Maria's Tacos to open Conrad location

One of the most popular Mexican restaurants in Marshalltown is expanding into Conrad, as Maria’s Tacos began selling its signature fare from a food truck here on Tuesday with plans to eventually move into one half of the former Carol’s building on Main Street.
           
The story of Maria’s, which serves authentic Mexican cuisine in a fast-food setting, dates back to 2010, when founder and owner Maria Gomez first started operating a food truck in Marshalltown before eventually renovating an old house on State Street and turning it into a counter-top restaurant with outdoor seating.
 
Later, they ran the food truck on an alternating schedule between State Center and Albion, and after receiving and accepting an invitation to be a food vendor at Conrad’s annual Black Dirt Days celebration earlier this summer, Gomez and her granddaughter Brenda, who will manage the new location, warmed up to the idea of Conrad as a place to expand the business. Meetings with Conrad City Clerk and Administrator Denise Hoy and Chamber/Main Street Director Darla Ubben were extremely productive.
           
“We talked to Denise and Darla and gave them a rundown of our ideas. Then they gave us a rundown of their ideas,” Brenda said. “Their whole vibe and how much they want to put back into Conrad to make the community look nice, I was really down for it.”
 
Read more in this week's Grundy Register.