We took the show on the road for this week’s episode of Reservations with Lightning! Dan and Casey caught up with Daniel Yarzagaray of Chivanada food truck. Their menu specializes in Colombian coastal cuisine and empanadas prepared in an old school bus decked out with a Colombian mural, solar powered sign, 3000 watt sound system and portable dance floor.
Daniel developed a passion for Colombian cuisine on Sunday afternoons while making empanadas for family brunch. Salsa lessons in the kitchen were commonplace, and between the Cumbia, Vallenato and other traditional genres played around the dinner table, he learned to love the music of Colombia as well as the food.
As a Nashville native, Daniel was inspired by the emergence of the food truck scene in the mid-2000’s. Having worked a desk job for several years, he found himself ready to leave corporate America behind and start his own food truck. He bought a school bus out of Atlanta and brought it back to Nashville. There, he and his brother Kai transformed it into a modern take on the “Chiva”, a traditional art bus found in the rural regions of Colombia. Since they had created a Chiva that served empanadas, the name “CHIVANADA” was a natural fit. Daniel quit his desk job and now makes empanadas for the people of Nashville full time. Daniel currently lives in Germantown with his brother and business partner Kai.
Listen to the complete interview with Chef Daniel Yarzagaray below. Flavored by Springer Mountain Farms.
