Danny Trejo has spent his career faking a gentle personality behind the scenes and playing a machete-wielding thug on screen.
He speaks warmly of his childhood in Los Angeles, especially how food brought everyone together.
“You know, it was my mom’s house. It didn’t matter what time we got home. “Food was like a peacemaker. , she fed everyone,” Trejo, 79, recalls.
“It calmed everyone down. My house was a place where the whole family would party and the whole family would get together. One time I had a party, it was in high school. And I My mother and father were able to do things like dance and swing, which attracted a lot of attention.”
Trejo added with his signature laugh that he packed “about 300 kids” into the alley behind his house and they all gathered there for a good time and, of course, good food.
Trejo’s early criminal life is well documented, and he spent time in various prisons before breaking into Hollywood in the 1980s. What started out as bit parts and extra roles for him quickly turned into his full-fledged career. He played Isadore “Machete” Cortez in the Spy Kids and Machete series, as well as films such as Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, and From Dusk Till Dawn. I also appeared in Conair.
Off-screen, Trejo says he’s “always conscious of my health,” especially at work.
He recounts how he always brought his own meals and snacks to appear in low-budget films, as the only food provided was fast food.
“I don’t eat processed food. I want to make my own burgers!” he says.
“This producer is called Ash.” [Shah] He is now one of my business partners. He was the one who saw me eating a small tuna salad or chicken salad while others were eating Mickey Dozens. He said, “Trejo, you eat well.”
“I was like, ‘I’m 70 years old, so much better!’ And he said, ‘Why don’t we start a restaurant?’ As a joke, I said, ‘Trejo’s. Taco”
What started as a joke quickly turned into a full-fledged business plan. When Trejo first saw his pitch for his restaurant, he said, “I opened it and there was no murder or mayhem on the first page. It’s not my authority.”
But it clearly struck a chord, with the first L.A. outpost established in 2016, and “we crushed it,” Trejo says. He is currently opening his first international joint shop in London.
“Mexican food, tacos are the simplest thing. It’s so funny that everyone has different ways of eating tacos. But tacos are so simple and so delicious. It’s really hard to make a bad taco. A bad taco. You have to really like someone to make it.”
Many of the recipes for Trejo’s Tacos come from his mother, but with some fundamental changes.
“In the ’50s and ’60s, Latinos used to cook with lard. So we had to get rid of it. “Anything that wasn’t healthy, we replaced it with something that was healthy. ” explains Trejo.
The menu also has plenty of vegan options, including tacos made with jackfruit and cauliflower.
“People think they have to go on some kind of diet, but that’s not true!” Feed them jackfruit and cauliflower. Helps cleanse the body. ”
Gluten-free options are also available. Especially since Trejo himself is allergic to gluten.
“I didn’t know I was allergic to gluten. I was just eating and doing whatever I had to do, but gluten causes GERD, and that’s what affected me. ” When I found out I was allergic to gluten, I quit gluten. That way, I no longer have acid reflux.
Trejo celebrated 55 years of sobriety last year, and says quitting alcohol has made him appreciate food even more.
“People don’t understand booze. First of all, they put three spoonfuls of sugar in every sip. Liquor is made from sugar. I know, ‘I made pruno.’ He said, referring to what is often called “prison wine,” an alcoholic beverage made primarily from fermented fruit.
“It’s the same thing as drinking soda with a meal. It’s like you’re ingesting something.” [away] taste of food. I love the taste of food. If I hadn’t been working out, I’d be doing an Overeaters Anonymous commercial by now. ”
Trejo, who is in his 70s, says walking keeps him healthy and there are definitely psychological benefits. “Walking helps you burn off calories and anxiety.”
Trejo’s Tacos will open Feb. 27 at 299-301 Portobello Road. To subscribe to our mailing list and make reservations, please visit trejostacos.co.uk.
