Checking in with Chando

via Sac Bee
It had been well over a year since I last saw Chando Madrigal. We had met in the early days of the gourmet truck movement here in Sacramento, at the time when we founded SactoMoFo. Chando was one of the first Sacramento trucks on the scene, close on the heels of Krushburger (then Miniburger) and Drewski's.


I was lucky in that my office building where I now work was hosting a luncheon for the tenants and they called in Chando's to cater it. I was happy to see that Chando himself arrived on site and we were able to take a few minutes to catch up.



Chando's been busy since those early days. Since we first met he's opened locations in South Sacramento and in Roseville as well as adding a second truck.


He's also been getting some great national press. Last year the blog FiveThirtyEight did a search for the country's best burrito.  For the entire nation, Chando's came in at a tie for 7th place and in the top 20 overall. (Many of the positions had 2 or 3-way ties.) Then in April Chando's was named in Saveur magazine's article on California's historic tortilla-packed Highway 99

I asked him if he was ready to open location #4, possibly in Folsom and he said he's taking a break. His next project is actually to create a central facility where all of the catering and supply will function out of. At this location he can accept all deliveries, prep for catering events, and even make his own tortillas and more items from scratch. 

Then I wondered if he was ever going to do a regular restaurant versus a fast food/fast casual concept. He says he has an idea in his head, but it will be some time before that comes to fruition.

In the meantime I'll have to head over to the Arden Way stand and try this famous burrito. He says that they don't put beans or rice in them, only all the other fixings. This suits me just fine as I always order mine without rice and beans anyway. It's less carbs and less of a gut bomb. I've always been a regular for his great fish tacos (grilled, not fried) and the mulitas. 

Whatever Chando touches has been golden of late and so as the future unfolds I'm sure we'll see even more great things.