What’s old is new again. The people of Chelmsford or those passing through might remember the Waffle House franchise in the old red roof Pizza Hut building.
That has recently changed hands, offering customers fresh tacos, Mexican street corn and lots of tasty authentic cultural flavours.
Sam Camino’s Tacos and BBQ opened this spring under the ownership of Sam Illanga and Cameron Ross.
Once roommates who worked together at the old Stackhouse, they decided to fuse their names together to come up with the restaurant name and concept. Sam’s vision was to bring something different to the Chelmsford area, west of Sudbury.
“There is a lot of pizza available in this area of town and we wanted to bring some variety,” he said.
Illanga said they have already experienced line-ups, positive reviews and lots of customers following them on Facebook which he believes shows the level of interest.
Not bad considering the idea to open a restaurant only surfaced at the beginning of May with the opening launch coming about three weeks later.
Ilanga admits that given the time factor, not much time was spent on the interior upgrades for the restaurant however the food is where it’s at.
The fish tacos and steak tacos are very popular. They use a high-quality flank steak and cook it to medium rare unless otherwise specified.
The Pollo Asado Tacos loaded with marinated chicken thighs, pico de gallo, cilantro, fresh lime and guacamole have also been a hit.
There are quite a few options for vegetarians, too, including the cauliflower tacos featuring fried cauliflower, pickled onions and avocado.
Mexican street corn is also a delight. Grilled and topped with cilantro lime crema, crumble cheese and a dash of tajin which gives it a chile, citrus flavouring.
There’s more to come with Birria Tacos later this summer. Birria is a marinated taco that usually uses goat or beef that is marinated in a vinegar base and Illanga wants to perfect it before it hits the menu.
Illanga said they will likely add a meatball sub to the menu to keep the old Stackhouse customers happy.
“Many people say they really miss the taste of that meatball sub,” he said.
He’s also interested in having a travelling food truck down the road, as well featuring their much loved Senora dog, which is a bacon lover's dream. The wiener is wrapped in bacon, sprinkled with onions and jalapenos and coated with a cilantro lime crema and guacamole.
Sam, of French-Canadian and Congolese descent, has a zest for adventure having travelled to South Korea, Japan and all across North America, Africa and Europe.
It’s what drives his experimentation and exploration of all things food.
Sam Camino’s is located at 3146 Laura Drive in Chelmsford or call (705) 222-TAKO.
The restaurant offers take out and delivery to areas like Onaping Falls, Levack. It’s also on Facebook.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
