DINING FEATURE
BY WESLEY GARDNER
Queso birria tacos ($15): Three tacos are lled with marinated beef, Oaxaca cheese, onions and cilantro.
Herbert Guardado and his partner, Nikki Roberts, opened Herbeato’s Latin Inspired Cuisine in April 2021.
COURTESY HERBEATO’S LATIN INSPIRED CUISINE
WESLEY GARDNER COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Secretmenu Throughout February, Hebeato’s patrons will have access to several secret menu items that could potentially become permanent menu items in the future. The following dishes will be available upon request. TINGA EMPANADAS $7: Two empanadas are lled with marinated shredded chicken and Oaxaca cheese. BIRRIA EMPANADAS $8: Two empanadas are lled with marinated beef, Oaxaca cheese, onions and cilantro. FRIED PUPUSA BITES $7: Three fried pupusas are lled with ground chicharron and cheese.
Birria Ramen Soup ($6): A Cup of noodles is served with shredded beef, consomme soup, onions and cilantro.
Zinga TingaQuesadillas ($12): Served with rice and beans, this dish consists of marinated shredded chicken, Oaxaca cheese, onions and cilantro.
COURTESY HERBEATO’S LATIN INSPIRED CUISINE
COURTESY GREATER EAST MONTGOMERY COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Herbeato’s Latin Inspired Food Porter food trailer owner turns layo into new business opportunity H erbert Guardado was not
Central America. Even the name Herbeato’s was inspired by a story from Guardado’s youth. “My grandmother couldn’t pronounce my name,” Guardado said. “She didn’t know English, so she called me ‘Herbito.’ We took ‘Herbito’ and instead of the ‘I,’ we replaced it with ‘eat.’” According to Guardado, opening the new business has come along with its fair share of challenges as he had never before worked in the restaurant industry. To overcome the steep learning curve, Guardado has taken wisdom from his partner, Nikki Roberts, who has more than 10 years of industry experience. Roberts is in charge of Herbeato’s marketing.
As far as the food is concerned, Guardado said the queso birria tacos and fried loaded potato balls have been customer favorites. While Herbeato’s is restricted to outdoor seating, Guardado said he aims to make the food trailer feel like an indoor restaurant. Looking to the future, Guardado said he hopes to be able to expand with another food trailer in Conroe, where he grew up. Eventually, he said he would like to open a brick-and-mortar location, which he said would allow him to expand the restaurant’s o erings. “I’m very blessed to do what I do,” he said. “Sometimes, you just have to jump because you’ll never know if you don’t jump or try.”
overly concerned when he lost his job at Verizon Wireless in 2020 as the country struggled through early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’ve been wanting to open a food truck or food trailer for a couple of years, but I was scared to make that jump because I worked the corporate life for so many years,” Guardado said. “Being laid o , ... I guess that was God telling me, ‘Alright, this is your chance.’” Guardado opened Herbeato’s Latin Inspired Food in April 2021. Located in The Food Zone in Porter, the food trailer o ers an array of dishes inspired by Guardado’s travels throughout Mexico and
Herbeato’s Latin Inspired Food 23242 FM 1314, Porter 936-777-0331 www.facebook.com/herbeatos Hours: Tue.-Thu. 4-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. noon-9 p.m., closed Sun.-Mon.
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LAKE HOUSTON HUMBLE KINGWOOD EDITION • JANUARY 2022
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