STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 9
Word gets around
HOW DON PIBIL BECAME A STILLWATER SENSATION
The Flores family knows a thing or two about barbecue . They opened their food truck to the public in 2021 in Stillwater , serving up a barbecue recipe passed down from Hector Sr .’ s grandma , Grandma Maria .
Hector Sr . has lived here many years , and his wife , Maria Esther , and son Hector Jr ., and sisters Karla and Elizabeth would travel back and forth to visit their father and for vacations . About five years ago , the whole family decided to move to Stillwater . by and stopping .”
They did use several app services , such as DoorDash . “ We just grabbed one or two ( apps ), started selling food , and all of a sudden , people were showing up at the spot and it just went from there – never stopped ,” Hector Jr . said .
In 2023 , they opened a storefront restaurant , Don Pibil ’ s Express , at 1911 N . Boomer Rd . “( It ’ s ) the same way here ,” Hector Jr . said . “ It started ( out at a ) medium ( pace ), because people already knew us from over there .”
He said different groups who dropped by the food truck have been visiting the storefront , especially work crews who are escaping the heat during the summer . “ But a lot of people still love catching a breath of fresh air outside ,” he said , so they still come to the Sixth Avenue location .
Hector Jr . said except for catering a few events for Stillwater Medical Center and sometimes for weddings , the food truck has remained where it ’ s always been .
“ It ’ s funny , because we really haven ’ t ever moved ,” he said . “… For the
The Flores family knows a thing or two about barbecue .
With work permits , the family got busy . Hector Jr . began working as a waiter , having previously worked as a bartender in their home state of Jalisco , Mexico . One sister worked as a waitress .
But that wasn ’ t all they wanted from their move to Stillwater .
Together , they began dreaming of owning a food truck . “ We were working on getting some money down to buy a trailer to build the food truck ,” Hector Jr . said .
Their dream finally became a reality when they began serving food out of their truck , Don Pibil ’ s Grill , located at 2313 W . Sixth Ave . “ We started slow ,” Hector Jr . said . “ we didn ’ t really put ( anything ) out there , like banners or anything like that . So , it was just people driving amount of people that go there every day , that are regulars , there ’ s no point of really moving the truck around .”
Hector Jr . said he ’ s seen many Oklahoma State University students at the food truck – sometimes even in flip-flops in the snow . At the storefront , they are close to Stillwater High School and have a lot of teachers and students as customers .
Typically , Hector Sr . and Maria Esther work at the storefront , Karla works at the food truck , Elizabeth helps with administration and Hector Jr . fills in where needing , moving between locations . “ It ’ s a whole family operation ,” Hector Jr . said .
Creating a specialty
" P ibil ” is a type of barbecue that ’ s found in Jalisco , a southwestern state in Mexico , the Flores family ’ s home . It ’ s also found in other states such as Veracruz and Oaxaca .
Jalisco , bordered by the Pacific Ocean , is famous for mariachi music and tequila – from the town of the same name ( Tequila ) and distilled from agave cactus juice . Jalisco is also one of Mexico ’ s top producers of beef and pork , from livestock raised in the highlands .
And it ’ s from Jalisco that the Flores family brought their traditional
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 9