CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Taylor Mason said it was a $10,000 grant from the Grubhub Community Fund and Feed the Soul Foundation that allowed her and her wife Maya to open their restaurant in the Chicago Medical District.
“Without this Grubhub grant, Talyor’s Tacos on Taylor Street would not exist,” Mason said.
The pair had been hosting pop-up events — where they served up fried tortillas and their signature pink salsa — for about two years before COVID.
“Usually, in authentic Mexican cuisine, they put a lot of emphasis on the salsa and maybe not season the meat as much, and we really put a lot of emphasis on both,” she said.
The pandemic, though, forced the duo to expand from only doing catering pop-up events. That’s how they came to use the food delivery platform.
“It forced us to figure out new ways to serve our food, and we wanted to make sure we kept the integrity of the food,” Mason said. “You know, tacos when there are no heaters is not really my idea of a great taco party.”
Mason said she’d like to eventually franchise her food, which she describes as street-style tacos with soul flare.
“Because I’m born and raised on the West Side of Chicago, I know food desert life firsthand, so that would be the goal,” she said. “But we’re going to take it slow.”
Taylor's Tacos will officially open on Cinco de Mayo.
Grubhub’s Community Fund is accepting applications through May 10 for more than $1 million in grants to small restaurants in Chicago and other major cities through the Restaurant Strong Fund.
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