It's 3:30 a.m., and while most of Denver is still dreaming, Jose Lopez is already in motion. His day begins early in the massive kitchens of the downtown Sheraton Hotel, where he has spent the past two decades preparing banquet-style breakfast for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of guests. But for the past three years, once his shift wraps up, Lopez heads straight to his next gig: operating El Tres Loras, the food truck he launched to pursue his longtime goal of running his own business and sharing his food with the Denver community.
Originally from El Salvador, Lopez moved to Colorado in 1985 thanks to a childhood friend who brought him along for what would become a lifelong adventure. "Best friend of my life," he says. "We grew up together."
Shortly after arriving, Lopez began working in kitchens across downtown Denver, starting at Josephina's in Larimer Square, a spot that's been closed for decades and whose space is now home to Rioja. After about five years at Josephina's, he jumped over to Marlowe's on the 16th Street Mall. "I worked there for a long time. It's closed now," he says. From there, he continued moving through other downtown kitchens, developing recipes, refining his craft and building a career. Eventually, he landed at the Sheraton Hotel, where he's been a fixture in the kitchen ever since.
A combination of chorizo (clockwise from top left), al pastor, chicken and carne asada, served with housemade salsas.
Chris Byard
Most days, Lopez clocks out of the Sheraton kitchen around one in the afternoon. Instead of heading home, he makes his usual supply run, stopping at Restaurant Depot, Sam's Club and El Angel Market to shop for meat, produce and supplies for his second job: operating El Tres Loras, the food truck he launched in 2022 after years of saving and planning.
Although it has been a long road to starting his own business, Lopez has always known he wanted something more. "I needed to do something for myself," he says. "Think about how many bosses I've had in the past twenty years. It's like every six months, I get a new boss. I realized I need to do something for me. I hope that God has given me good luck and I can make some profit and work only for myself, not somebody else."
More important, he is not just doing this for himself. He is also doing it for his family, including his three daughters, Brenda, Jennifer and Kimberly, who help with everything from food prep and service to scheduling and managing socials.
The truck is a true family affair, and its name comes from a memory of his daughters' younger years. "When my girls were together in the house, they would make so much noise, it sounded like fifty birds. In our country, we have a bird that we call Lora. So, I would call these girls Loras: 'You guys are Loras.' And the middle one asks me one day, 'Dad, when you go and make a business, what are you going to name the business?' I say, El Tres Loras, the three birds," he recalls.
While Lopez's heart lies in Salvadoran food, the demands of prep time and limitations of his commissary kitchen led him to focus on Mexican and American fare. Drawing from his culinary experience, he crafted a menu that bridges cultures, offering Mexican-style street tacos and burritos alongside American classics like wings and burgers.
The carne asada fries, one of the most popular items on the menu, start with freshly fried potatoes, seasoned simply with salt and pepper. They're topped with marinated grilled steak, melted cheese, a generous ladle of housemade green chile and more cheese to finish. Everything is made from scratch, from his three signature salsas to the refried beans and a green chile that starts with onions, cilantro and roasted chiles blended with a hand mixer until reaching a smooth but chunky consistency. "Sometimes I make it too hot," he jokes, "but people love it."
For Lopez, the grind is intense. He often sleeps just four hours a night, balancing food truck duties with his job at the Sheraton. He works the truck roughly five nights a week, usually starting around 4:30 p.m. after running errands and helping his daughters with school. With a dream of one day running the truck full time, he admits that the current schedule is grueling.
"It is rough," says Lopez. "But it's what I have to do. I am happy because I am doing what I love. I hope people try my food and like it. And maybe the recommend me to a friend," he adds.
For now, he's only licensed to operate in Denver, but he has his eyes on expanding his operation to Adams County. He can dream, can't he?
El Tres Loras is at the Cherry Creek Fresh Market on Saturdays; additional stops are posted on Instagram @eltreslorasfoodtruck.
