Stoner Taco to provide unique offerings at Local First Street Party

There will be several food vendors at the upcoming Local First Street Party, but the one that caught my eye was Stoner Taco.

I can’t remember where I first found out about Stoner Taco. Was it at last year’s Local First Street Party, during Celebration on the Grand or just one of the times they were parked on the sidewalk in front of McFadden’s? I can’t say for sure. What I can say is that they offer some really interesting tacos with a less than usual presentation. Whether it is the Vietnamese style Bahn Mi Taco or the Hawaiian influenced Mowie Wowie taco, Stoner Taco offers a unique approach to the typical meat and bean variations that the world has become accustomed to.

Stoner Taco is basically a part-time mobile food vender that, much like a flash mob, shows up at local events or on the sidewalk on Ionia street when you least expect it. It helps to follow them on Facebook so that you know where they will show up next. This is even more interesting when you realize that they are owned by BarFly Ventures LLC who also own the brick and mortar establishments HopCat, Stella’s Lounge and Grand Rapids Brewing Company.

According to Garry Boyd,”the ringleader” of BarFly Ventures, the beginnings of Stoner Taco can be found on the occasions where Michele Sellers, the co-owner of BarFly Ventures, would have taco nights at her home where they served up crispy flash-fried tacos with a variety of fillings. The unique shell design, an edible bowl of sorts, was also greatly influenced by Michele Sellers after many hours of trial and error. 

There are no immediate plans for Stoner Taco to find a stand-alone building. The management of BarFly Ventures likes the mystique that has been created around their current incarnation of the taco stand. Any changes that will come will likely be in the creation of new and interesting taco concepts that may include a dessert taco.

Stoner Taco’s next appearance will be this Saturday, June 1 at the 10th Annual Local First Street Party in front of Bistro Bella Vita. Why Local First?

“Grand Rapids is amazing in its support for local business," says Boyd. "We are all part of this community. Local First throws a great party. It is a ton of fun to be out there and it supports a great organization that is invaluable to the growth of our local economy. Every dollar spent locally gets spent and re-spent as long as it says local. You buy something from us, our staff buys something from someone local, the farmers buy something from someone local, the linen service delivery driver buys something from someone local, and on and on. You can’t find fault with the math. It just makes sense and we love being a part of that.” 

If you haven’t had the chance to try a Stoner Taco, make your way down to the street party and check out this very unique taco experience.