Hot & Crunchy

Austin's original food truck opens 2 mighty new locations

Mighty Cone has mighty big plans for its 15th anniversary.

Mighty Cone, favorite Austin City Limits Music Festival food vendor, celebrates its 15-year anniversary this fall by adding a new item to its roster — plus two new locations.

"The official food of live music," originally conceived by legendary Texas chef Jeff Blank, rose to fame in 2002 after debuting at ACL. Mighty Cone stepped outside festival grounds to become one of the first food trucks to pioneer Austin's nationally recognized scene.

Led by new owner and CEO Stephen Tarleton, Mighty Cone will continue serving the popular hot and crunchy cones at ACL Fest 2017 and is adding a new offering by popular demand. The "Lighty Cone," named by fans in a social media contest, combines grilled chicken tender in citrus marinade with lettuce, tomato, onion, and avocado hummus. It is gluten-free and packs only 430 calories for a healthier option.

"We have such a heritage with the Austin music and entertainment scene,” says Tarleton in a press release. “We were created specifically for festivalgoers who don’t want to miss a show to stop and eat or are trying to physically balance both their meal and a beverage, but who also desire interesting and uniquely flavored food."

Mighty Cone has also announced a new partnership with Key Bar on West Sixth Street. Starting Labor Day weekend, Mighty Cone will be the weekend food purveyor for Key Bar patrons.

Additionally, Mighty Cone is growing its relationship with the University of Texas, with a location at gate 32 of DKR Memorial Stadium for the opening football game on September 2.

Mighty Cone's permanent trailer is located at The Picnic on Barton Springs. The team is also launching a mobile catering service for any type of event.

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Taco News

Popular Austin taco truck Con Todo wraps up business after 3 years

contodotacos.com

Con Todo is closed, but Chef Joseph Gomez is looking forward to the future.

A very popular Austin taco trailer at Celis Brewery has suddenly shut its ordering window. Con Todo chef Joseph Gomez made the announcement on his Instagram account, which was previously the business' account.

As Gomez points out in the message, the account predated Con Todo and will survive it, too, under his own name. It's a clear handle for what the chef plans to do: continue his career and the things Con Todo stood for, but not under the Con Todo name or project.

"Sorry for delay on posting but, after much thought, I’ve made the difficult decision to close the doors to Con Todo 😢. This is one of the hardest choices I’ve ever had to make," Gomez wrote. "Con Todo wasn’t just a business — it was my livelihood, my passion, so deeply personal to me. For those of you who know me, you understand how much heart, soul, time, effort I put into it."

Gomez lists several identities and callings he plans to continue expanding: among them, advocacy, cooking, writing, and being "a proud ADHD weirdo."

"My commitment to supporting migrant workers’ rights remains is as strong as ever, and I’ll continue that work through new projects, as I always have," he writes. "You’ve heard me talk about this mission before, and this year is going to be especially important to take a deep dive into it and explore what’s happening on the border towns where I am from. I won’t be quiet about it."

Gomez and Con Todo have garnered acclaim from food industry and media sources including the James Beard Foundation, Texas Monthly, and CultureMap's own Tastemaker Awards; however the chef doesn't seem too concerned with formal praise from the Michelin Guide as he signs off with the snarky Spanish "#michelinmisnalgas." (He had already been using the hashtag for years prior to winning a recommendation from Michelin in November 2024, and the team did attend the ceremony.)

According to Con Todo's website manifesto, cuisine at Con Todo was both deeply personal to Gomez and representative of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), so it seems likely that Austinites will get to enjoy eats in the same style from Gomez going forward.

"In the mean time, keep an eye out for me doing pop ups, events, talks, panels and a little pot stirring," Gomez writes. "Nos vemos pronto!"

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