A Los Angeles taco shop owner got the chance of a lifetime to appear with one of the world’s biggest artists on one of the world’s biggest stages.

On Feb. 8, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — otherwise known as Bad Bunny — headlined a historic Super Bowl halftime show, performing a medley of hits, entirely in Spanish, to a cheering stadium and a TV audience of millions.

Bad Bunny included iconic Latin American places and people in his performance, like the owner of Villa’s Tacos, Victor Villa, a first-generation Mexican American who was born and raised in L.A.

Villa’s appearance was during the first song, “Tití Me Preguntó.” After Bad Bunny emerges from Puerto Rican sugarcane fields, passing multiple roadside stops, he takes a piragua (a Puerto Rican shaved ice dessert) from a vendor, then turns to Villa, who is manning a taco cart, and hands it to him.

The taquero graciously accepts the icy treat, which many say symbolizes a bridge between two popular Latin American food traditions.

“I started my business in 2018 at my grandma’s house with nothing more than just a grill, you know, a canopy, tables, the first round of goods and nothing more than dreams, aspirations and hopes,” Villa tells TODAY.com from Santa Clara, California.

He’s still in town post-performance and reflecting on his station. “Through blood, sweat and tears, we were able to open a restaurant five years later,” he says.

Villa’s Tacos grew from one location into three, boasting multiple wins from L.A. Taco’s Taco Madness championship and a Michelin Bib Gourmand award three years in a row for offerings like his queso taco with onion, cilantro, guacamole, cotija cheese and crema Mexicana.

“I couldn’t have sold that 1st taco, if my parents didn’t make the difficult decision to leave their homeland for a better life & immigrate to the U.S.,” Villa wrote in an Instagram post about his Super Bowl appearance. “This one is for all the immigrants who paved the way before us to make this moment possible. Villa’s Tacos is a product of immigrants.”

Villa says he’s honored to have been chosen to take part in this monumental celebration of Latin American culture.

“It was a true testament to Bunny’s character and who he is to want to bring the country together and make immigrants part of something big in a time where the country feels very divided,” he says. “Immigrants bring so much to the beauty of this country through the love that they share, through the food that they make, through the smiles that they give.”

Villa says he had to keep his participation secret for weeks during rehearsals, but he bonded with several of the other people who made cameos, like Toñita, the 85-year-old owner of the Caribbean Social Club in Brooklyn, New York.

Villa’s Tacos’ famous Queso Tacos.
Villa’s Tacos’ famous Queso Tacos.Charles Pan / Villa’s Tacos

“Like, to you guys watching, you might look at them as like, ‘Oh, that’s just the piragua vendor,’ but it’s not just the piragua vendor, that’s Juan Pablo, and he’s the kindest soul ever. He loves his family. He also plays professional basketball,” Villa says. “And then there’s the coconut vendors: You got Swat, who’s a super talented B-boy, and he has a heart of gold. He loves his kids so much.”

During the performance, the jumbotron read, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” a poignant message that resonates with Villa.

“My grandma, who came from Mexico, is the one who showed me the secrets to great cooking. But it’s not only a secret that applies to great cooking, but applies to living a happy life,” he says. “She’s the best chef that I know personally, and I would always ask her, ‘Wow. Why is your food so good?’ and she said ‘Mm, because I put a lot of love in there.’”