Chomp N Things

While still in College, Owner Gus and his buddies would take every opportunity to travel into Mexico, a favorite destination due to the variety of authentic “Mexican Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs.” AKA “tj hot dogs or sonoran hot dogs”. During their many visits to Mexico, they would travel by car throughout the border towns of Tijuana and Mexicali in search of this bacon wrapped beauty. Gus spent his summers mastering his hot dog gourmets techniques from authentic mobile carts and experts in hot dog industry at Guadalajara, Jalisco. Several years later, he returned to Mission Bay, San Diego. After participating in different farmers markets and multiple San Diego events Gus opened his first hot dog business mobile stand in San Diego, CA in the early summer of 2010! Besides the TJ hotdogs, the menu includes burgers, fries, elote, churros and don’t forget his NEW michelada bar!

Meet Franchise owner Ed Paris of Famous Waffle Sandwich! After the long wait, he was able to open shop during the pandemic! His shop is located in the heart of the Convoy district. Eddy talks about his first experience in the Philippines with Famous Waffle Sandwich, his first bite and more! He also mentions his first Faze Rug run-in at his first kiosk in the North County Fair Mall in Escondido!

The shop offers a variety of waffle sandwich options, from s’mores, pizza waffle, to a spin on chicken & waffles, ham and cheese, and now ice cream! Besides the waffles, the menu includes iced coffee and honeydew, ube, or horchata slushies.

This week, we interview OTRO founders, also a Husband and Wife duo - Victor and Arlene! They started this business during the pandemic and it is going strong!

Victor and Arlene wanted to “bring an untraditional, elevated experience to taco trucks, and their dedication to the game brings their tacos to another level. OTRO taco truck serves up delicious upscale street tacos using high quality and locally sourced ingredients on fresh handmade corn tortillas.” You can find rock fish, ribeye, calabasitas and more on their menu! Take a listen, Go support them at either locations - Ocean Beach or Chula Vista!

Love elotes? Then you’ll love Hellote! It’s a twist on Mexican-style corn on the cob! This week’s interviewee is Owner, Manu Faves. He tells us about how he created this concept, how he decided to open a business during the pandemic and more!

Hellote is not your traditional Mexican street corn, topped with mayonnaise, lime, and hot sauce. They offer a variety of signature flavors- the Green, Red, Black and of course- the traditional elote as well. Still served whole on a stick or sliced off the cob in a box or tosti style. Wait! There’s more! They also offer TJ style baked potatoes, tamales and Monster Nachos! The recipes were created by Ensenada-based chef Luis Cradenas and his wife Sandra, close friends of Manu.

This week, we interviewed Owners Devin and Justin of Bread & Cheese Eatery. How it all started? They have been friends since they’ve been in diapers. Devin went to college at UCSC and Justin went to SDSU. During their college years, they didn’t get to see each other much but always got reports through the family gossip wire about how awesome the other was doing. After college, they connected again while traveling the world and working for a travel company called Backroads. After years of working and traveling, it eventually lead them both settling in San Diego. Next thing they know, they are both trying to figure out what to do and Bread and Cheese Catering was born!

The best fish tacos in San Diego? Casanova Fish Tacos started in 2009. After Chef Hector was laid off from a county job in 2008, him and his friends started cooking for fun weekly. They created different dishes until one day, his friends pushed him to open up the first mobile fish taco company in San Diego. They are changing the taco game not only with the uniqueness of their product but also with presentation and flavors and that is what sets them apart from everyone else! They are the only catering company in San Diego to specialize in the true Baja Style Cuisine. They fry and grill on site for quality of freshness. Want to know a secret? The batter which took about 3 ½ years to perfect, consists of 13 different ingredients of spices and herbs. WOW! Take a listen, Go support him in the Spring Valley area and be blown away by his award-winning tacos and salsas!

Le Parfait Paris - an authentic French experience in the heart of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter! Owned by husband and wife French duo - Guillaume and Ludi, who opened their first Parisian Patisserie in 2014 and their second location in the Liberty Public Market in 2016. We interviewed Ludi and was inspired to bring her favorite French pastries to San Diego, including Parisian-inspired dishes, to flavorful macarons, freshly-baked croissants, baguettes and fruit tarts, using only the freshest ingredients, staying true to the French tradition. The bakery strives to deliver high quality pastries and baked goods confected traditionally and made fresh daily. They now ship their macarons nationwide with a click of a button! Did you also see their 4 pound croissant?? Make sure you check out their Instagram and Facebook for updates!

Biting into the half beef half bacon burger! Have you had this scrumptious burger yet? Slater's 50/50 started back in 2009 and has been going strong ever since. Scott Slater started this company with a passion for burgers, bacon, and craft beer! He created the original 50/50 patty - 50% ground beef and 50% ground bacon! They've expanded into a ton of cities with no stopping in sight! In this episode, we interviewed Reese and Jeremy, the current owner and general manager of the Liberty Station location. They give us a brief history lesson of their restaurant and how they've been able to push through these hard times! Slater's consistently tries new burger recipes and milkshakes! They currently are developing an Irish themed milkshake for St Patty's Day and we know it's going to be delicious! Make sure you check out their Instagram and Facebook for updates!

You can have the best of both worlds at Tacos El Trompo! What do we mean by that? They serve taco shop items and taqueria tacos too! They opened their first location in 2019 in Barrio Logan, and with their continued success - they now have 3 locations, including National City and Mission Beach!

Did you know El Trompo means spinning top in Spanish?? Now you know! This week, we met up with the owner David and chatted about how he started, what makes his food different than other taco shops and more!

This week, we chat about Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day! We brought back our partners for the 2nd year, Celina & Journee.

Let’s get into it! Lunar New Year – also known as the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival – began Friday 2/12/2021, ushering in the second animal on the Zodiac with the second new moon after the winter solstice. In China, the festival lasts 15 days, starting with a feast the night of New Year's Eve and ending this year with the Spring Lantern Festival on Feb. 26. Vietnam's Tết Nguyên Đán goes for up to a week, and Lunar New Year in South Korea, known as Seollal, runs for three days.

Fast forward to the next half of the episode, we discuss all things from relationships to weird quirks and more!