A James Beard Award semifinalist from New Mexico is expanding to Rio Rancho.
Basit Gauba, a restaurant and food truck owner from Albuquerque, is preparing to bring two of his restaurants to Rio Rancho’s new indoor/outdoor retail and event space, The Block, which is set to open in June.
Gauba, owner of Tikka Spice Desi Street Food truck, Kukri Chicken Tikka Tenders and Stackers Burger Company, was the only semifinalist from New Mexico for the James Beard Award for best chef in the Southwest region in 2023.
“I’m looking forward to introducing our stuff to (Rio Rancho) and I know a lot of people are excited, I hope we’re welcomed with open arms and the success of the community is top of mind for us,” Gauba said.
In just five years, Gauba went from renovating a used food truck to expanding with five locations and is planning to open four new restaurants this spring, with nine more in the works for next year.
The two new restaurants he is opening at The Block are the Stackers Burger Company and Kukri Chicken Tikka Tenders. Gauba plans to expand into other food hall and retail spaces across the metro area and will open restaurants at both the Green Jeans Food Hall and the Tin Can Alley Food Hall in Albuquerque.
Gauba said he currently employs 45 team members and plans to add another 30-40 to staff the new locations.
“We’re trying to figure out how we can be competitive while still making sure people have a good livable wage and quality of life,” Gauba said.
Gauba, who grew up in Pakistan, said Tikka Spice originated as a creative spin on traditional Pakistani dishes. As time passed, his cuisine evolved into a fusion menu. The food trucks serve as a valuable platform for testing products and gauging market perception, helping Guaba fine-tune his food.
As the names suggest, Stackers Burger Company specializes in smash-style burgers, while Kukri Chicken Tikka Tenders offers a variety of spicy chicken tenders and sandwiches.
Besides being a semifinalist for a prestigious national culinary award, Gauba has also won local culinary accolades. At Edible New Mexico’s Green Chile Cheeseburger Smackdown, he secured the Judges Award in 2023 and various awards in 2022, including Reigning Chomp, Secret Judges Award and Peoples’ Choice. He also won Albuquerque The Magazine’s Best of The City Award for Best Food Truck consecutively from 2021-2023.