How the 'Worst Cook in America' Became a Denver Taco Truck Owner

Bradley Garcia, the owner of R&B Tacos and Grill, grew up in a family where his mom and grandma always cooked, so he never had to make a meal for himself.

Then in 2018, his sister nominated him to appear on a television show that changed things. "I was actually on Worst Cooks in America, that show on Food Network," he says. "That's how I learned to cook. The premise is that they take people who are either bad at cooking or don't know how to cook and then teach them how to cook. Then you go through elimination rounds to see who's the most improved, and I ended up winning season fourteen — so you can say I'm the worst cook," he jokes.

The experience gave Garcia, who was born and raised in Denver, the confidence to keep developing his culinary skills. "At that time, I was living with my cousin in Miami, and I would just cook at home, all the fucking time," he recalls.

Eventually, he moved back to Colorado and attended the University of Colorado Boulder, where he majored in finance. After graduating and doing a little theater work, he landed a full-time corporate finance job and started doing cooking gigs on the side. "I was doing a bunch of pop-ups and stuff. I was learning under chefs how to cook, like legit in the kitchen," he says. "Sitting at a desk all day taking calls and making calls sucks. So I was just like, 'I don't want to do this anymore.'"

In 2021, he bought a food truck and "it was liberating," he remembers. "Honestly, it was awesome. I mean, it's scary not knowing anything about a food truck, but I just kind of dove head-first into the concept. It's more fun and rewarding that way."
After he and his first food truck partner went their separate ways, Garcia joined forces with a family friend, Ramon Leon Nunez, who is originally from Michoacán, Mexico. "We kind of just pivoted and moved on from there," Garcia says.

R&B Tacos and Grill launched on January 8, 2022, with a focus on traditional Mexican cuisine. "We did a lot of recipe testing, especially in the beginning. Ramon's got the main cooking experience. He's the main background of the food," Garcia explains. "The birria, for example, is an old family recipe from him, whereas the al pastor marinade we worked on together. We just like tweaking old recipes. We would try something and be like, this needs a bit more acidity, let's add some lime, stuff like that. He's taught me how to be a better cook and is also teaching me Spanish."

Now the two have a trailer in addition to the food truck. "It's called Tacos a la Parrilla," Garcia says. "It's on South Federal in a parking lot near Abraham Lincoln High School. We're just doing tacos right off the grill, kind of L.A. style."

Expanding the business has brought new challenges, such as finding and managing staff, but for Garcia, "the best feeling that I get is when people eat our food and they're like, 'This is delicious.' That's the most fun thing about running a food business."

His go-to is the quesabirria. "That's our specialty, and that's what people know us for. I know that it's all the rave and stuff and everyone's talking about the birria at different locations. ... Ours can swing up there with the big dogs," he says.

To try R&B's quesabirria for yourself, follow it on Instagram @randbtacosandgrill or visit "randbtacosandgril.com for its full schedule.