What is catering?
Catering is the supplying of food and/or drinks for an event or gathering of a group of people. Catering is usually considered a service, ordered and fulfilled by a third party for a specific client. Catering can be something smaller, like a simple office lunch in a doctor’s or dentist’s office, to a 60th birthday celebration where you have 50 people, or even a wedding reception dinner where you’re hosting over a hundred, and the food is the last thing you want to be worried about.
Catering is around for a multitude of reasons, whether your company doesn’t allow potlucks due to safety precautions, or maybe even it’s a cuisine you love and do not know how to make, or perhaps you just want to save time and headaches and have someone else take care of you for once.
No matter what event you’re looking to have catered or how big the headcount of the event, catering is a fantastic option to bring an abundance of flavorful, fresh food options that are sure to be a crowd pleaser, no matter how picky one might be or any dietary restrictions that might come up for some of your special guests – we here at Backyard Taco aim to help you with catering for any and every event and bring you the most Mexcellent experience possible.
What Goes Into Mexcellent Catering Options
In the world, we often love the saying “what you see is what you get,” but is that the case when it comes to catering? We think not…
You may be able to provide your guests with a fantastic buffet of tacos and burritos and more, but there is A LOT more that goes into the prepping and cooking to bring you the best Mexican catering in the valley.
Catering Meat Preparations
Even before grilling the meat, time must be taken to properly cut the meat. Did you know that we have a butcher, or as Latinos like to say, a carnicería room, in one of our restaurants? Our Mesa South Backyard Taco location on the 60 and Stapley is home to our very own carniceria, freshly cutting all of our beef options 6 days a week (we are closed on Sundays), as well as each location cuts its own pork and chicken each day.
Next comes the marinades that are also made freshly, with each new batch of meat they prepare, with a variety of seasonings and things like achiote paste as well as guajillo and ancho chilies. All of our meats are marinated for at least a day before hitting the grill, or in the case of our famous birria meat, the pot in which it is slow-roasted. All of this takes time and working ahead to have the meats ready when you have that al carbon taste – it’s not something you can just do on the fly.
Also, not every grill can be used for both charcoal and mesquite wood, and that is a mixture you have to perfect, and to be fair, we like being in business, so we dare not give anyone our perfect ratio. Carne al carbon is an art, from the marinades to the grilling and chopping, and we take great pride in it.
Making Authentic Mexican Rice and Beans for Events
Aside from the meats, both the Mexican rice and any form of beans take hours to make. These amazing Mexican sides take around an hour or more to simmer to perfection, and then for beans, taking them from pinto beans to refried beans takes extra time, mashing and seasoning the beans a bit more to bring you the perfect side or entree, depending on who you ask. Refried beans are by far a fan favorite at Backyard Taco. Both rice and beans take time, attention, and quite a few kitchen tools and pots to make. Instant rice may be a thing, but it is definitely not comparable to our Mexcellent Mexican rice, and we’ve never met a canned refried bean that came close to Marisela Alvarez’s recipe for our slowly-simmered and freshly refried beans.
Fresh Salsa Bar for a Big Crowd
Last but certainly not least, come all the freshly cut taco toppings and salsas that we make each and every day. As we like to say, “variety is the spice of life,” and Mexican food gives you that opportunity with salsas varying by ingredient and ranging in spice level as well.
There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to having salsa for a big group. You will always have those that can handle heat and those that can’t, those that like it chunkier, like pico de gallo, and those that like the sauce to be pulverized with minimal texture to it.
And let us not forget those who don’t like tomatoes, but they do like them when they’re roasted, and sometimes when they’re blended as well. The list goes on and on of all the varieties of salsas needed to please a crowd, and it is far too much for one to do for just one event, and let’s be real, buying them all can get pretty pricey as well.
What You Get When You Order Catering From Backyard Taco?
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First and foremost, when you get any of Backyard Taco’s catering, you get our amazing carne al carbon in some shape or form – whether it be tacos or burritos, the flavor is never lacking. Next comes the Mexcellent toppings based on the meat and the amazing salsas. For our carne asada and pollo asada, you get cabbage and onions to top your meats, and for the birria and the al pastor, you get cilantro and onion, and if you get a combination of either of the meats, you can mix and match those toppings as well.
No matter if you get tacos or burritos, you’ll get our special chips and salsa and a variety of our salsas for your guests to enjoy.
