Bueno Tacos y Poutine EH! currently run a food truck that has been seen around Melfort, but they will be moving into the Northern Lights Palace concession starting Nov. 1. (Mat Barrett/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Bueno Tacos y Poutine EH!

Bueno Tacos y Poutine EH! taking off in Melfort, moving into Northern Lights Palace

Oct 13, 2019 | 8:00 AM

A fairly new and unique venture in northeast Saskatchewan is fitting in well in Melfort.

Joan and Desmond Short are the owners and operators of Bueno Tacos y Poutine and they’ve been seen around Melfort at numerous events. The couple started their food truck venture after neither could find steady work. They say their son gave them the idea of running a food truck and after nearly nine months or so of planning, they had a menu and were up and running in May. Joan said their idea for tacos and poutine came from wanting to serve and make food quick and remember all the great foods from everyone’s childhood.

“I wanted to serve my favorite foods,” she said. “And my favorite foods were tacos and poutine, and they are most people’s favorite foods. But I also serve homemade cinnamon buns, orange soda, grape soda, just those super yummy, yummy things I loved as a kid.”

The Short’s started their venture in Prince Albert, but things didn’t go as planned there. After a few months there, Bueno Tacos y Poutine EH! tried their hand in Melfort, and Joan said it’s been a roaring success. She calls the city ‘a gem’.

“It catches on like wildfire,” Joan told northeastNOW. “You guys get excited about things.”

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She added that the small city feel mixes well with people wanting to try new things and be forward thinking.

All of Bueno Tacos y Poutine EH!’s ingredients are local and real. Their meat comes from a butcher in Shellbrook, while their fish comes from Buffalo Narrows.

Their full commercial kitchen is a 22 foot trailer and has been seen in Melfort parked in front of the courthouse on Main Street, at Comet football games, and events like Culture Days.

The Northern Lights Palace Concession

Recently, the City of Melfort put out a call for proposals to run the Northern Lights Palace Concession. There were four proponents that applied, and ultimately it was Bueno Tacos y Poutine EH! that were deemed the best for the job. Joan said her and Desmond were a bit nervous at first but they love Melfort and saw the Palace as a gathering place for a City that continues to grow.

“And I saw that canteen as a place that should have local ingredients, homemade food,” Joan said. “So that when you go to the Palace you’re like ‘that poutine is the best ever.'”

The Short’s are continuing to grow and expand as well. They are currently trying out making burgers for the canteen. They also want to be able to be bring the food out to the stands for all the fans in attendance with trolley carts. Joan said they’d like to be able to have a few options to make it quicker for people to just pay cash and not miss any of the game.

With it only being Joan and Desmond right now to run the business, Joan said they will be looking to hire some more people to help at the canteen with running trolley carts, the cash register and more. Joan also said they’d like to be able to do tailgate parties with their food truck as well as lunches during the week. She said just like any new venture, it’ll take a bit of time to get their feet under them again.

“We have to work the details out, iron the wrinkles out,” Joan said. “As this one was, it was a learning curve, it doesn’t take long though.”

Melfort’s Mayor Rick Lang said the Short’s were the best choice of the four proponents for the job.

“Our experience that we’ve had with them, the limited experience we’ve had,” Lang said. “They were deemed to be very energetic and wanting to do the best job for the community.”

With the Palace concession also comes the opportunity to serve from Spruce Have in the summertime as well.

The Short’s take over the concession on Nov. 1, when the current contract ends. Joan said they hope to be up and running for the Nov. 6 Melfort Mustangs hockey game. The contract they have will run until the end of May 2021.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6