German Sierra, founder of Pana Food Truck in Santa Cruz, California, never imagined his craving for a childhood comfort food would lead him to build a thriving business with a loyal following and the distinction of Yelp's Top 100 Food Trucks .

"My brother and I came to the United States in 2016 [from Venezuela]," he says. "There weren't any arepas. We actually eat arepas every day in Venezuela, so we needed them. My brother was like, 'Hey, why don't we make some arepas and take them to the streets, and maybe people will buy them?'"

Armed with foil-wrapped arepas and homemade Venezuelan juices, the brothers set up outside a supermarket. They didn't sell a single one. A police officer stopped them, asking for a permit they didn't know they needed. Instead of giving up, Sierra gave th

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