By Katie Terou
Crescensio Villar jumped into action as soon as he heard a customer request a plate of tacos. Before his business partner had even finished taking the order, meat and veggies were starting to sizzle on the grill. The two men worked side-by-side to fulfill the order: fresh tortillas piled high with carnitas, brisket or cauliflower verde mole and topped with queso fresco, pickled onion and cilantro.
“I love cooking, discovering flavors and trying to combine all the flavors,” said Villar, head chef at pop-up taqueria Corazón 805. “People love it — they come and say this food is different and fresh.”
Entrepreneurs Villar and Pedro Arias-Lopez met while working as a chef and server, respectively, at Big Sky Café in San Luis Obispo. They created the small catering and pop-up business Corazón 805 Tacos in 2018. Now, they cater a couple events per month and host a pop-up at Liquid Gravity Brewing Company every Friday evening.
Villar worked in the kitchen at Big Sky Café for two decades before moving to Novo in 2010, where he still works most weekdays. Arias-Lopez learned to cook from his parents at a very young age, but didn’t expect he would need those skills for his own business later in life. Villar said he is “responsible for the delicious flavors,” while Arias-Lopez handles food prep, bookkeeping and organizing catering jobs.
Corazón 805 Tacos mostly serves an assortment of tacos and tostadas, and frequently expands the menu with seasonal ingredients such as fresh seafood and vegetables. Some popular menu items have been carnitas, brisket, halibut and cauliflower mole verde. These ingredients are sourced from the local restaurant Novo, Mexican supermarkets and local farmers.
The dishes are influenced by Villar’s extensive experience in restaurants as well as cooking for family members with certain food restrictions, including vegetarian and gluten-free diets. Villar also takes inspiration from the traditional cuisine of each owner’s roots in Chiapas and Guerrero, Mexico.
“[The tacos] had a nice, spicy flavor, a tiny bit of a kick — not too much, but just enough to make it interesting, and the tortillas were really good,” said San Luis Obispo resident Jim Rusconi, who was eating carnitas and brisket tacos at Liquid Gravity Brewing Company on a recent Friday. “I was thinking of going and getting another two, and that’s going to be my dinner.”
A key difference Villar noticed when cooking for his own business was that he had more culinary freedom than previous jobs. Restaurant owners typically determine the exact flavors for a dish before putting it on the menu, he said. But running his kitchen through Corazón 805 Tacos gave Villar the flexibility to try out any variety of flavor combinations he desired.
“I feel more free right here [than in a restaurant kitchen] because these are my own flavors I want to bring to San Luis Obispo County and to California,” Villar said. “I feel free to try things here.”
Corazón 805 Tacos has made an effort to be sustainable and reduce waste. Tacos are served on plastic, reusable plates along with metal silverware. Arias-Lopez said this suggestion came from a fellow vendor using a similar approach at a pop-up market soon after starting their business. He and Villar “learn more with every experience,” Arias-Lopez said in an email.
A pop-up style business model has become increasingly popular recently. Both Cal Poly students and local businesses have participated in various events which take on a similar format. SloDoCo hosted a limited-menu booth accepting PolyCard payment on campus, while some students display and sell art or fundraise for nonprofits through pop-ups. Another approach some businesses take, such as local take-out pizzeria Benny’s, is to fulfill orders through just a small kitchen before expanding with space for dining.
The catering and pop-up business model allow Arias-Lopez and Villar flexibility to operate Corazón 805 Tacos around their full schedules. The pair plan to eventually seek out an ideal location for a Saturday night pop-up and expand their resources for catering opportunities.
The owners’ friendship has grown since spending more quality time working on their business together. Arias-Lopez said he most enjoys cooking with Villar who teaches him about flavors and techniques.
“My favorite part is spending my nights with [Villar],” Arias-Lopez said. “Cooking together with him is nice because I’m learning everything. It’s great; I love it.”
