The shadows begin to grow long one day in February while cars and motorbikes continue to thunder past a food truck called Camionete.

 

Nelson Silva, the founder and owner of Camionete, works alongside the truck, moving chairs and tables.

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Silva is 37 years old, but is young at heart. He has been running his own businesses for his whole life and refers to the food truck as his newest “project”.

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Five years ago, he had an idea for having one of, if not the first food truck in Porto; he stuck with his idea until it came to fruition in 2015.

 

Silvia now runs Camionete eight hours a day, seven days a week with the help of his wife, Caterina, who does all of the cooking for the truck. “The pulled pork I bring from London and I’ll make a Portugues touch” he says, describing the food he serves.

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Running a food truck in Porto is hard. “I’ve been in United States and the street food is common, here, no, it’s not so common” says Silva. He explains that this lack of familiarity causes a general distrust of food trucks with locals.

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Silva’s next step is to develop “a place where I can put all the street food...a food corner. With another street food guys.” He expects this step in his career to take place in about three years and will encompass eight different food trucks parking in one area of Porto to serve the public. When asked about the competition this food corner would bring to his current business, Silva responded:

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“The competition is better, you know? We work with them. We all work in common. We have to work here in Porto for the people to know the street food, to like the street food and the only way is with everyone.”

This food corner would not only be a huge entrepreneurial accomplishment, it would give locals the exposure to street food that they need for his business to be trusted and really take off.

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Though Silva has detailed plans for his next few years, he does not expect his sons, currently aged 10 months and 3 years, to follow in his footsteps as small business owners. “They do what they want, this is for me, you know? I do what I like, I want them to do what they like” he says with affection.

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With big plans ahead for himself, and unending possibilities for his two young children, Silva still manages to remember to live in the present. “My goal is to live every day in the very best way”, says Silva, standing straight with almost military discipline. He says he will achieve this “by being a better person, living in the moment, and mindfulness… have a positive outlook.”

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