Episode 06: A taco is happiness

Michael Heiden (AKA Micha), a German Chef, trained in Cologne in a place that no longer exists. He didn’t take his kitchen work very seriously, as he always worked in environments that lacked passion. He knew he could always find work by working in a kitchen, but it was elusive. He arrived in Berlin in 2002 after a series of odd kitchen jobs; he committed to this as a career once he could explore doing his own projects. He opened a BBQ place and did that for 12 years but eventually gave it up due to frustrating bureaucracy. It’s during this time that Micha developed a love for Taco’s, which led to a series of pop-ups, leveraging his BBQ background, which eventually led to opening Taqueria el Oso and Markhalle Pfefferberg, which was an instant sensation amongst the trendy Berliners. And in the middle of our recording, he reveals he’s not running the show alone! Tune in!

Follow Taqueria el Oso on Instagram

The Taqueria el Oso Amigos: Jesus, Pablo, Mich (from left to right) / Copyright: Angelika Schwaff

Micha during our recording / Copyright: Angelika Schwaff

Follow more of Micha’s work here, here and here!

For more about tacos, check out some of our research links:

https://www.twistedtaco.com/the-history-of-the-taco#:~:text=It%20originated%20from%20Mexican%20silver,working%20class%2C%20which%20included%20miners.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/where-did-the-taco-come-from-81228162/

https://unocasa.com/blogs/tips/history-of-tacos

https://travelmexicosolo.com/types-of-tacos-from-mexico/#:~:text=As%20they%20originated%20in%20the,City%20and%20Puebla%20City%2C%20Mexico.

https://steelcraftlb.com/all-about-mexican-tacos-what-are-the-different-kinds/

http://eatmexcity.com/types-of-mexican-tacos/

https://borrachavegas.com/fun-facts-tacos/

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/study-identifies-115000-taco-vendors-in-mexico/#:~:text=Wherever%20you%20go%2C%20there%20are,according%20to%20geographer%20Baruch%20Sangin%C3%A9s.

https://aboveusonlyskies.com/different-types-of-tacos/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1039258/meal-eating-tacos-mexico/#:~:text=In%20Mexico%2C%20tacos%20are%20so,of%20restaurants%20in%20the%20country.

https://steelcraftlb.com/all-about-mexican-tacos-what-are-the-different-kinds/

https://www.mayanmexican.com/blog/the-tortillas-history-a-look-back-through-thousands-of-years/#:~:text=Tortillas%20have%20been%20around%20for,both%20Mayan%20and%20Aztec%20diets.

http://www.historyofbread.com/bread-history/history-of-tortilla/