Hidden Gems: Meet Gabe Scott of Ladybird Taco

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabe Scott.

Hi Gabe, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve spent the last 25 years in the music industry as a touring & studio musician as well as producing albums for artists. Since I was a kid, creating music has been the skillset that comes most natural for me. So Music is what I pursued.

Creating food of any kind hadn’t occurred to me until my Grandmother passed away. She would make the tastiest apple pie for family gatherings and passed this tradition to my mom as well. It struck me that this family tradition would disappear if my mom passed away. This is what prompted me to take on the task of learning how to do it. I spent a year baking at least 1 pie/week and getting tips from my mom to get it sorted out. The process felt cathartic, creative and honoring all at the same time and I grew to love it.

A couple of years later, I got hired as a musician for a retreat/gathering in Texas (Laity Lodge). I had played music there several times but this particular retreat was a “Food Retreat” so they also asked me to teach a pie baking workshop. This of course felt like a true honor. To pass along my Grandmother’s tradition to people outside my family was very satisfying. While at the retreat, I hit it off with two other guys (Andrew Wiseheart & Ben Edgerton) that were there talking about hospitality. They had recently opened a restaurant in Austin called “Contigo” that was built with intentionality to create community and gathering. The majority of the restaurant seating was outdoors and perfect for groups of people. We didn’t however exchange contact info.

5 years pass after the food retreat (it’s now 2017) and I’m wishing I could run over to a breakfast taco place in Nashville. Problem is, they don’t exist there. Between touring for music and also marrying a woman from TX, I had spent a lot of time in Austin (and other spots in TX) which have amazing breakfast tacos. These tacos were something I loved but only had while traveling. I reached out to a friend in Nashville who is in the hospitality industry and asked what he thought about a breakfast taco concept in Nashville.

We entertained it enough that we decided to take a trip to Austin and check out the scene together. My sister-in-law who lives in Austin told me to run by a restaurant called “Chicon”. She said “It won’t be open at the time you’re going and they aren’t a taco place but peek through the window to check out the aesthetic. I think it would be inspiring to you”.

So my friend and I did just that. We drove over there and it was indeed not open for a couple more hours. Now comes the crazy part…. Even though I knew they were closed, I pulled on the front door and it opened. So we walked in. We quickly realized they were definitely closed but then heard a voice from the back say “can I help you?” shortly followed by “Gabe?!” Out walked Andrew from the retreat 5 years earlier. We were both extremely surprised to see one another. It turned out they had opened more restaurants in Austin since I met them, and Chicon was one of them. We chatted for quite a bit about what we were up to with Ladybird. This truly felt like much more than a coincidence.

A few months later when things fell through with the original partner possibility, I sent Andrew & Ben an email that basically just said ‘this probably sounds crazy but it seems so wild that we bumped into each other again after 5 years. Is there any way you would want to consult or be partners in this taco concept’. This began a conversation that led to them coming on board with Ladybird as owner/partners. We spent the next couple of years consulting and sorting the concept. I also took this time to develop my only culinary contribution to the restaurant… the tortillas. Grandma’s pies got to speak into this process because as it turns out… homemade piecrust and homemade tortillas both involve dough and are possibly distant cousins:) This is also pretty ironic/funny considering I had since become Gluten intolerant. I was forced to rely heavily on other peoples tastebuds. It also means that we have house made Corn (gluten free) tortillas as well that weren’t allowed to be anything but awesome.

We eventually found an appropriate location and signed a lease.

The next several months were spent getting Ladybird Taco (Named after Lady Bird Johnson) built out for service. Then as we were approaching the opening…. Covid happened. This delayed opening for a few more months. I believe Covid was/is troubling to nearly everyone. But speaking for myself, a guy who was trying out a new industry that has a high fail rate already, and then stacking a pandemic on top…. It was extremely stressful and scary. Then in June of 2020 we proceeded with opening but were forced to open in a very unique and non ideal way. We operated as a Togo only restaurant for nearly the first year. Fortunately, the neighborhood seemed to like us and supported us. It also came in handy that our concept is food wrapped individually in foil whether it’s togo or not. Made the process quicker for that period of Togo only. It also made it extremely satisfying and rewarding when we opened our doors and finally let customers come eat inside.

This is possibly too much detail but three months after opening I started feeling ill and assumed covid but ended up in the hospital with HSV1 Encephalitis which is a rare brain infection. I am very fortunate to have survived but it left me with extreme and continuing memory loss. Through this process, my Texas partners (Ben & Andrew) literally saved Ladybird. Flying up to Nashville frequently to keep things running when I was unable to participate.

We have since brought on an additional partner (Brooks Veazey) and are pursuing opening other locations in the region.

On a personal note…I have been able to come to grips with the reality (of which I had forgotten) that I had an idea to open a restaurant and did. 🙂 Ladybird and I had to become friends again. I’ve since re-engaged with the business and relearned operations. I was also able to be out on a Christmas tour last month that I’ve been a part of for 22 years.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m seeing now that I wrote about these in the previous section.

Life and career up to Ladybird opening has been relatively smooth.

Since opening. extremely difficult.

Struggles:

-learning a new industry
-having the opening coincide with Covid
-my illness which has been the biggest struggle for work & life. Trying to find passion for something I don’t remember much about.

We’ve been impressed with Ladybird Taco, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Fast Casual. Texas Style breakfast & Lunch tacos with house-made tortillas, queso, guac, Salads, watermelon agua fresca. Full Barista service using Crema Coffee.

We use high quality ingredients to make authentic Texas style tacos.

Our branding was built out by a Nashville based designer (Matt Lehman) who does work for several national brands

Catering services available.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
We genuinely try to be the very best we can be while simultaneously always trying to get even better at our craft and putting customers first.

Contact Info:

• Website: ladybirdtaco.com
• Instagram: Ladybirdtaco

Image Credits
Penneformythoughts
Graham Dodd