The old saying, “When you love what you do, you’ll never work another day in your life,” rings true for friends and soccer mates Erik Hernandez and Jose Cruz. After two decades of dreaming, planning and saving for the day when they would be able to combine their individual talents for business and cooking, the duo launched Cachita’s Kitchen in 2020, and since then the venture has taken off.
The food truck was christened after Cruz’s nickname from his days kicking the ball down the pitch. “The idea,” said Hernandez, “was to use the truck to spread our name throughout the Lowcountry and share our authentic made-to-order Mexican food and our brand with as many customers as we could.”
In an interview that appeared in Mount Pleasant Magazine’s May/June issue, Hernandez related that he and Cruz had been seeing high demand for another truck. Additionally, the business partners envisioned bigger plans for opening up a brick-and-mortar restaurant with chef Cruz preparing the fresh dishes with a twist, for which he has become renowned. That vision has come to life at Papi’s Taqueria on the Isle of Palms, where Cachita’s best-selling and authentic street food is featured daily. Cachita’s true taste of Mexico has also expanded to Indigo Reef Brewing, located at 2079 Wambaw Creek Road on Daniel Island. Their main hub is at 1340 Chuck Dawley Blvd.
Cachita’s fan favorite, according to Hernandez, is the Mexican Cuban sandwich made with mustard, pepper jack cheese, ham, avocado, hot sauce, pickles and pork. Other popular options, he said, include the signature wings with buffalo sauce and ranch; the grab-and-go tacos such as the classic street taco, Shem Creek shrimp taco, Mount Pleasant fish taco or the veggin’ out taco; and burritos. Other crowd pleasers include the Wando nachos, ceviche shrimp tostada and tortilla salad bowl. For a unique burst of flavor, opt for the Mexican sushi burrito roll with crab and shrimp or tuna and salmon, masago, cilantro, asparagus, mango and jalapeno.
“With good vibes, teamwork and a whole lot of authentic flavor, our crew is working hard and having fun so you can enjoy the very best of our Mexican kitchen,” said Hernandez of the company’s growth. “Keeping our customers happy is important,” he added, “because that means we’re doing something right.”
Clearly, Cachita’s is on the right path. Hernandez credits the team that works behind the scenes, because as he said, “Behind every delicious dish and satisfied customer is a team that’s cooking up greatness and spreading joy, one bite at a time. We achieve that by infusing fresh, traditional ingredients, care and authentic flavor into every bite. That’s Cachita’s, every single day.”
Learn more about the fire and flavor that Cachita’s has to offer by following them on Instagram and Facebook. To view the menu and place a to-go order, call 843-806-986 or order on the website at cachitaskitchenchs.com. Delivery through DoorDash, UberEats and Grubhub is also available. To book the truck for a special event, call 843-214-6299.
By Sarah Rose
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