Restaurant News: ‘No Seats, Just Eats!’ Flyin’ Taco brings its truck to Edmonds
Posted: July 1, 2021
Chef Kyle Marty
No Seats, Just Eats! That’s the motto of Flyin’ Taco, which has transitioned from a to-go startup to a fully fledged taco truck serving up amazing fare in Edmonds. This truck is operated by Chef Kyle Marty, and staffed by support of family members like his mom, Jean Marty.
Examples from his parents on how to be creative and independent have shaped his life.
“Mom was a seamstress back in early family years and sold her clothes at family garage sales,” he said, chuckling as he reminisced. “Her fitting room was in our garage too.”
His father, David Marty, a talented graphic artist, retired to paint full-time. His works are available locally and in other locations.
His mom’s example inspired Kyle to pursue his dreams, and last weekend he watched some of his nieces and nephews organize their own garage sale complete with a lemonade stand. He says the support of his entire family has been a gift in pursuing his dream business.
A bit of history: Kyle and his brother were both adopted from Bulgaria. The family adopted Kyle’s brother first through an organization called All God’s Children, and when they learned that Kyle existed, they adopted him to reunite with his brother. As often happens in adoption situations, his parents were blessed with another child during this process, so his mom gave birth, and welcomed her adoptive sons, taking their family from three to five in the space of about a year.
Kyle Marty’s business trajectory is what I call the COVID Pivot.
A graduate of Northwest University, Kyle spent 10 years working as a minister, and says his contacts within youth ministry offer opportunities for teens to develop as workers for his Flyin’ Taco.
A career at Nordstrom, followed by an uninspired direct sales marketing job, made him realize he needed to shift again — he rekindled his love of food.
Bistro 76, the Perrinville neighborhood eatery and catering business, hired him as a catering manager, and he enjoyed working with the team, but COVID closed that opportunity.
Kyle decided to reinvent himself and began selling Street Taco Boxes.
12-count Street Taco Box
The boxes contained 12 tacos plus sides and condiments and were delivered straight to the customers’ doors.
Demand for taco boxes encouraged the next step, a taco truck. A successful fundraising campaign made this step a reality.
Kyle Marty with his Flyin’ Taco truck at the Edmonds Marina.
Flyin’ Taco is currently located, three days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) in the parking lot at Grace Lutheran Church, 1212 9th Ave. N., Edmonds. The Flyin’Taco Facebook page is the most reliable spot to see times and updates on locations.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays he is busy smoking brisket, which is a 12-hour process. Time spent prepping other ingredients fill his hours when the truck is not open.
Hands-on work is the chef’s style — not just on the grilling and smoking of meat portions and vegetables but all the sauces and crema are handmade by Chef Kyle.
Kyle shared that he is in the process of obtaining a new smoker — one with three shelves and each will hold 12 briskets. That will help keep up with the demand for the brisket tacos.
Kyle is exploring other possibilities for truck locations; his desire is to stay in the Edmonds area. “I grew up in Edmonds” he said, so “our goal is for the truck to stay active in our community.”
— By Kathy Passage
MyEdmondsNews
A specialty gourmet food broker for over 30 years, Kathy Passage has in-depth knowledge on food and the special qualities of ingredients used in the exquisite products she helped bring to market. Kathy brings this unique perspective from the “other side of the plate” to writing about the food and restaurant scene in Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace.