Mando Rayo is a Taco Journalist based in Austin, Texas and is deep-rooted in Latino & BIPOC communities. Mando is a 2022 James Beard Foundation Awards finalist and winner of two Signal Awards for podcasting. Mando is a digital story-teller and uses his Latinx identity to inspire and build bridges through his production company, IDENTITY. From working with PBS ITVS, El Rey Network, 7-Eleven/Laredo Taco Company, Beef Loving Texans, Whataburger, People en Español y más, Mando shares stories through food, culture, documentaries and digital platforms. As a Taco Journalist, food explorer and street ethnographers, Mando has traveled across the U.S. to uncover the tastiest tacos, from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to L.A. and New Orleans to New York City. Mando is the producer and co-author of the books, Austin Breakfast Tacos and The Tacos of Texas book (University of Texas Press) & docu-series with PBS Digital Studios, United Tacos of America TV Show on El Rey Network and the Vitamina T for Tacos children’s book series (Jade Publishing). Mando’s work has been featured on Bon Appetit Magazine, The Food Network, NPR, The New York Times and SXSW. You can listen to El Cinco – Season 5 of the Tacos of Texas Podcast on KUT, Austin’s NPR Station and Texas Standard, wherever you get your podcasts.
