ELK GROVE, Calif. — Chris Cornelis hadn’t planned on being in the food business, but life took him there.
When he was young, his mother became ill, so he and his siblings had to get jobs to make ends meet. He became a line cook and quickly learned about the food service industry.
"I believe that I can change the whole entire opinion on gas station food. Having to work at an early age taught me how kitchens should be, how it should be ran and honestly how good food should be made. Everything I made there, I made from scratch and everything here I made from scratch — it should only be, right?" Cornelis said.
He started a cart that became a food truck right at the start of the pandemic, and within months, his family recipes had people wrapped around the block at all times of the day.
"It gets extremely crazy here and all we can best do is roll with the punches," Cornelis said.
The workplace gave him the business skill sets, but his relentless drive to keep the food fresh and pure to the family recipe is what made him stand out.
“The birria here is a slow braised beef short rib. We cook it for eight hours straight, so by the time you get it, it is so tender and of course, I ain’t serving it with any bones for you," Cornelis said.
He had an opportunity to grow the truck into a brick-and-mortar by way of a gas station at a prominent Elk Grove intersection. The owners offered him half of the square footage for his restaurant, knowing it would attract customers to their convenience store. It worked, and customers are lined up throughout the store to get to his order window. His goal: to make you rethink gas station food.
“I treat everyone like they’re my family. If you’re gonna come here, it’s gonna be like you have a family party going on, you’re gonna have a good time and leave with a full belly," Cornelis said.
He has an almost constant smile on his face and though he’s lost weight since his caricature logo was made, he’s still recognized for it. His smile helped him through adversity.
“You know what, sometimes it sucks today, sometimes it might suck tomorrow, but there's always the day after that — might be the greatest day ever," Cornelis said.
Find more about Birria Boys and find some secret menu items on their Instagram.
Watch more on ABC10: Former MLB All-Star Greg Vaughn's wine available at Tiger Restaurant & Lounge in Sacramento
