Today we’d like to introduce you to Alfredo Martinez.
Alfredo, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Well, it all started out of necessity because I had been laid off. I was trying to figure out my next move in life and because previous years back, I had a small Mexican restaurant with my uncle. Nothing big, just six tables, attached was a gas station and a tire shop. It was mostly part-time for me because I had a full time and a part-time job at the time. But every chance I was free, I was there, mostly to clean up and then prep for the next day and eat, of course. I started cooking since I was little thanks to my mom. She was always working, so I needed to know how to feed myself and prepare something for her when she got home. Well, all that life and kitchen experience and necessity led me in 2017 to make a decision to start selling BBQ out of my home. Mostly to friends and family and whatever I could hustle to observers passing by.
Cooking has always giving me a feel of relaxation, so I was curious to take it a step further. Well, my mom at the time had been laid off too cant make this up, so she started helping me with what she could because I was mostly making BBQ plates. Well, three months into selling from home, one of my friends had mentioned about food pop-ups happening at festivals around Houston. I asked mom if she was down because I needed her salsas recipes lol. Next thing you know I’m headed to court to get a dba and then a tax id number. Everything moved so quick and a few weeks later I’m selling brisket tacos and quesadillas to strangers.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth? No way. Two months into officially starting, we got hit with hurricane Harvey and part of our home was flooded. All of the equipment, coolers, portable grill, you name it was underwater or floating in the garage. Well, that put a hold on the food business. While working other jobs, I was still turning on my pit to sell briskets on the side while the city got back to normal. We started to do pop-ups again, maybe three months later. Doing pop-ups is not an easy gig, especially when people don’t know the name you’re representing. That’s probably the biggest challenge we have faced is gaining people’s trust that we do serve quality eats. That’s why we give samples to get the taste buds going. Well, fast forward to 2019, we flooded again during Imelda. Somehow we bounced back and were running again in no time. And now we are dealing with this pandemic economy. At first, I really had my doubts about making it through this, but we are and we will. It’s not great but it’s getting us through and thank our regulars enough for supporting us.
EL POBRE TEX MEX BBQ – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We like to tell people that everything we serve is with love and if they were family, just like a home-cooked meal, nothing fancy, simple and delicious. So what we are known for is our quesadillas, grilled cheese, loaded nachos and tacos. I take care of all the meats, which include smoked brisket, al pastor, tinga de Pollo and my mom takes care of sides and her secret salsas. Which I know how to do but they don’t come out the same as when she does them. We are also very proud that it actually surprises people we do catering and can handle a good size group. We have done weddings, baptisms and birthday parties.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Honestly surviving all the floods and now this pandemic economy, if we can get through this. Theirs no limits to our success.
Pricing:
- Smoked Brisket Quesadilla $11
- Tinga de Pollo Grilled Cheese $9
- Large Taco Homemade Flour Tortilla $6
Contact Info:
- Email: elpobretexmexbbq@gmail.com
- Instagram: @elpobretexmexbbq
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
