Waco’s locally renowned Velvet Taco is breaking new culinary ground with its latest creation, the Chat GPTaco, a pioneering blend of artificial intelligence and culinary innovation. This unique dish represents one of the first instances of an AI-generated menu item in the fast-casual dining scene.
Velvet Taco, which began its journey in Dallas in 2011, has been continually innovating in the realm of tacos. Their menu, featuring diverse, globally-inspired tacos made from scratch, has expanded to over 40 locations nationwide.
This new offering, the Chat GPTaco, is the result of a partnership between Velvet Taco’s Director of Culinary, Chef Venecia Willis, and the latest artificial intelligence generator, Chat GPT 4. Using AI’s technologically informed intelligence, Chef Willis developed a taco filled with unique ingredient pairings and creative flavor profiles, while keeping Velvet Taco’s proprietary taco formula and ingredient list at its core.
The Chat GPTaco features a mouth-watering combination of flank steak, blackened shrimp, red chile aioli, chimichurri, crispy potatoes, grilled onion, queso fresco, jalapeno, and cilantro, all served on a corn tortilla. This culinary creation will be available from July 12 – 25, 2023, at all Velvet Taco locations, with the exception of Food Hall and college locations in Norman, College Station, and Lubbock.
Reflecting on her experience using AI in culinary creation, Chef Willis shared, “The use of Chat GPT in recipe development intrigued me, and the flavor combinations it proposed were surprisingly unique. I believe this technology could be a game-changer in our menu development process and help enhance the creativity involved in formulating and executing a cohesive menu item.”
The news about the Chat GPTaco isn’t just contained within the restaurant walls. The innovative taco will be showcased on billboards across Dallas and will get a mention on local radio stations, including The Ticket.
Clay Dover, CEO and Taco Maker at Velvet Taco, expressed his excitement about this novel venture. He stated, “At Velvet Taco, we’re all about breaking barriers and delivering the unexpected. We’re thrilled to give everyone in our hometown the chance to experience the ChatGPTaco – a unique blend of food, technology, and creativity like never before seen in the restaurant industry.”
Since its inception in 2011, Velvet Taco has set out to elevate the humble taco through globally inspired recipes and top-quality ingredients. The brand, which has over 40 locations across Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, and Oklahoma, has garnered numerous local and national accolades. It’s even caught the attention of the Nation’s Restaurant News, earning the “Hot Concept” award in 2016 and the MenuMasters Award for Best Limited Time Offer in 2020 for their Weekly Taco Feature.
Velvet Taco is open for dine-in, takeout, and delivery at 1021 S Jack Kultgen Expy, Waco, TX 76706.
Texas Reporter 