Willis food truck Tacos in Low Places crafts quirky Tex-Mex dishes and has created a gathering place for the Lake Conroe community over the past year.

Owner Ascension “Shawn” Sanchez said he opened the food truck Oct. 12, 2018 after following his dreams of attending culinary school at the Art Institute of Houston. Sanchez said the truck has developed a loyal following in its first year of business.

“We’re getting a lot of good feedback,” Sanchez said. “We’re getting a lot of new customers daily just for that fact that everybody’s talking about us, so it’s pretty good.”

The truck’s most popular dishes include the Garth, the Watt Taco and the Artery Clogger. Sanchez said his food pays homage to various famous figures in American and Texan history—namely, musician Garth Brooks and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. Even the name of his truck came from Brooks’ song “Friends in Low Places.”

“We try to do stuff that goes along with Texas,” Sanchez said. “We’re proud of where we came from.”
Sanchez said he has watched his mom cook since he was little and has been cooking seriously for 18 years. Family is still a part of the business today—Sanchez said when he goes to special events around the Conroe, Montgomery and Houston areas, he calls in his mom, brother and sister to help out in addition to his cousin, Carlos Jose Hernandez, who helps cook.

“It gets pretty packed. Even though it’s a huge trailer, we’re still bumping into each other in there, running around,” Sanchez said. “Especially at big events, when we’ve got to work thousands of people and we’re just throwing tacos out the window.”

As he heads into his second year, Sanchez said he wants to get a second truck that can drive on its own. The current trailer must be hooked to Sanchez’s truck to be moved. Although he has thought about opening a brick-and-mortar storefront, Sanchez said he enjoys the freedom of the food truck.

“I kind of like this idea of taking off wherever you want to ... [to] go do different stuff,” Sanchez said.

Tacos in Low Places
11173 Hwy. 75, Willis
936-333-8844
www.facebook.com/tacosinlowplaces
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., closed Sun.