Interview with SVP member Tesfalum Kiflu, January 20, 2010.   Nassau & Ann Streets, Lower Manhattan

What is your background?  

I was born in Asmara, Eritrea. After school, when I was in my early 20’s, I went to work in Eilat, Israel.  Eilat is on the Red Sea, like Eritrea, and we have a small community there. I worked in a hotel.  First I was a bartender, and after 7 years I was a bar manager. I managed 20 or 25 people. 

Why did you come to New York?

In 2000, when the infitada happened, tourism in Israel went down, so there was no business at the hotel. My wife’s sister was here in the US. We wanted a better life.  I had some friends from Israel in New York. They promised to help me find a job here. But even with my hotel experience, it was very hard. I had no connections. I spent six months looking. Sometimes I would even see 50 people waiting in line for a bartender job. They always said “we’re gonna call you” but they never did. 

What did you do?  

I had a wife and son to support, so I needed money right away. I started driving a yellow cab. It was good money, but you have to work a 12 hour shift, like a robot. You have to drive for 7 hours just to cover the rent on the cab and gas. I was buying a lot of gyros from vendors on the street. In 2003, some Egyptian vendors I knew on Canal Street gave me a job with them. Cooking had always been a hobby for me – Italian food, Chinese food, French food. They taught me the seasonings and how to run the cart. 

How did you come to own your own truck?  

I saved my money for four years. Then, in 2007, I got this truck. I paid $4,000 for it – it has 250,000 miles. It cost me about $10,000 to fix up. I looked at the list of streets and tried lots of spots. For a while I parked at Church Street and Park Place, but they started construction there and I had to move. Even now, I’m looking for a spot. This spot is not very good. But all the good streets are closed. The City needs to open more streets for vendors.

What style of food do you sell?  

I sell different kinds. The gyro is Mediterranean style that I learned on Canal Street. The stews are Eritrean, except there we eat stew with injera bread. Here I serve rice – I don’t think office workers like to eat with their  hands. The goat curry and chicken curry is an idea I got from some Indian restaurants. My fish is the most popular.  Now I want to  sell American food, like fried chicken and philly cheese steak. You have to give the people a different taste every day. 

What is your typical day like?  

With the truck, I have to come here very early to get a parking spot. That is a big problem. I get to my garage at 4:30 or 5 in the morning. I am here at the spot by 6:30. This block is for commercial parking, but the city workers take all the spots.  I leave around 5 p.m. and get home around 6:30. I do this five days a week. Then on Saturday nights I park near Union Square. 

I’m OK, I’m supporting my family. But the way of life here is hard. I live in Midwood, Brooklyn with my wife and our son. My wife is studying to be a nurse. My son is 10 years old. He likes to play basketball.