But ordering our special Mexcellent taco bar takes it up a notch – not only do you get three tacos per person with your choice of corn or flour tortillas or a mixture of the two, but you also get our famous refried beans and savory Mexican rice, and that is still not it. Beyond the entree and sides, you get a variety of vegetables on the side, from the grilled onions and jalapenos, which can be the perfect taco toppings or side dishes, you also get a variety of vegetables with the salsa bar as well. You get freshly cut cucumbers and radishes, perfect for dipping into our guacamole and other salsas, or even just for squeezing our freshly cut limes on top of. Let us not forget that those limes can be squeezed on top of the perfectly seasoned and topped tacos al carbon as well.
Last but certainly not least, you will get our freshly pickled onions, which are the perfect in-between crunch to your tacos and beans and rice, or the perfect topping to all of the above. Whether you use these extra salsa bar additions as the perfect toppings or healthier sides and snack options, there’s one thing you should know, even if you order for just your headcount: THERE WILL BE LEFTOVERS!
Because Backyard Taco Catering Feeds More Than One Occasion
Our reviews speak for themselves. Backyard Taco’s Mexican catering options come in abundance, from the serving sizes to the toppings and sides. There is a VERY good chance you will have leftovers.
Whether it be in the office or at your home, first and foremost, you will have extra chips and salsa. This is the perfect snack for the rest of the day… or the next, as well! Already feel like you had too many carbs thanks to the tacos, beans, and rice? Well, the extra cucumbers with lime and guacamole will have you covered—something light, refreshing to get you a serving of vegetables for the day.
Say you’ve got a little bit of everything left as well, guess what you can have? A Bueno Bowl at home! Simply grab your own bowl, add beans, rice, and meat, and top it with whatever your heart desires.
And last but not least, whether you got it from us or not, get some cheese and guess what you can do – NACHOS! Just take the cheese, melt it on top of some of those warm, salty chips, add beans and meat of choice and then more toppings, whether you want it spicy with jalapeno or birria salsa or refreshing with pico de gallo and guacamole, nachos from leftovers are certainly a crowd pleaser that will make sure all your leftovers go used and appreciated.
You can even make your own mini quesadillas with leftover tortillas and your choice of cheese – fill them with meat, beans, or whatever your heart desires; they are the perfect cheesy treat!
All we know is that the snacking must go on, and it is just that much better when you have carne al carbon and Mexcellently fresh salsas to devour. Backyard Taco catering is the best deal in town.
Order Your Event Catering Today!
Cooking for groups with a variety of options can take a lot of time and money. In this day and age, most people are strapped for time, space, or both, or even just the space to cook in a kitchen, and we want to be there to help. No need to heat the grill, load up the grocery cart, or save all those recipes you are only going to use one time and may forget an ingredient or two, because let’s be real it doesn’t get better than Backyard Taco carne asada tacos with our Mexcellent guacamole and tatemada salsa on top.
We can go on and on about our event catering but we’d rather be able to serve you next time for your next catering needs, whether it’s a last minute office lunch or a wedding you’re planning a year in advance, fill out the Backyard Taco Catering Form here so we can bring the most Mexcellent Mexican catering to you.
Buen dia, amigos, talk to you soon!
Al Dr. Tyler le encantan los tacos. Es uno de los propietarios de Backyard Taco, y a veces se le puede encontrar pluriempleado allí por la noche o los fines de semana.
El Dr. Tyler Robison es un antiguo alumno de la Mountain View High School de Mesa. Se graduó de la Universidad Brigham Young antes de ser aceptado en el "Top Ten-nacionalmente clasificado" Universidad de Louisville en Kentucky, donde obtuvo su Doctorado en Medicina Dental y una Maestría en Biología Oral. Se graduó con honores entre los diez primeros de su promoción. El Dr. Robison continuó sus estudios en la Universidad del Pacífico de San Francisco, donde obtuvo un segundo máster en ciencias odontológicas y su certificación en ortodoncia.
Dr. Tyler disfruta sirviendo en su comunidad. Él es un proveedor de la Fundación Smile Back, que ofrece becas para el tratamiento dental gratuito a los estudiantes desfavorecidos East Valley. También es un Mayor en la Reserva del Ejército de EE.UU. y sirvió durante la Operación Libertad Duradera en 2008.
Los pasatiempos favoritos del Dr. Tyler Robison incluyen pasar tiempo con su familia en el lago, en la playa o en las pistas. ¡Es un ávido y loco snowboarder! Tiene tres hijos increíbles y una dulce hija: Caden, Jace, Crew y Bliss.
