TAMPA, Fla. — As the Tampa Bay community recovers from Hurricane Helene, one food truck owner in Ruskin says her business will remain closed until she can figure out how to make the repairs necessary to reopen.

What You Need To Know

  •  So Yummy Birrieria food truck was damaged due to Hurricane Helene

  •  Food truck owners Yeny Perez and Diego Jara say they will be applying to FEMA to help restore everything that was lost

  •  The food truck began serving residents in Ruskin in 2023

  •  The business also has a GoFundMe to help them replace the items lost

Yeny Perez says being inside her food truck doesn’t feel the same, seeing a place she loved being no longer able to serve the community.

"It’s a big impact, because our house is sustained by our business, and this business means everything," she said. 

Perez and her husband, Diego Jara, opened the business with the goal of sharing their love for birria with others.

The business owners received a grant earlier this year to buy items to feed the community. Now, she checks in as times have changed.

For nearly two years, the owners of the food truck said it’s been their passion to share recipes of their home country, but that passion is being put on pause after Hurricane Helene destroyed everything inside to keep their business going.

As the days go by, it’s putting a strain on them financially.

“I don’t know when we could return to serve food for the community, because we really have our hands full with all the work we have to do,” Perez said.

Waters from the storm rose so high that it even covered the tires of the food truck.

“It was sad to see this, and especially the damage in our community, so I do feel bad and sad, but I know that we will rebuild,” Perez said.

In the meantime, they’ve worked to clean up all the equipment as much as they can, and salvage small items, like their plants.

Just as the community has supported her business before, Perez knows they will come together again, and she’s hopeful soon they’ll be able to dish out cheer to others navigating life post-Helene.

Perez said they’ll also be applying for help from FEMA to help replace everything that was lost.

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