[URIS id=100294]
As a silver Honda pulled up to her Central Phoenix house Thursday afternoon, Emily Torres was ready.
She walked down the path to her front gate near Third Street and Indian School Road, with a to-go bag in hand, packed with silverware, napkins, two cups of salsa and a tightly wrapped breakfast burrito with soy chorizo.
She’d probably be doing the same thing again five or 10 more times throughout the day, anticipating direct messages from loyal Twitter followers to order the homemade food she and her father are selling right from her own kitchen.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led several Arizonans to seek viable side hustles, whether it’s to occupy free time or make extra money in the midst of furloughs and layoffs. For Torres and her brother Luis, that side hustle is selling homemade Mexican dishes over social media, with the help of their father Enrique, a chef and former restaurant owner who lost his job during the pandemic.
“My dad got laid off from work when COVID started,” said Emily, a junior who currently studies English and transborder studies at Arizona State. “He loved making food. We figured it would be best to make money that way, doing what he loves.”
The Torres siblings said they’re not sure when their dad will return to working in a restaurant professionally again.
“He’s older and at risk, so he doesn’t want to go back into it, and it’s contract work so he can’t get health care,” said Luis, a journalism graduate student at Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School.
“Times are tough,” he added. “That whole ‘Hey, we’re going to help you out’ phase is over. We really don’t have any money coming in, so we have to pull through for ourselves and our families.”
Because their dad faces a higher risk of COVID-19, the Torres siblings keep the food sale process as safe as possible. Orders are made exclusively via Twitter, payments are made only on Venmo, and no one is allowed inside their house.
‼️ Phoenix peeps ‼️
Just a reminder that my dad is making food 7 days a week now. Pick-up only in central Phoenix. Masks required for pick-up.
If you have any questions or want to place an order, shoot me a DM. Any love & support is appreciated in these times🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/VkNCsYFLjB
— Luis Torres (@LTOnDaTrack) September 21, 2020
Business comes and goes inconsistently, Luis said, especially now that restaurants in the area have started to reopen with socially distant seating. But regardless of how much revenue the food sales are bringing in, Luis said his parents have inspired him to keep working at it.
“Having immigrant parents, they shield off the emotional side of what’s really going down,” said Luis, who is Mexican. “I know it’s tough for them. My dad has always been finding ways to hustle. I always respected that and his work ethic.”
The menu consists mostly of tacos, burritos and quesadillas, with proteins like chicken, carne asada, and soy chorizo for the vegetarian crowd. One of the biggest hits so far, according to Luis, is the breakfast burrito with potatoes, cheese, eggs and soy chorizo.
“I’m a big breakfast at night guy. That hits the spot,” Luis said. “The tacos and burritos are the go-tos for sure.”
And so far, the Torres family has been feeling grateful for the support and social media shoutouts they’ve received since they first posted their food sale menu on Twitter.
“We wanted friends to share the menu, but people we don’t even know are sharing it too,” Emily said. “The first weekend hit pretty nicely. A lot of friends and old classmates helped us out.”
Luis added, “We’ve been really grateful. It’s nice to see old friends and people from ASU I’ve never talked to, people from high school randomly tweeting.”
“As tough as things have been, it’s nice to see that we’re not alone,” he said. “That’s the silver lining in all this. Hopefully, we continue to get the opportunity to make some great food for people.”
Those who are interested in ordering food from the Torres family can reach out via Twitter to @emilytorr13 or @LTOnDaTrack. Orders are pick-up only, and customers must wear a mask.
Contact the reporter at Gdelia1@asu.edu.
