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SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) — A Texas native can now add what many would consider the dream job of taste-testing tacos across the state to his resume.
Favor Delivery, a Texas-based delivery app, announced it hired Chris Flores as its first-ever Chief Taco Officer. Flores, who grew up and still lives in San Antonio, is spending the next two months traveling to different Texas cities and sharing his experiences while trying out tacos.
“It’s a big deal,” Flores said during an interview Tuesday. “One of the biggest things that I want to communicate with folks is the impact that tacos have had on, one, our economy; two, the Texas culture; and three, how they literally tell the tale of Texas.”
Flores normally works to produce social media video content for clients and developed a following online through his Eatmigos YouTube channel, which he used to review taco places and taquerias in his hometown and during his travels. That fun, food-based hobby made many of his fans and friends alert him to the job posting from Favor in April earlier this year, and they encouraged him to apply. He said he ended up submitting his entry to become Chief Taco Officer on the very last day.
“I felt, hey, this is me. This job, it was made for me,” Flores said. “I just felt I had a lot of experience, and I have a lot to offer also, because throughout the course of this whole taco journey I’ve become like a taco historian, if you will, because you have to learn so much. Your curiosity starts piquing — hey, where did this come from , or why are we doing this? Why is this region doing this? My love for tacos grew.”
Flores traces his love and appreciation for tacos to his grandmother’s kitchen, whom he described as a “typical Mexican grandmother.”
“Her home was like a revolving-door restaurant for our family,” he said. “Everybody would show up. She’d make tortillas, and she’d make whatever you wanted in them fresh. From there, we just grew up eating tacos. It was literally a staple. I probably ate tacos five times a week growing up.”
Flores began his work as Favor Delivery’s Chief Taco Officer last week by traveling around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He and the Favor team work together to compile a list of places for him to go for a bite to eat, and they take into consideration the recommendations people send him on social media sharing their favorite spots. He’ll then work to put out three to four social media posts highlighting taco places he enjoyed there.
When KXAN spoke to him Tuesday, he had made his way to Corpus Christi, and his wife and three children are visiting him there for this leg of his culinary trip around the state. During the next two months, he’ll make a total of nine stops, mostly in the major Texas metro areas. He plans to come to Austin during the first week of August.
“It’s going to be a fun one because, without even asking folks for recommendations, Austinites have just been flooding my inbox, ‘Hey, you have to go here’ or tagging me, ‘You’ve got to try these! You’ve got to try these!’ I’m very excited.”
Flores shared he often looks at photos of tacos online before he picks which restaurants to highlight. He also pays special attention to the history of the establishment, because he’d like to showcase that alongside the food.
“To me, that’s even more important than the tacos — the story, the hustle, the struggle, especially during COVID,” Flores explained. “For these folks to continue to stay open and keep their doors open, it’s just an amazing thing, and it only means one thing. If you were able to survive, you have good food. I mean, people are eating your food, and it was good.”
Flores hopes the content he creates as Chief Taco Officer will serve as a guide for Texans to find the best tacos throughout the state. His position only lasts for two months, though, and Flores hopes it will lead to a more permanent position with Favor Delivery, because he said the food from even more communities deserves a chance in the spotlight.
Favor announced Flores will receive $10,000 for his role as chief taco officer. He’s also set to get food, transportation, accommodations and free Favor delivery services for a year.
People can follow Flores’ taste-testing journey across Texas on the Favor Twitter account and YouTube page.
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