Tacos y Quesadillas a Wilson: Born in Ecuador, Built in Queens

Wilson’s story starts with a pushcart and his mom’s dream. Twenty years ago, newly arrived from Ecuador, she set up on the streets of NYC, selling food one plate at a time. She started with nothing and, little by little, grew to three trucks.

Wilson watched it all. He used to work on the Upper East Side and knew the neighborhood well. When he set out on his own, he landed on 86th Street—a familiar block that quickly became home. At first, he tried Ecuadorian dishes, but sales were low—maybe 20 plates a day, losing money. Mexican food, with its simplicity, freshness, and flexibility, worked better and brought more people in.

Sixteen years later, he has a brick-and-mortar location in Corona, Queens, where he preps food for his restaurant, trucks, and catering business.

His team serves construction crews by day, neighbors and partygoers at night. They wake up at 5 or 6am, clean the trucks, prep in the restaurant, and send everything out. Seven days a week—only closed on New Year’s, Christmas, and July 4th.

In the beginning, it was just him—16 to 17 hour days, barely making $100–200, always on the move. He didn’t stop and kept pushing.

Now, his dream is clear: to build a business where his employees feel like it’s their second home. If his team doesn’t feel comfortable, they won’t cook with love. And food has to have love—that’s the most important ingredient.

Wilson still supports his mom’s original trucks. She’s still out there, and although they run things separately now, they always have each other’s backs. His extended family—cousins, uncles—run small food businesses across NYC too. All built from scratch. All rooted in hustle. All fueled by heart.

Recently, he took his daughter to a fancy restaurant in Manhattan. He reminded her: you need to appreciate all the work behind every meal—not just this fancy space you see. A lot goes into this.