Our Story

Our Story
The name Tacos Papi Grande was born in Port Aransas, Texas, while Luis Lara and Amber Gunn were cruising the beach on a golf cart. Their favorite song, Big Poppa by The Notorious B.I.G., came on, and the phrase “I love it when you call me Papi Grande” stuck. And just like that, Tacos Papi Grande was born.

Luis brought more than 25 years of restaurant experience and a serious love for tacos from the Reynosa, Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley, while Amber brought a background in accounting, real estate, entrepreneurship, and business development. Together, they built Tacos Papi Grande into a New Braunfels food truck and catering company serving communities throughout Central Texas.

In early 2024, Amber took over the business and began building its next chapter. She expanded Tacos Papi Grande's catering business, community involvement, and retail products like their birria kit and FLAVOR season all while continuing to grow the brand throughout the Austin-San Antonio corridor.

Meet Amber Gunn
Amber has been in real estate since 2004 and working in commercial real estate since 2018. She also holds a bachelor's degree in accounting, but some of her most valuable business education has come from owning and operating Tacos Papi Grande. 

Becoming a business owner changed the way Amber approaches commercial real estate.

Today, she works with business owners who need to lease or purchase space, property owners looking to sell, and entrepreneurs trying to determine what their next move should be. Because she has built and operated businesses herself, Amber looks at a property through more than the lens of a commercial broker. She considers the numbers, operating costs, location, growth potential, timing, construction needs, and the realities of actually running a business inside that space.

Her goal isn't simply to complete a real estate transaction. It's to help business owners understand what steps to take, when to take them, and whether the deal makes sense for the business they're trying to build.

And when Amber truly believes in a client's concept and the people behind it, she has been known to take that commitment one step further by investing her own money into her clients' businesses.

For Amber, commercial real estate, entrepreneurship, and community building all connect: help good people build good businesses, find the right place to grow them, and create something that lasts.

Tacos, Catering & A Whole Vibe
Tacos Papi Grande specializes in beef birria made with chuck roast, chicken birria made with breast meat, asada steak tacos, and al pastor marinated pork with pineapple. The menu also includes quesadillas, ramen, grilled cheese, and other Papi favorites.

But Tacos Papi Grande has never been just about the food.

We believe catering should be an experience. From corporate lunches and customer appreciation events to weddings, birthdays, graduations, and private parties, we bring great food, big energy, and a little bit of Papi personality wherever we go.

We're a whole vibe.

Amber has also expanded the brand beyond the truck with Lock & Load Seasoning Co., including the Papi Grande Birria Kit and FLAVOR Season All, giving customers another way to bring Papi Grande flavor home.

Feel Good Tacos
In November 2024, Tacos Papi Grande became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to support single-parent families in Comal County.

Our team members are paid well, and a portion of sales is reinvested into the community to help single parents and their families when they need it most.

That's why we call them Feel Good Tacos.

Today, Tacos Papi Grande provides food truck service and taco and churro catering throughout New Braunfels, Gruene, San Marcos, Seguin, Austin, San Antonio, and surrounding Central Texas communities.

Built on love. Powered by our community.

And, of course...

WHO'S YOUR PAPI???