21 June 13th-June 19th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Baja Roots Emilene Carillo brings Tijuana-style eats and a sense of community to downtown. BY LAUREN TOPOR T o understand Phoenix food truck Baja Roots, you need to know Emilene Carillo. Carillo was born and raised in San Diego and throughout her childhood she spent summers with her grandparents in Tijuana, Mexico. During those visits, she was immersed in the street food culture and encouraged to “give everything a try” by her family. Carillo credits her grandparents for her capacious palate and her father, who she says would “always run out to his grill,” for her interest in cooking. Now, Carillo runs the late-night Tijuana-style food truck Baja Roots. The truck is a concept Carillo has been building on for close to a decade, she says. Carillo has a professional background in social work and describes her experience as a “launching pad” for her food truck. During her time at Sunshine Residential Homes, a supervised safe living space for at-risk youth in Glendale, Carillo funded and led a farm-to-table cooking program. Thinking of food as “a bridge to connect people from all social aspects,” she used this platform to educate kids about the basics of growing fruits and vegetables and how to make a home-cooked meal. After her departure, Carillo found herself at a crossroads. Should she attend culinary school or go all in for the “hands- on experience” that a real kitchen offers? Carillo chose the latter. So, she rolled up her sleeves and clocked in at 1130 The Restaurant, a now- shuttered steakhouse at Arizona Center, and also worked at two other restaurants in the same group. “I just jumped in and allowed myself to learn through experience,” she recalls. Putting down roots In the late 2010s, Carillo made the leap and began doing her own pop-ups at Cobra Arcade Bar. “I started on the patio with a five-foot table and a 36-inch grill,” she says. Carillo quickly expanded to a larger setup, which included more grills, tables and a large tent, to feed her growing customer base. “We kept selling out night after night,” she recalls. Knowing she needed to ramp up production, Carillo purchased her food truck in spring 2020. Unfortunately, that was just weeks before the pandemic plunged the culinary industry into a panic. “I had just made the biggest purchase of my life,” Carillo says. Despite the uncertainty, Carillo made it work. She relied on delivery orders and offered her signature spicy birria ramen as a to-go kit. Then, her ability to park her food truck outside became essential. “Cobra gave me the opportunity to bring the truck back out,” she says. Over the lockdown, DJs streamed their sets from inside the arcade bar while Carillo used the parking lot to dish out Baja Roots delivery orders. Ultimately, the growing online community became a real- life fanbase. “It definitely helped us to stay afloat,” she says. “We made a great community out there that continues to follow us.” At Baja Roots, Carillo notes that she’s met customers who have traveled to Phoenix from as far as New Orleans, New York and Canada. “People tell me that my cuisine reminds them of going back home to Mexico or their mom’s cooking,” she says. For Carillo, authenticity comes first. Her menu is a rebuttal to the ▼ Food & Drink Emilene Carillo serves late-night customers at her popular food truck Baja Roots. (Photo by Lauren Topor/Good Karma Photo) >> p 22
