Gypsy Taco, a taco truck permanently parked on the patio of Boone & Crockett, 2151 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., suffered fire and smoke damage on New Year’s morning.
Chef Mitch Ciohon says he is still "picking up the pieces" and working with the insurance companies, and only has theories as to what happened.
"What we know is that in between the time I closed at 5 a.m. on New Year’s morning and came back to set up for the New Year’s brunch for the service industry, there was small interior wall fire that burned long enough to melt parts of the interior and do a fair share of smoke damage," says Ciohon. "But it was not catastrophic."
Ciohon was able to put the fire out before the fire department arrived. He hopes to have the business up and running in a few weeks. In the meantime, he plans to have Gypsy Taco pop-up events and to amp up his recently added delivery service.
Gypsy Taco is known for its unique tacos – including mouthwatering standards like Dr. Pepper braised pork shoulder, roasted root vegetable with goat cheese and arugula salad, braised beef tongue with ramp kimchi, grilled chicken thigh with pickled peppers and feta, seared tuna and more. The "corn cup" has also mustered a cult-like following during the business' short but swift run.
The business has had some setbacks since it opened in June 2016 – including losing money on a scam and a robbery – but Ciohon says nothing will stop him from bouncing back at Boone.
"It’s been a rough ride, but nothing – including a fire – can break Gypsy Taco," he says. "We’ll be back, better than ever."
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.