Upmarket tacos as featured in the Otago Daily Times

Its funny how things happen, but believe it or not, Ash actually had a dream of Bob Marley a month before he started his food truck. In his dream Uncle Bob gave him a very large sized shimmery 20 cent Australian coin. Ash reckons his dream meant he might come into a line of work that would do well but would require a lot of hard work. Nek minute Taco Vida was born!

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It grew from a student-focused food truck into a popup shop on the beach in Saint Clair. It later blossomed into a beloved eatery on George Street right in the middle of town! Ash couldn't believe it! After about a year of juggling this mish and his two young kids he decided just to run a ghost kitchen from home. This way he could focus more on his kids as life can be tricky for single parents. 

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Back when Ash was young his mum would take him and his younger sisters down to LA in California to visit family. It was during this time that he got to experience full blown street food. This one time, Ash's mum bought him a corn on the cob from a lovely lady selling them out of a

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shopping cart on the street! WOOSH went up the steam as she unwrapped the blankets keeping the pot of corn warm. To his surprise the nice lady smothered it in mayonnaise, and to Ash's delight, completely covered it in Parmesan cheese. To this day that corn on the cob was the best he's ever had! 

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Sadly, his mum passed away all too soon in 2010. He named the shop after her, Vida, which means life in Spanish. She was an artist and Ash learnt a thing or two from her in the kitchen. When he makes tacos he strives for excellence because his mum always said he should pursue the Baha'i teaching of 'excellence in all things.' He still reckons his mum's cooking is some of the best home cooking he's ever had. 

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Don't you hate it when you eat out and feel yuck afterwards? A lot of fast food use seed oils. We have a strict

 

no seed oils policy. Extra virgin olive and coconut oils only. We like to cook for others the way we do for ourselves. Life can be short so we need to look after our bodies with quality ingredients. 

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Follow us on Instagram @tacovidanz for menu drops, student offers, and behind‑the‑scene moments. Come see why Dunedin loves Taco Vida—where every bite is carefully crafted under an eye for beauty and taste buds for glory!