This Ontario drive-in movie theatre serves some surprisingly tasty tacos

While popcorn and licorice tend to get all the glory when it comes to movie theatre snacks, the team behind Prince Edward County's Mustang Drive-In believe that tacos deserve to take the crown, and they might just be right.

Whitby-born, Prince Edward County-based chef Ian Chislett had already been operating his Tex-Mex business, Rebel Taco, for around two years when he first learned that PEC's beloved Mustang Drive-In movie theatre was going up for sale.

A lifelong devotee of the culinary industry, Chislett began working in kitchens when he was just 13 years old, later studying at the Canadian Food and Wine Institute and going on to cook at a series of fine dining establishments across Canada and internationally.

When 2020 came around, facing what felt like an endless onslaught of uncertainty, it occurred to Chislett that there's no time like the present to start something new, and the Rebel Taco was born.

"Tex-Mex was an easy choice," Chislett tells blogTO. "My grandparents had been snowbirds for my entire life, and they always brought home Texas and New Mexico staples and taught me recipes I would go on to use professionally."

His background in cooking Italian cuisine, he figured, was well-suited to the demands of Mexican fare.

Though Chislett describes Rebel Taco's menu as "weird," it was a smash hit. The business's first year was defined by pop-ups, markets, and festivals, and, in the following years, he settled in with a pop-up at Slake Brewing.

Eventually, he saved enough money to purchase the Mustang for a whopping $1.2 million, keeping the drive-in theatre that he'd been frequenting for seven years alive and simultaneously securing a standalone home for the Rebel Taco, due to premiere this spring.

Aravind Selvaraj and Ian Chislett at work in the kitchen.

But he's not doing it alone.

Chislett is joined in his takeover of the Mustang by his best friend and business partner, Aravind Selvaraj, who, contemporaneously with the inception of Rebel Taco, ran his own taco operation, Arvy's Street Eats.

Back in the saddle

Now, they've combined forces under the Rebel Taco banner, and are ready to redefine Prince Edward County's relationship with movie theatre snacks while keeping the Mustang Drive-In alive as the community hub it's been for decades.

"[The Mustang] acts as a third space, and in my opinion, it creates memories. You can watch a movie with better visuals, better sound and better seating almost anywhere. But you can't watch the sunset with your partner beforehand. You can't play frisbee with your kids beforehand, you can't bring your dog with you, and you can't meet your neighbours," Chislett tells blogTO.

"I think drive-in theatres are an experience beyond that of the movie you are watching. There's a nostalgia that goes along with a movie outside with loved ones. I find myself saying this so often, I can't still remember the first movie I saw at a drive-in as a kid, but I remember almost every sunset waiting for the movie to start."

In addition to maintaining the drive-in's reputation for affordable movie screenings, Chislett and Selvaraj plan to further boost the institution's street cred with the advent of new programming like comedy and concerts, lawn games, outdoor seating, Sunday flea markets known as the Mustang Trunk Show and, of course, lots of tacos.

Taco to me

Together, Chislett and Selvaraj cook up tacos that could hold their own on the streets of any Mexican city (according to Chislett, Selvaraj's birria broth is second to none), but fusion creations like tandoor pork tacos easily steal the show.

"Without doubt, the most popular are the Quesabirria, with cheese curd, braised beef and savoury broth. We also do a surprising amount of sweet potato and pumpkin seed salsa macha," Chislett tells blogTO, though he's most excited to bring back the "Walking Tacos"; taco salads served atop (and inside) a bag of Doritos.

On top of the tacos, more traditional drive-in fare like hot dogs, poutine, popcorn, and soft serve, and potentially even specially curated menu items tailored to the movie currently screening, are also on the way.

"The things we are able to do together have brought me so much joy," Chislett says. "It's what, as a culinary student, you always dream of."

And if Chislett and Selvaraj's metaphorical plates weren't full enough with operating the Mustang, the Rebel Taco will also be remounting its pop-up at Slake Brewing seven days a week throughout the summer, so even if a movie isn't in the cards, you can still get your fill.

Whatever you do, please don't talk(-o) during the movie.