The grand opening of Paul and Daisy Bolt’s new restaurant was planned for Dec. 16, but as a large group waited outside El Guero Tacos, Paul Bolt asked them to wait 10 minutes. As he opened the door, the ceiling and drywall collapsed over the kitchen.

Pressure built up between the hood system and air makeup due to a design flaw. Gone in seconds were the food and various kitchen equipment, not to mention parts of the walls and ceiling.

Luckily for the young couple, their food truck of the same name was parked in front of the El Guero Tacos restaurant at 221 Wood St. in Punta Gorda.

The Bolts ran the food truck for more than three years, and it was the couple’s dream to also have a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

Paul Bolt didn’t seem too fazed by the incident three days later when workers were restoring the restaurant located in a strip mall near Marion Avenue and the Justice Center.

Both of the Bolts worked in the food industry for many years prior to opening their own business.

After Paul Bolt, an Army veteran, left the service, he had a difficult time finding employment. His best friend’s father, Norman Love, owner of Norman Love Confection in Fort Myers, hired Bolt, who went on to learn the art of making chocolates.

Afterward, he and his wife moved their family to Punta Gorda. Paul Bolt found employment in area restaurants where he held upward of three jobs. Daisy Bolt had her own background in the food industry, as she worked at Fishermen’s Village since she was 16 as a busser and server.

Her parents, Cesar Cortes and Maria Espinoza, also are in the food industry, and are known for their Cesar’s Tacos food trucks.

Born in Mexico, they have lived in Punta Gorda for three decades. When they first came to town, they had difficulty finding suppliers of Mexican food for their business.

When Cortes bought a second truck, Paul Bolt began to operate the older one. Eventually he took it over and El Guero Tacos was born.

Cortes’ son Danny operates his own food truck, and Daisy Bolt’s cousins own the Street Harvest food truck in Venice. Her other cousins work at Monty’s Restaurant & Pizzeria in Punta Gorda.

The Bolts wanted their Mexican cuisine to be authentic.

Although not Mexican, Paul Bolt said he’s familiar with genuine Mexican food thanks to visits to Mexico City. His taco recipes mirror the ones he enjoyed at his favorite taco stand in Mexico.

El Guero Tacos offers a large variety of tacos, including a chicken and chorizo combination, lengua, shredded pork, chicken, steak, ground beef and shrimp.

The quesabirria consists of three cheesy tacos with shredded beef and consommé for dipping.

There are quesadillas, a carne asada entree — grilled steak with grilled onions and jalapeno that comes with rice, beans and tortillas and carne asada fries, French fries loaded with steak, queso, sour cream, cilantro, onion, tomato and jalapenos.

The torto Cubana consists of steak, hot dog, ham, cheese, egg, beans, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno and mayo.

There are side dishes, churros for dessert, plus Mexican beverages.

The El Guero Tacos food truck is still available for private events and is at 221 Wood St. from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and at 4255 Tamiami Trail from 3 to 9 p.m.