Meet the local taco chef who opened Chichester's hidden gem

A business owner from age 23, Martin Price created the Mexican-inspired food truck and restaurant The Taco Box after visiting numerous cities rich in street food culture.

The inspiration of the business comes from the “hustle and bustle, smells and sights of everyone eating tacos as street food,” says the now 28-year-old chef.

A taco truck community

From visiting the vibrant food markets of Mexico City and the beach-facing taco trucks in Hawaii, Martin Price fell in love with all things ‘street food.’

Starting as purely a food trailer in 2020, The Taco Box stood in the Wittering’s offering tasty tacos, nachos, and burritos to passersby during the first lockdown. He says, “I always wanted to be a business owner. And there's a way to do that as a food business without having to invest a lot, initially upfront.”

Serving delicious bowl food to guests, you’ll often find the trailer in a pub garden or parked up at the back of your friend’s party. The inspiration for the trailer comes from Price’s travels. “In Hawaii they have a lot of taco trucks,” the taco chef says. Immediately, he knew he wanted to bring something similar back to the UK.

After creating a loyal community of taco-lovers, Price decided it was time to open a restaurant for sit-down social eating.

“I love going to restaurants and being part of creating a real community. I wanted to have something bigger and be able to create a space where we can deliver what we love with a lot of passion,” says Price.

So, enter the restaurant in Draper’s Yard.

Food designed to be shared

The Taco Box restaurant opened in November 2022 – a small business, local to Chichester, in the heart of the city. Often described as Chichester's hidden gem, The Taco Box sits in Draper's Yard serving up excellently executed recipes created by head chef and owner Martin Price.

Using seasonal ingredients to create quality dishes to enjoy all year round, Price builds the menus on flavour, sustainability, and social eating. As a Mexican-inspired restaurant, the food is designed to be shared. Graze on small plates with friends, while sipping on carefully crafted drinks.

Now over a year-old, The Taco Box still revolves around sustainability and passion. “Everyone in the team is driven by passion, we will really stick to our core values. Workers need to be passionate about what we do, and attention to detail will be consistent,” he says.

Constantly looking to reduce his carbon footprint, Price wants to be conscious of the environment. This means that while inspired by Mexico and South American flavours, he understands that living in England, it involves incorporating local and British ingredients too.

Reducing his carbon footprint

The Taco Box uses produce that hasn’t travelled halfway around the world using numerous resources. Finding local meat is important to Price, as well as using the whole animal to reduce as much food waste as possible.

Additionally, it takes 240 litres of water to grow one avocado. That’s why Price created brocamole – an alternative using a mixture of broccoli and avocado. “Just as delicious, but keeping it environment-conscious,” he insists.

In the hopes of creating something different, Price ensures the passion and sustainability ethos reflects in the service and food. “We’re doing something different, not just another restaurant doing the run of the mill food you’d find in a lot of places,” he says.

As Springtime approaches, Price is switching up the menu with fresh flavours and seasonal ingredients. “Springtime is my favourite season, the flavours are coming through and signifies the end of Winter,” he says. Expect wild garlic, tomatoes, and fresh herbs on the new menu.

From working in the Nando’s kitchen at 18, to cooking on a rooftop kitchen in Peru at 21, to serving tacos from his restaurant at 28 – Martin Price looks forward to continuing his journey with The Taco Box.