33 Jan 26th–Feb 1st, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | Tacos and THC How a dispensary and a Phoenix taco maker gave away 1 million free tacos. BY MIKE MADRIAGA S ince 2017, Ascension “El Chon” Labrada and his crew have made over a million tacos and have given them away for free. On designated days, El Chon Tacos and Catering serves free tacos outside the four Mint Cannabis dispensaries around town. The taco promo started in 2017 when the Mint Dispensary opened in Tempe. “Raul Molina asked if we could make the first [promos] for their dispensary customers,” Labrada says. “We would give away about 700 tacos in those days.” Then, Molina, the COO of Mint Cannabis, requested that Labrada hook everyone up with free tacos. The Mint has footed the bill ever since. “People can’t believe we give the tacos away for free,” Labrada says as he serves people waiting in line on a mid-January afternoon in Tempe. “Do you want carne asada or al pastor tacos? With red or green salsa?” The street tacos, wrapped in 5-inch corn tortillas, take their inspiration from tacos made by Labrada’s family in Sinaloa, which is a state in Mexico about 750 miles from Phoenix. “Sinaloa tacos have minced cabbage, which is different, and our salsas are made differently than the rest of Mexico,” Labrada explains. “The meat and vegeta- bles are cut on a board made of a type of tree called Mora; it gives the food a little flavor, that’s also from Sinaloa.” The durable Mora wood cutting boards are imported from Labrada’s hometown. El Chon, the name of the taco and catering business, came from Labrada’s childhood nickname, Chon. When he was younger, he was already passionate about making tacos thanks to family-owned taco stands. Labrada dreamed of continuing the family tradition of making Sinaloense cuisine, including tacos, in the U.S. When Labrada and his family relocated to metro Phoenix, they continued the taco- making family tradition in 2002 by catering events such as weddings, quincea- ñeras, baptisms, and corporate parties. Besides tacos, the family is known for their barbacoa, which is cooked with beef, pota- toes, carrots, and chile. Labrada also worked at Rubio’s Coastal Grill, learning the corporate ways of running a restaurant business, then applying it to his taco stand. “In 2010, I quit my job and ran El Chon full-time,” he says. Molina and Labrada met over a decade ago at a local festival where Labrada was selling tacos. “We became friends and started doing charity work together,” Molina says. “When we started at the Mint Cannabis project, it seemed natural to bring him aboard.” Part of the astonishing number of free tacos was given away in 2022. Labrada and his staff made and gave away most of the tacos outside of the Mint’s flagship dispensary in Tempe. On the three cannabis-related dates of April 20, | CANNABIS | Tacos al pastor from El Chon Tacos and Catering. Mike Madriaga >> p 35
