Antojitos Doña Fela

"Peruvian food truck Antojitos Doña Fela is one such vendor. With a $250 monthly garage rental fee and mortgage payments, co-owner Stephanie Sucasaca says she and her family returned to operating the truck in April, even as they could hear ambulances constantly making their way to and from the nearby Elmhurst Hospital. Many like Antojitos are beginning to adapt to this new reality. The food truck implemented new lunch hours and delivery service in April to help customers quarantining at home. "A lot of people wanted a break from cooking and so our variety of lunches came out of quarantine," says Sucasaca. Pesto pasta with steak, breaded chicken with rice, and trio marino (a combination platter of three seafood dishes), are all popular additions to this new lunch menu. For some, like Antojitos, a recent increase in foot traffic has also boosted sales. Sucasaca says the food truck is getting more pick-up sandwich orders as people make their way to the beach. "Last week, we had regular sales, like pre-Covid," says Sucasaca. "The week before was really low so obviously there’s ups and downs." - Caroline Shin