IDAHO FALLS — When Lili Ramirez and her younger brother decided to start a food business, they thought long and hard, brainstorming to come up with the right idea, and what they decided on was something combining their heritage and their home state.
“We had several ideas, but we went with the potato theme,” Ramirez said. “We wanted to combine the Mexican cuisine world with our Idaho culture.”
The result is Papa Loca, a food trailer stationed mostly at North Tourist Park, located at 850 Lincoln Road in Idaho Falls. Ramirez, 35, and her brother Nicolas Ramirez, 21, bought the trailer last year, got it ready and tried it out a few times before opening five days a week at North Tourist Park.
“Throughout the day there are some slow hours, but during lunch and dinner, we get a really good turnout,” Ramirez said. “A lot of people come and express how much they like it.”
For $14, customers get a pretty big potato with their choice of meat on top, including birria, a stewed beef; carne asada, a marinated beef; adobada, a marinated pork; and spicy pork and shrimp. Of course, they have the chili as well for those who want to go that route.
“We do any combinations depending on how people want them,” Ramirez said. “We also do it with fries. We wanted to have different options.”
They also added sweet potatoes, especially for their dessert menu. That’s right — using the sweet potatoes, they make three different dessert items, including the Dubai Papa, a potato take on the popular dessert item, the Campfire. Think s’mores on a sweet potato, and the Berry Loca, berries and cottage cheese.
“The dessert is all Nicolas. He came up with the ideas. The Berry Loca is my favorite,” Ramirez said. “But our customers seem to prefer the Dubai Papa and the Campfire. It’s a tie between those two.”
She said her younger brother is actually the mastermind behind much of the menu.
“He is at a really creative point in his life,” she said. “He has all these crazy ideas.”
They are also experimenting a bit with agua frescas, traditional Mexican drinks. In addition to regular bottled drinks, they will have special agua frescas posted daily.
Papa Loca is open Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. Make sure to check their Facebook or Instagram page before heading to see them, though, because the trailer is mobile; they will do private parties from time to time.
Ramirez admits she didn’t realize just how much work running a business would be but said she is grateful for all the family who have helped. Growing up in eastern Idaho with a father who actually worked in agriculture just makes the whole business feel right for her and Nicolas.
“My dad would take us on tours of the potato fields,” she said. “We were born and raised here. We have been all around it, and it kind of feels neat to see it come full circle like this.”
