For Grace Aguilar-Domonter, naming her food truck Five O Four was a no-brainer. Not only is it the area code for her hometown of New Orleans, it’s also the country code for her family’s homeland of Honduras. Combining the two cultures into her new venture at 2324 E. Cesar Chavez only made sense – what better way is there to pay homage to her roots?
Growing up in New Orleans, Aguilar-Domonter experienced the city’s unique blend of cultures that has captivated visitors for centuries. Not only do French, Spanish, Italian, African, and American influences shine in the Crescent City, but there is also a heavy undercurrent of Central American culture; NOLA has traditionally held the largest population of Hondurans in the United States. Aguilar-Domonter’s history is steeped in Creole culture. Her godmother, Rose Dietrich, was one of the owners of the now-closed restaurant Delmonico’s, which was bought by Emeril Lagasse in 1997.
“Honduran culture is a lot like Louisiana culture,” Aguilar-Domonter says. “We’re big on family, community, and hard work. It’s heartwarming and heartfelt.”
Her menu spotlights classic comfort foods from both cultures, such as gumbo and baleadas, a common Honduran street food similar to a taco. Aguilar-Domonter explains, “Just like gumbo is a staple to Louisiana, baleadas are staples for Honduras.” Her baleadas feature frijol de seda (red silk beans), crema, and curtido (the cabbage slaw typically used in Salvadoran dishes), along with roast pork. There’s also a vegetarian version which features sweet potato as the filling instead. Aguilar-Domonter confesses she actually likes it more than the meat version.
Five O Four also sells Honduran fish enchiladas, which differ drastically from Mexican-style enchiladas. Here, the corn tortillas are fried and topped akin to a tostada, versus the rolled and filled versions marking the common Tex-Mex comfort food. Although Honduran enchiladas typically use beef, Aguilar-Domonter elected to bring echoes of her native Louisiana by using seasoned snapper and shrimp étouffée to bring seafood flair to the dish.
“People are more familiar with Louisiana food, so that’s kind of the hook to draw them in,” she says. “My favorite thing in the whole world is seafood!”
Aguilar-Domonter credits a grant that she won from the Texas Food & Wine Alliance for pushing her to pursue her own business and cites her former job at Canje, and its owner, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, as major influences in her work. She says that the Bristol-Joseph culinary scholarship she won from ACC and her time working at Canje opened her eyes to how she could combine fine dining with Caribbean-influenced street food in Austin’s food scene.
“Canje was a big inspiration for me, just working there when it first opened and being mentored by Tavel,” she shares. “I felt like, ‘If he can do Caribbean flair, I can do this [too]!’”
When she started off doing pop-ups around town, Aguilar-Domonter saved up enough money to buy a food truck from Ali Clem, the owner and pitmaster of la Barbecue. That time also allowed her to refine the menu, a process she likens to releasing music.
“Right now, Louisiana food is like my mixtape EP,” she says. “I gotta get people hooked with something familiar, and then my album is going to be where I really make people uncomfortable – but make them really listen and take it in. I really like pushing people out of their comfort zone because I like pushing myself out of my comfort zone all the time.”
Aguilar-Domonter plans to bring more seafood-inspired specials to the truck’s menu, such as crawfish pupusas or her popular red beans, rice, and catfish plates. She also hopes to bring block party vibes to Cesar Chavez during events like Fat Tuesday. “Mardi Gras is honestly like our second Christmas or like our SXSW,” she says. “I want to bring that back here and also do a Five O Four Day on May 4.”
The New Orleans native is passionate about bringing her culture to the Holly neighborhood. While the Live Music Capital of the World is her new home, nothing beats the vibes of her home state. “When you think of Louisiana,” she says, “you think of summertime or springtime and everybody’s coming outside with a frozen daiquiri in their hand and eating crawfish while listening to good music. Austin helped give me a different perspective and has such a great community, but New Orleans is what created the foundation for me as to who I am.”