Kennedy Street Tacos
Chef Jaren Morrow thinks outside the bun to serve crave-able fast food inspired dishes.
photos: Ania Cywińska
You know what sounds really good right now? A cheesy chalupa from Taco Bell. And you know what really sucks? They don’t make ‘em anymore. But lucky for us, we have the shared nostalgia and innovation of self-proclaimed non-chef, Chef Jaren Morrow.
Inspired by a friend who was doing birria tacos at the time—and Tik Tok’s crunchwrap craze—Morrow tapped into his flavor memories—more specifically, the fuzzy late-night ones at Taco Bell drive-throughs. With visions of nacho cheese and refried beans dancing through his head, Kennedy Street Tacos was born.
Morrow was still holding on to his part-time job at local watering hole Jackie Lee’s (located on Kennedy Street)—an obvious spot to host a pop-up. While the food was going to be reminiscent of Taco Bell, the ingredients certainly wouldn’t be. This was going to be chef-ified and grown-up, using braised meats—nothing frozen or out of the bag. The craving proved to be real, and Morrow’s first Tuesday night pop-up was a “real shitshow.” “It was me, my girlfriend, and my sister in the kitchen, friends up front answering phones, and we had a tent set up outside grilling tacos in open fire and flame. We were not fully prepped for the turnout and had to keep running out to buy more cheese and tortillas.”
When the pop-up turned into a residency, the menu needed to grow. So Morrow asked his friends what they missed most from Taco Bell. One friend reminisced over the discontinued Mexican Pizza, so Morrow thought, what made that ‘so bad it’s good’ Mexican Pizza so iconic? The answer was in the sauce: RO-TEL, ancho chiles, sugar, and cumin.
It’s layered on flour tortillas with braised beef, shredded provolone and Mexican cheese blend, then tomato, onion and cilantro. It blew up—so much so, that Morrow’s considering bottling the sauce for retail.
The menu continues to evolve with taco bowls, quesadillas, and even seafood birria tacos (just because he can). And while Morrow is filling up the bellies of the tipsy, he’s filling up his own heart. “I love the idea of bringing dope food to the community. I love seeing people around that I know and recognize, that's the best part for me, being here in the neighborhood.” What’s next for Kennedy Street Tacos? Wings, sandwiches, and whatever other inspiration strikes when hungry.
chef jaren morrow of kennedy street tacos
