LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Working in a food truck during the summer means oftentimes facing temperatures up to 30 degrees hotter than outside.
For Evelyn Ochoa, spending her second summer working at her parents' food truck, Los Compadres, means enduring extreme conditions that most people try to avoid.
"It just feels like a sauna and like you can't really escape," she said. "It's just the way that it is and that's our income so you just have to push through it."
The extreme heat creates additional challenges for their business. When temperatures soar, potential customers often stay home.
"That means that nobody comes to go eat so then there's nothing for us to do except to be out here in the heat. So it's just a domino effect," Ochoa said.
Despite the challenging conditions, Ochoa doesn't complain about the heat because she sees her parents' dedication firsthand.
"I like see how they're working so hard. It's just a whole new admiration I guess for them because it's just all for us for our family," Ochoa said.
The family takes breaks in the shade and stays hydrated, but then returns to cooking in the sweltering conditions.
"The lessons that I learned is just you have to work hard to get what you want really and nothing really comes easy," Ochoa said.
These experiences are shaping Ochoa's future aspirations beyond the food truck.
"It makes me wanna work harder so it makes me want to study more and like get in the future I can get hopefully a good job," Ochoa said.
For Ochoa, that good job would mean an opportunity to help her parents the way they've helped her.
