'Gaucho, Gringa' get grander space

PERKINS TWP. — A bigger food truck makes better business sense for the Argentinian-American duo. Translation for their customers: Growing allows spouses Jorge Avila and Shannon Bradford to continue preparing flavorful, fresh foods — like empanadas, burgers, bratwursts along with vegetarian options — while incorporating some new, foreign fare on the menu as well. Avila and Bradford, the co-owners of The Gaucho & The Gringa, recently unveiled a new food truck for their business. Its debut coincided with when they began service for the 2021 season this past week at company headquarters: 2525 Columbus Ave., Sandusky. The larger vehicle measures 26-by-9 feet, just about doubling its predecessor. Some key components, namely the truck's bright yellow color and their faces illustrated on its side, carried over from the predecessor. "With our bigger truck, we can produce a lot more food, which is especially helpful at a lot of the fast-paced events we find ourselves at, where, sometimes, we'll see unbroken lines of people at our window for over seven hours straight," said Bradford, noting how the truck also travels to various festivals during summertime. "Additionally, we're able to expand our menu and get more creative," she added. Bradford then revealed why she and Avila, parents of one young child with another on the way, made this investment. "We have the most amazing customers," said Bradford, crediting their dedication and loyalty, ever since opening in 2016, prompted this latest investment. "It truly lights up our souls to share the joy of food with so many people and, as travelers at heart, we love to be more on the move," she said. "We love having the opportunity to share ourselves, and our cultures, through food, and we are so thankful that our business has been so well-received by the region." Even with a new truck, neither Avila nor Bradford will divert from their roots or the company's underlying mission. "We believe that fresher is better, and simplest is best," Bradford said. "Our food isn't wildly complex: It's just flavorful and as close to the source as possible — especially in season, when the majority of our produce is organic and local." People can visit the company's social media accounts for information on hours and locations, which change on a week-by-week basis. What's a "Gaucho" and a "Gringa"? Here's a translation of what "The Gaucho" and "The Gringa" mean as it applies to the local food truck business: • Gaucho, in this case, Jorge Avila, in Spanish, translates to a South American cowboy. He's from a small village in rural central Argentina • Gringa, in this case, Shannon Bradford, translates to North American girl. She's from Sandusky, and their family resides there today. Avila and Bradford met while they living abroad, in Chile, back in 2013.