El Mero Taco owners win 'Guy's Grocery Games' with their Southern-inspired taco creations
El Mero Taco owners Jacob and Clarissa Dries are the latest winners of “Guy’s Grocery Games.”
The food truck and restaurant owners competed against two other food truck families on the Feb. 21 episode of the popular Food Network show.
The duo won the competition making the tacos that have put El Mero on Memphis’ culinary map.
“This means a lot to us,” Jacob said. “Anytime a mom-and-pop can get showcased on a national or international stage is huge. It’s great for our business, and our city.”
What they cooked on 'Guy's Grocery Games'
During the first round, the challenge was to make their truck's best seller while taking a tag-team shop, where each family member shops in 60-second sprints as part of a 4-minute grocery relay race.
Jacob credits their popular Fried Chicken taco for their win. The couple made this popular El Mero dish in the first round.
“We had to pretty much adjust everything,” said Jacob, explaining they had to adjust the marinade spice blend using what was available. “We pickle our own jalapenos in house, so for the competition we had to doctor up canned jalapenos to get a similar taste.”
The second round's challenge was for the remaining two teams to make their personal food truck favorite while also incorporating a dish style and condiment determined by two spinning food truck wheels.
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For the second round, the Drieses made a shrimp taco. “The challenge was to make a dish that was spicy and to use a relish," Jacob said. "We thought it would work best with a shrimp taco."
For the final round, the couple decided to take their chances and take the check behind the door, instead of cooking for the chance to win $20,000.
Jacob said he is glad that they did since they walked away with $17,250.
The couple, who also own the Say Cheese! and Retro Coffee & Donuts food trucks, are considering using the money to develop their own food truck park.
What is El Mero Taco?
Jacob and Clarissa have made a name for themselves by combining her Oaxacan heritage with his Southern roots, first through an award-wining food truck and then through their brick-and-mortar location, which opened in 2019 in Cordova.
Their popular (and now Food Network competition-winning) Southern fried chicken taco is stuffed with crispy fried chicken, queso blanco, in-house pickled jalapenos, tomatoes and cilantro. It’s a one-of-a-kind taco that can’t be beat.
Their restaurant features a mezcal bar, in addition to hosting educational and fun monthly dinners that focus on pairing spirits like mezcal, tequila and bourbon with their creative fare.
El Mero Taco, Say Cheese! and Retro Coffee & Donuts food trucks can often be found at the Cordova Pitstop Food Truck Park at 8555 Macon Road in Cordova. Check social media for exact locations and times.
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Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
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El Mero Taco
Where: 8100 Macon Station #102, Cordova
Phone: (901) 308-1661
Online: elmerotaco.com
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis food truck and restaurant El Mero Taco wins Guy's Grocery Games
