MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Rideshare Foodie made his way into town on Saturday and he’s taking a bite out of the Mid-South.
Kreskin Torres, better known as the Rideshare Foodie, is on a mission to find the best local eateries in all 50 states.
“I’ve been to 49 so far, Hawaii is the last one,” Torres said.
Torres began working rideshare jobs like Uber and Lyft about four years ago in Baltimore. He decided to use it to find where people in his neighborhood go to get the best food.
“I get to find out where all the locals go. I get to talk to everyone that gets in my car, all of my passengers,” Torres said.
He decided to take the show on the road, literally. He’s vlogged all over the country on his Instagram page, checking out local restaurants and checking out the best local bites. He’s built a following of 18,000 followers on Instagram.
He also joins Facebook groups full of foodies and rideshare drivers and asks them what he should try.
“People get excited. They want you to check out their favorite spots. I said why not do this in every city and state,” Torres said.
He’s tried some interesting foods – chislik, also known as fried goat in South Dakota, reindeer hotdogs in Alaska and combinations of chili and cinnamon buns in Kansas. When ABC24 hung out with him Wednesday, he was checking out gas station delicacy RAWK’n Grub in Cordova.
“He posted that he was coming to Memphis, that he was a rideshare and I thought, ‘wow, that’s a cool idea,’” said Steph Cook, owner and chef of RAWK’n Grub. “I think it’s fantastic because we’re not an island, unto ourselves. There’s a mom and pop community all over this country and they’re going through tough times right now having to go through all these changes and having to learn on the go and on the fly.”
Torres tried the Purple Raine burger described as “two smash patties, topped with smoked gouda cheese, blueberry jam, and fried tobacco onion straws.” He said that food is just one of many things he finds in common with people he meets. He bonded with Cook, for instance, over their shared military veteran status.
“There’s so many people that have a common interest that’s all I’m trying to do is expose people to other people around the country,” Torres said.
Wednesday’s second stop was Butterific Bakery and Café, formerly Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies, owned by Tamika Heard on S. Second Street near downtown Memphis. Heard is in her first year running the business after branching out on her own from her parents.
“Even my bad days are good days. Because I’m doing what I love to do,” Heard told Torres while they rode through downtown. “Anything you’ll do for free, and you can start making money off of it, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
Butterific was recommended to Torres by Cook of RAWK’n Grub. It’s typical of how Torres often finds his eateries.
“That’s what it’s all about, everybody working together,” Torres said.
The Rideshare Foodie wants to get to that 50th state of Hawaii soon so he can finish his book chronicling all his adventures.
He also plans to start his own app, inspired by his blog.
“I think if you can give other people a reason to explore something else. I think that can make a huge impact. We’ll see where it goes, but right now I’m just enjoying the ride,” he said.