Moncton’s birria taco shop does more than just serve good food

When it comes to Jon Cooper’s homemade tacos it’s not just the sizzling of the grill that grabs your attention, but also the little black dog that sits proudly in the middle of the chef’s apron.

His name is Dave, a rescue pup that stole Cooper’s and his wife’s hearts and helped inspire the name behind the business: Birria Dave’s.

“He was probably 6lbs, he’s a little Chihuahua, big ears, big eyes, big heart,” said Cooper.

Unfortunately, Dave passed away, but his memory and legacy are now helping other dogs, just like him, who are looking for a place to call home.

“We kind of put two and two together and wanted to put something together that would allow us to serve people and donate to dog and animal rescues,” he said.

Cue Birria Dave’s, a pop-up taco stop in Moncton, N.B., that is bringing a bit of culture to the city, in the form of homemade tacos.

“It’s love,” said Cooper. “It’s a lot of time, it takes me a full day usually to do it. For me, it’s about 20 ingredients, it’s a lot of prep, a lot of effort, but it does reflect in the flavour of the product.”

His tacos are filled with Mexican chillies, different spices and beef. Right now, they are only available at pop-ups and fundraisers in the city.

A sample of Cooper's tacos made fresh at his shop in Moncton, N.B., are pictured on Feb. 17, 2023. (Alana Pickrell/CTV)

Cooper says he decided to start making birria tacos for two reasons: first, he noticed they were popular online during the pandemic and second, as a picky eater himself, he really only eats burgers, tacos and pizza.

“It’s funny, a lot of people ask me, I’m actually a really picky eater, so I just make things for people that I like to eat,” he said.

Although he wanted to get into the food industry, this business adventure is about much more than serving food. Cooper has big plans for Birria Dave’s in the future.

In Dave’s memory and with three rescue dogs currently at home, Birria Dave’s donates to People for Animal Wellbeing in Moncton as often as possible.

“We just try to do as much as we can, when we can, and ultimately, the more we make the more we can give away so that’s all we try to do,” he said.

However, the hope is to eventually help more than just animals.

“I just want when people hear my name and hear the brand’s name, that it [is] sort of synonymous with food security, because we do want to become a pillar for that, not just in Atlantic Canada, but in the entire country,” said Cooper.

“So we just want people to know that’s where we’re headed and we’ll be feeding as many mouths as we can.”

However, Cooper isn’t the only local business looking to help out those in need. Joining forces in a big way, Birria Dave’s will be serving up homemade tacos at the Tire Shack Brewery Saturday for yet another good cause.

“We’re going to have a fundraiser for the Coldest Night of the Year,” said Tire Shack Brewery co-owner, Alan Norman.

“That’s going to raise money and funds for youth impact, so it’s a great cause because it’s basically going to help at-risk youth and basically help them stay off the streets and get the help they need.”

It’s a collaboration between local businesses that the pair says just makes sense.

“Tacos and beer are pretty much like a no-brainer -- they go hand in hand,” said Norman. “Who doesn’t like tacos? Who doesn’t like beer?”

This also isn’t the first time the two businesses have paired up.

“Any time we can work with local businesses, it’s so great because these are our community members, these are our neighbours and it’s something we really started doing a lot with during COVID,” said Norman.

Adding, “we love working with Jon … He’s a great guy, but also he’s making some of the best tacos you’re probably going to have on the east coast.”

The Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser at the brewery will start at noon on Saturday with tacos expected on the grill between 12:30 and 1 p.m. The Tire Shack Brewery will be donating proceeds from a beer to the fundraiser.

Looking further into the future, Birria Dave’s is planning some big things for the spring, with their rescue pup still at the forefront of the growing operation.

“It’s nice to see that we were able to grow something from such a tragedy for us, but sort of still keeps his memory alive and keep giving back,” said Cooper.