Wichita, KS: New Wichita food truck sells homemade tamales by the dozen

Gonzalez taught herself how to make tamales when she lived in New Mexico, then when she moved to Dodge City, she developed a profitable at-home business, selling them by the dozen.

“Everybody said the flavor was awesome,” she said. “I started making them more and more, and people sad, ‘These are amazing. They are out of this world.’”

Last year, her parents moved to Wichita and Gonzalez and her husband decided to relocate with them. Over the summer, Gonzalez started selling her tamales from a cooler in the parking lot of the abandoned Kentucky Fried Chicken at 21st and Arkansas. She was there for a couple of months before a manager told her she could not operate her business on the lot. (Although she did offer Gonzalez a job at KFC.)

Gonzalez saw a taco truck for rent in Dodge City and took it, deciding to sell her tamales and add other Mexican dishes to the menu as well.

Now, Gonzalez is hoping to make the Harry and Seneca spot her semi-permanent home, though she also takes the truck to serve other places. She has a standing agreement to serve outside of the Wright Brothers Club on Wednesday and Saturday nights, and she’s also set up outside he Hopping Gnome, where she plans to return more regularly. Gonzalez said she also wants to get involved in food truck meetups when the weather warms up.

For now, she’s out serving from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. Her parents, Michael and Maria Gonzalez, run the truck Mondays through Wednesdays, and she and her husband, Matthew Calbert, run it the rest of the time.

Her tamales, made with beef, pork or chicken, red or green chile or cheese, are $15 a dozen, one for $2 or three for $5. Customers also can get pans of enchiladas if they order a day in advance.

Fans can find out where the truck will be each day by following Facebook page, or they can call 316-393-1147 or 316-992-0170.