Why Does Fresno Love Tacos So Much?

In March, when we found out noted chef and culinary expert Alton Brown was coming to Fresno, we at FresYes.com decided we had to get his attention.

This was Brown’s second trip to Fresno while on tour for one of his stage shows. On his first trip, he ate at a bunch of great Fresno food stops. But we noticed a glaring omission in his choices: he didn’t eat at a taco place.

So we decided to make a video imploring Brown to join FresYes.com publisher Jason Farris and local taco enthusiast Mike Oz for lunch at El Premio Mayor. He didn’t.

But he did go to there on his own, and he called the tacos “legit.” Which we know.

Because we in Fresno love our tacos. I mean, we really love tacos.

And it’s easy to say, “Well, duh. Everyone everywhere loves tacos because they’re so damn delicious,” because that’s true. But for a lot of people in Fresno, it’s more than that.

For a long time, our city has been dismissed as a cultural wasteland, the “armpit of California” — mostly by our own citizens. But culture has always been here. A lot of us were just resistant to see it.

Tacos have become a source of pride for many in Fresno. This is something our city does really well, and we have the generations of people who have come here and brought their knowledge, culture, and traditions to thank for that, and for a lot of other things that make Fresno so unique.

So, why does Fresno love tacos so much? That’s not an easy question to sufficiently answer, because obviously different people love tacos for different reasons. Suffice to say, we just do.

We at FresYes wanted to show our thanks to those who’ve contributed to making Fresno an amazing, taco-friendly place, so we had PPLHq re-cut the Alton Brown video to talk simply about what tacos mean to us. Give it a watch, then show your appreciation by going out and getting some tacos today.

Upcoming Taco Events

Info about TB & J (Tacos, Brews & Jams), May 18, here.
Info about Taco Truck Throwdown, July 28-29, here.

[photo: Mike Oz, “Five Tacos in Fresno You Need to Try This Month”]

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Jason Farris

Head YES man at FresYes.com

I grew up in Fresno. Relaxed in its calm breezes, listened with my dad to the crack of the bat at little league baseball games when I was a kid and now take my son to do the same at minor league games. I broadened my mind at its schools (I went to high school right here at San Joaquin Memorial, and to college at Fresno State!) I love that if I drive for two hours in one direction, I can be in the mountains. For two hours in another, luxuriating on a California beach. I can enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere of San Francisco or Los Angeles, but still be able to come home to relaxation, calm, and quiet.

I love where I live, and I also love what I do. I'm lucky to be able to work in a profession in which I get to build relationships; one that has me meeting new people each and every day and helping them to build new lives in my beloved city. I'm lucky enough to work in a profession in which I can marry cutting-edge technologies and marketing techniques to good, old-fashioned, nose-to-the-grindstone work. I am lucky enough to work in a profession that allows me to work as an advocate for my clients; to use every tool at my disposal to get a job done well for them, and with as little stress and expense as possible.

I love my city. I love my job. One inspires my excellence for the other.

Fresno? I say FresYES

Upcoming Taco Events

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