In late 2009, David Schillace felt the urge to quit his corporate job and enter into the burgeoning food truck business. To help create the menu, he turned to his friend Thomas Kelly, who was at the time working in marketing and social media. Thomas had worked in restaurants part-time, did a fair amount of cooking at home, and had recently been playing around with “a fusion of southern American barbecue and Mexican.” Playing around with Mexican food isn’t too much of a surprise once Thomas lets you know that he loves the heat and the spice that comes from cooking with “dried Mexican peppers,” and that he’s done a number of culinary tour visits south of the border. It didn’t take long for David and Thomas to come up with the menu for Mexicue. “Sooner rather than later [Thomas] realized this was a pretty awesome idea that [Dave] had.” During the late winter and early spring of 2010, Thomas worked on developing their menu while Dave got the business up and running, using a partner to help them navigate the New York City permits and licenses. By July, the truck was ready for business, but the guys weren’t prepared for that all-important “very stressful and exciting first day.”
They parked the truck on Park Avenue in the 50s—the heart of Midtown. “We thought it would be like a kind of slow build, cultivating a following.” Instead, they had lines down the block. While one person served food to the masses off of the truck, the other would be running out to buy more supplies so they didn’t run out. The lines caught people’s attention, and with everyone liking the food, it was certain that they had hit upon the right concept. “We got some great press write-ups right away from all the usual suspects online, and before too long we got some of the write-ups from the traditional media.” The hype hasn’t stopped since. “It’s been pretty much that same ride since we launched,” which has led them to open two brick-and-mortar locations, one in Midtown and the other in Chinatown. But the continued success of the truck and the subsequent locations would not have come if it hadn’t been for the customers. The truck and social media have allowed Dave and Thomas “to really engage with our customers a lot. Opening up a dialogue with our customers that I don’t think exists necessarily in most restaurants.” They can test out concepts, finding what works and what doesn’t. As for working the streets, Mexicue tries to be a lover and not a fighter with testy old-school vendors. “We’re trying to make friends here and not create enemies.”
“We’ve taken two pretty accessible foods, Mexican and barbecue, and blended them together in new and interesting ways.”
Their daily menu features a number of slider and taco filling options, including tender short rib, smoky brisket, or spicy BBQ beans. The guys did try to source a number of their products locally from New York City farmers’ markets, but when that turned out not to be feasible, they decided to at least use local produce in seasonal specials. One particular special, the smoked mushroom taco, became a quick favorite with customers. Other specials can include a beet taco or the autumnal butternut squash taco. Having a home-base kitchen in the Chinatown store has allowed for more menu offerings, a popular one of which is their Green Chile Mac ’n’ Cheese.
Adapted from Thomas Kelly’s and David Schillace’s recipe
Mexicue’s Green Chili Mac ‘n’ Cheese isn’t actually found on their truck, but rather comes from their store. The green chili sauce adds a wonderful spicy kick, and the mild Monterey Jack cheese melts into the perfect creamy sauce. This makes a great side dish for plenty of entrées, or something to just enjoy on its own.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup milk
¾ cup heavy cream
2 cups elbow macaroni
cup canned green chilies, chopped
1 cup salsa verde (homemade or store bought)
8 oz cheddar cheese
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
salt, to taste
Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour to create a roux. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
In a separate pot, gently bring milk and cream to a simmer. Add roux and stir with a whisk to combine. Gently simmer to thicken, about 15 minutes. Frequently stir with a rubber spatula to prevent bottom from burning.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the elbow macaroni. Cook to al dente, strain, and return to the pot.
In another separate pot, heat green chili and reduce slightly to thicken, about 10 minutes. Add to cream sauce.
Add the cheeses, chilies, and pepper to the sauce, stirring until the cheeses melt. Pour all of the cheese sauce over the cooked hot macaroni and stir to combine.
Add salt to taste. Serve.
Adapted from Thomas Kelly and David Schillace’s recipe
Mushrooms are like flavor sponges, so this recipe is a great for quick quesadillas that have huge smoke flavor. These instructions are for the oven, but these can also be grilled, just make sure to lightly brush olive oil or butter on the outside of the quesadillas. Barbecue sauce is the perfect topping for these, make yours spicy by adding some ancho chili powder and Mexican oregano for some extra kick.
12 ounces cremini and/or button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
10 ounces Monterey Jack cheese (about 3 cups)
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
barbecue sauce, for serving
Preheat your oven to 325°F.
Combine mushrooms, butter, salt, pepper, chili powder, and oregano in a small bowl.
Place mushrooms in a tin foil pouch punctured with small holes, place on a cookie sheet, and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
Place the mushroom mixture in a medium bowl and mix with the cheese.
Lay two of the tortillas out on a large baking sheet and evenly distribute the cheese and mushroom mixture on each. Place the other two on top.
Place the quesadillas back in the oven for about 10 minutes until the tortillas are nicely browned and the cheese has melted.
Cut into wedges and serve immediately.
