student, a recliner chair with a swivel desk. Perry and Heiman believed if they took that project more seriously, they had the potential to become exceptionally successful. Fast forward ten years later, their lasting friendship and entrepreneurial history proved that success was in their future with the addition of the Brochachos food truck.

Perry and Heiman both shared a love for tacos, so creating the menu was a no-brainer. They put their heads together and hit the ground running with recipe ideas and surveying the community to find out the type of food that people enjoy. Soon after realizing operating a food truck required more hands, Chris Gandy joined the team as the executive chef: thus, marking the official beginning of Brochachos in 2020. 

“We basically formed our brand and our food truck based upon the friendship of the three of us. That’s why we call it Brochachos because we are friends [and] brothers from different mothers.”

In April 2020, Gandy and Heiman were out of work due to the pandemic, so the trio took advantage of the spare time by testing their food truck ideas for marketability and started delivering taco dinners out of their homes since restaurants were closed. 

“We started off with chicken and steak tacos,” Perry explains. “The steak tacos have a cilantro lime sauce, and the chicken tacos have a chipotle sauce. Plus, all tacos come with a side of [signature] pineapple mango salsa and seasoned chips as well. We pretty much started out of the house, then we moved on and bought a cart for the first time. We started hitting local breweries and neighborhoods in the Jacksonville metro area, then we were able to migrate to a full-size mobile dispensing vehicle.”

Brochachos began as a part-time gig for Perry, Heiman, and Gandy, but due to their fast success, this trio was able to quit their day jobs and devote all their time to the business.

“In the beginning, we would fit the truck around our schedules. Now we are running the truck full time. At first, we were doing three to four events a week, now we’re around four to five depending on the week.” 

As Brochachos continues to make a name for itself, the demand steadily increases.

“We still expect to grow,” Perry says. “We started out in the Clay County area and branched out to other areas in Jacksonville, but in the future, we plan to hit St. Augustine. We [also] get requests to travel to other counties in Florida.”

Brochachos’ mantra involves excelling, being a part of the community and bringing in awards. And what better way to accomplish all the above than to join your first taco contest… and win?

“We’re [each] competitive in our own ways. We wanted to be a part of the [Tacos and Tequila festival] but actually ended up taking home the golden cactus [trophy].” 

The award-winning taco was their National Hot Taco: a deep fried chicken thigh dipped in a homemade batter with a honey sriracha sauce, chopped pickles and special slaw on top.

“We like to put a different spin on food.” 

Perry credits Heiman for the champion winning recipe, but all three guys put their own flavor to take it up a notch. 

He expresses winning the festival in May as an “indescribable” feeling.

“When you come to visit [Brochachos], we have the cactus [trophy] on display. It’s a stamp of approval that we deserve to be here in Jacksonville.”

Perry, Heiman, and Gandy are constantly working hard to achieve new levels of success. Eventually they’d like to add more tacos to the menu with different variations of their creations. 

Risk taking defines their brand, and they are dedicated to trying different things and finding unique strategies to reach new customers. 

“When it comes to owning a food truck you can’t get complacent. You always have to find a way to finetune the process,” Perry explains. “We’re just trying to pave our own way. We’re not trying to follow a standard. We all are collaborative in our efforts. [We] talk about the things we want to do, pitch it and go for it.” 

So, are you ready to catch the crave? Well, follow them at @brochachos_fusion_eats to keep up with their weekly schedules. Like your food already prepared when you arrive? They got you covered with their online service for prepaid orders.

Have extra room in your belly after you visit Brochachos? Here’s a few other food trucks to try out in the Jax area: 

Bawk Bawk Chicken Truck 

1 p.m. – 9 p.m. 962 St Johns Bluff Rd N. Jacksonville, FL // @bawkbawkchickentruck 

Vucca Street Food

Friday: 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Brooks Rehab (Bartram Crossing) 6209 Brooks Bartram Drive, Jacksonville, FL // @vuccajax

Saturday: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. 715 Riverside Ave. Jacksonville, FL 

The Blazin’ Buffalo

Tuesday – Thursday 11am – 3pm, Friday & Saturday 11am – 8pm | 1322 N. Orange Ave. Green Cove Springs, FL // @theblazinbuffalo

Cattlemen Bar-BQ 

11 a.m. – 6 p.m. 10910 Atlantic Blvd, Jacksonville, FL // @cattlemen_barbq