Hollywood icons flocked to this Tahoe-debuted taco chain

That’s when a happy accident occurred, one that would change his life forever.

“He was playing around with different flavors, but accidentally spilled some Parmesan on the taco. He gave it a try and the rest is history,” said Jimboy’s Tacos CEO and Knudson’s grandson, Erik Freeman. “He wasn’t intending on putting Parmesan anywhere on the taco, but it tasted so good that it stuck.”

After a few years of development, Jimboy’s Tacos made its first appearance in 1954 on Kings Beach in Lake Tahoe. The husband-and-wife team of Jim and Margaret Knudson would work diligently to sell their home-style tacos, which included seasoned ground beef and cheddar cheese wrapped in stone-ground corn tortilla that was grilled before being liberally dusted in grated Parmesan cheese and topped with fresh shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese.

The family business operated from a 16-foot trailer parked right on the water to attract hungry beach dwellers during the summer tourism boom. Although the Knudsons were living in Sacramento at the time, they would spend whole summers sleeping near the Jimboy’s trailer on Kings Beach with three kids in tow. 

But Jimboy’s wasn’t quite an overnight success story. 

“It didn’t make any money the first three years, but as my grandfather would say, it became successful out of pure stubbornness,” Freeman told SFGATE. “He loved the flavors of it. He believed that it was going to take. People were going to love it. They just needed to try it.”

“He was the type of guy that would just walk up and down the street saying, ‘You’ve got to try this!’” Freeman added. 

His persistence paid off. As local buzz began to swarm around Jimboy’s, the Knudsons moved into a small storefront on North Tahoe Boulevard in 1958, secured by the late Joe King, owner of Kings Beach, who was a huge fan of Jimboy’s Tacos. 

Then, the local buzz went Hollywood. The tacos became so popular, in fact, that Rat Pack icons such as Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, as well as Charo, the legendary Spanish American entertainer, would all reportedly stop by for a taste after performing at nearby casinos. 

“I can remember my grandmother telling me stories about Dean Martin having some and Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack and people from ‘Bonanza’ coming over and having tacos,” Freeman, who has been working in the family business since he was six, said. “So Jimboy’s definitely has a really nice background in Tahoe.”

About a decade later, Knudson took another chance on his business, and began franchising Jimboy’s out of Tahoe and into the Sacramento area. Again, he was rewarded for his risk-taking; there are now about 41 Jimboy’s locations in total throughout Northern California, Nevada and Texas. Jimboy’s is also making its first appearance in the Midwest with a brand new store slated to open this year in Youngstown, Ohio. 

“I think there’s a lot of flavors that we can bring to other areas of the country,” Freeman said. “That’s definitely something I’m very excited to do this year and next year, is to start bringing Jimboy’s into other states.”

The appeal of Jimboy’s Tacos, from sun-soaked revelers to Hollywood royalty, is clear. It is straight-up homey comfort food that can be enjoyed any time, any place. It’s a late-night savior after hitting the bars or casinos. It’s an afternoon pick-me-up savored on long drives to Tahoe and long beach days. 

“It brings you back home,” Freeman said of Jimboy’s. “It’s a food memory that takes you back in time to a meal made by your mom or your dad. It’s home cooking at its best.”

Some people go to great lengths just to chase the food memory that Freeman describes.

“We’ve had some people that will fly in from Alaska and order 80 to 120 tacos at one time and they will then take them back with them and freeze them for the year,” Freeman said. “There are some real die-hard Jimboy’s fans that come in from all over.”

On its busiest days, Jimboy’s can serve up 2,000 or more tacos a day, depending on the location. It’s a far cry from when Jim and Margaret Knudson spent summers convincing Tahoe day-trippers to try his accidental success. Freeman lovingly described his grandparents as a spirited couple who “lived a happy, wonderful life.”

Even after they retired from the family business, the Knudsons ultimately couldn’t stay away from the kitchen. The two ended up becoming world chili cook-off competitors — and champions.

“My grandfather won the world chili cook-off two years before he passed away, and my grandmother won the world chili cook-off in the ’80s,” Freeman said. “They were avid chili competitive cookers.” (He’s not ruling out bringing their secret, prize-winning chili recipe to the Jimboy’s menu.)

At 34 years old, Freeman aims to keep Jimboy’s a household name for the next generation, which includes his 18-month-old son, who’s already had his first taco. 

“We’re still a family business. We have family values that we’ve held onto since 1954 and I think you can taste that,” he said. “For us, I think we take a lot of pride in that we’re unique and that our tacos and our flavors are homestyle cooking. I’d love for everybody to give us a try just like my grandfather said when he went up and down the street. Just try it once and then tell me what you think.”

Jimboy’s Tacos, various Northern California locations. For more information on Jimboy’s Tacos, follow on Instagram.