Meet Sam & Gabby Lopez | Chefs

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sam & Gabby Lopez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sam & Gabby, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
My wife and I spent years traveling the country and working in fine dining kitchens. At the beginning of 2020 we both moved up to Corporate level positions. Then Covid and Quarantine began. Luckily we were able to continue working, but by mid 2021 we were both burnt out working for a bigger company and generally other people. Like most young cooks, we felt like we had ideas and something to prove. So we moved to Texas to start working on our own concept and by January 2022 we opened our food trailer, Insurgent.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The concept of Insurgent is rooted in creative freedom. We cook food that we want to make. We never want to fit into a single category of “best taco truck” or “best BBQ truck”. We want to be known for good food period. We achieve this by keeping the menu true to the seasons working with local farmers.
But while we’ve built a great community of people who understand and love the concept, it definitely wasn’t easy. Sometimes our ideas are too big and don’t make sense for a to-go box or speed of execution. We’ve spent a lot of time finding the balance between creativity and approachability in our offerings.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For coffee: Triptych Coffee Co.
Record Coffee in Denton, Tx.

Favorite places to eat and drink:
Picone in Denton, Tx.
Osteria il Muro in Denton, Tx.
Ten: One Artisinal Cheese in Denton, Tx.
Margie’s Italian Gardens in Fort Worth, Tx
Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen in Dallas, Tx.
Botolino Gelato in Dallas, Tx.
The Salty in Dallas, Tx.
DelCiano Pinoy Cuisine in Arlington, Tx.
The Holly in Fort Worth, Tx.

Favorite places to hang out and shop:
True Leaf Studio in Denton, Tx.
Old Bear Vintage in Denton, Tx.
Recycled Books in Denton, Tx.
Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio in Denton, Tx.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our Sous Chef and one of my best friends, Alec Sanders. He also left a Corporate job and took a leap of faith by moving to Texas to be on the trailer with us. He’s been side by side with us for over 3 years (through many highs and lows) and was there in the beginning to encourage me when I came up with the idea of opening Insurgent.

Website: https://insurgent-102931.square.site

Instagram: @insurgent.food

Image Credits
Stephanie Cervantes
Artwork: Zachariah Mickler-Sandoval