Jason Marsh and his wife, Lynne, bought the Canyon Food Cart to set up their business.

Last summer, the Taco Co. drew lines of locals, seasonal workers and tourists here in Grant County. This year, when the cart is closed after hours or on weekends, hungry drivers occasionally pull up to see if it’s open.

The man serving up tacos, burritos and enchiladas, among other items, is Oregon native and foodie Jason Marsh, who has a passion for cooking and making his customers’ stomachs happy.

Marsh learned his craft when he lived for a time in Orange County in Southern California, where coworkers brought homemade Mexican dishes to potlucks and he and his friends experienced a wide variety of different international cuisines from a myriad of restaurants — all of which they tried to replicate at home. Mexican food is Marsh’s favorite.

“I lived with some friends from college, and we ate a lot together,” Marsh said. “They took me to every taco cart. Whatever their specialty was, I tried the best of everything. There were taco trucks and taco shops. We spent all that time cooking.”

The opportunity arose to run a restaurant in New Mexico, the Tre Rosat Cafe, where Marsh learned the ins and outs of managing a food service operation. It was in New Mexico where Marsh met his wife, Lynn, who was with a local historic preservation group.

“One of my business partners’ moms offered to invest in a restaurant,” he said. “The only caveat was we had to move to her hometown in New Mexico. But we had money to open a restaurant in Silver City, New Mexico, so we did it.”

After he and his business partner decided to do something different, Marsh moved to Northern California for a couple of years. Then, about seven years ago, he moved with his wife to Eugene, where he was able to make good money and work from home as a data analyst for a loan servicing company. Jason and Lynn then moved to Prairie City in 2018, where they are raising two young boys.

But along with the monotony of daily desk work came the urge to make and serve great food again.

“I got tired of sitting at a desk,” he said. “I wanted to do something where I could be a little bit creative, and I just love cooking for people. It’s my favorite thing.”

Opportunity knocked with the closure of the Little Canyon Food Cart in John Day during the pandemic.

Marsh’s strikingly red Taco Co. food cart first opened last May after Marsh bought the cart from the owners of the Little Canyon Food Cart, which had been at the same location, in December of 2021. His wife helps run the business, and Marsh sometimes has the help of part-time employees.

Marsh starts his day prepping as early as 4:30 a.m. The cart is open for breakfast from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Specialty breakfast items include chorizo and eggs, huevos rancheros and breakfast huaraches. Lunch includes tacos, burritos, enchiladas and quesadillas. Meats for the dishes include carne asada, carnitas, red chile chicken and chorizo.

“I love making food for people, and I like introducing people to something they haven’t tried before,” Marsh said. “I’ve loved my interactions with everybody. I love the community here.”

The Taco Co. is located at 234 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day. It can be reached at 541-249-9321, and its website is TacoCoCart.com. The business also has pages on Facebook and Instagram.

NAME: Jason Marsh

AGE: 46

OCCUPATION: Owner of the Taco Co. (large food cart at 234 S. Canyon Blvd., just south of the stoplight)

FAMILY: Wife Lynn and two young boys ages 3 and 5

HOBBIES: Camping, fishing, playing guitar and banjo