When Nerea Figuera closed the door on haute cuisine to open another, much larger one—that of the street, festivals, film shoots, and private celebrations—she probably didn’t imagine that she would end up traveling all over Spain taking her cuisine to destinations full of life. What began as an adventure to regain direct contact with customers is now Food Truck La Parada, a gastronomic project that knows no fixed scenarios or labels.
From an estate in Toledo to a film set or a BMW corporate event, her cuisine is able to adapt to everything… except indifference.
In this interview, Nerea talks about her leap from haute cuisine, what it means to set up a business on the move, what it’s like to work for big brands, and why having two food trucks is not only a logistical matter, but also a symbol of growth.
1. Nerea, You Come from a Career in Haute Cuisine… What Led You to Make the Leap to the World of Food Trucks and Set up Food Truck La Parada?
After years working in haute cuisine, I felt the need to regain direct contact with the customer, to return to a more vibrant, closer cuisine, but without giving up the quality and attention to detail that I learned in that environment. The food truck offered me that possibility: a dynamic, versatile format, where I could take gastronomy wherever people enjoy it, whether it’s at a festival, a private event, or an audiovisual production. That’s how La Parada was born: as a way to unleash creativity and closeness without losing excellence.
2. Having a Business that Can Move Anywhere Allows You to Reach where the Customer is… What Do You like most about that Freedom and Being Able to Adapt to Such Different Scenarios?
Without a doubt, the freedom that the format gives us is one of the great virtues of this business model. Being able to set up “the restaurant” in the middle of a forest, an industrial warehouse, an estate, or the center of a city, and offer a quality gastronomic experience, is something unique. I love that feeling of movement, of not being pigeonholed, of adapting to such different contexts and turning each one into a personalized and special experience.
3. You Have Recently Expanded the Fleet and Now Have Two Food Trucks… What Has that Step Meant for You? What New Opportunities Does Having Two Operational Units Open up for You?
Expanding the fleet has been a very important step for us, not only operationally, but also symbolically: it means that the project is growing, that there is confidence on the part of the clients, and that the team is prepared to face new challenges. Having two units allows us to cover more events simultaneously, diversify gastronomic proposals, and even adapt one of the food trucks to more personalized formats, such as film shoots or smaller private events. It is opening up to a broader, more flexible, and more ambitious market.
4. You Have Worked for Brands Such as BMW and Dulcesol… How Does a Food Truck Come to Collaborate with Companies of that Level? What are these Types of Clients Looking for when They Hire a Service like Yours?
Working with big brands is always a source of pride, and also a great responsibility. What they are looking for is not only a quality gastronomic product, but an experience consistent with their values: careful aesthetics, impeccable service, brand image aligned with their identity, and ability to adapt to their demands. In that sense, we take care of both the substance and the form: the food is only one part of the proposal, the rest is experience, narrative, presence, and professionalism. I think that’s what they value most when they choose us.
5. What Role Does Creativity Play in the Day-To-Day of Food Truck La Parada? Both when Designing Menus and when Adapting to Such Varied Spaces or Audiences.
Creativity is everything. From the conception of the menus to the way of presenting the product, the assembly of the space, the aesthetics of each event, or even the interaction with the public. Each client and each environment presents us with a different challenge, and that variety forces us to constantly leave our comfort zone. For me, Food Truck La Parada is a kitchen on wheels, yes, but also a laboratory of ideas, solutions, and emotions.
6. Behind each Service there is a Lot of Teamwork… What is the Team that Moves La Parada like, and What Do You Value most about Them at each Event?
I am lucky to have an incredible human team, committed, versatile, and with an impeccable attitude. In a format like this, where everything can change on the fly, you need people who not only do their job well, but who understand the project, who get involved, who contribute. I value the ability to adapt, to maintain a good mood in situations of pressure, and, above all, camaraderie. Without a team, none of this would be possible.
7. Do You Remember any Event that Was Especially Special or Different for You? The one in which You Thought: “this is why It’s Worth Having a Food Truck”.
I especially remember an event in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by nature, with a spectacular sunset and an intimate and magical atmosphere. There were few attendees, but each of them approached the food truck with a smile, thanking us for what we did. That day I felt that we had managed to create something special, something that not only fed the body, but also the soul. It was a reminder of why we started this.
8. Now that You’re Getting into the World of Filming… Do You Think the Food Truck Sector Will Continue to Grow in Areas Such as Film, Advertising, or Private Events? Where Do You See the Market Going?
Totally. The food truck format fits perfectly into the ecosystem of filming and creative events: we are fast, autonomous, aesthetic, and flexible. And in those environments, where time and logistics are so delicate, having a complete and professional gastronomic solution is an added value. I think the market is moving towards greater specialization and personalization, and there the food trucks that know how to combine experience, design, and quality have a lot to offer.
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9. For those who are Thinking of Embarking on the Adventure and Acquiring Their First Food Truck… What Advice Would You Give Them after your Experience in Recent Years?
I would tell them to go for it, yes, but with their feet on the ground. This is an exciting business, but also very demanding. You have to take care of the brand, the operation, the team, the numbers.
It is important to have a clear vision, a defined concept, and, above all, to be very consistent. It’s not just cooking: it’s undertaking, communicating, adapting, solving. But if you are passionate about gastronomy and enjoy direct contact with people, it is a wonderful adventure.
10. After these Years of Experience… What Would You Say Has been the Greatest Learning that this Business Has Given You?
I think the greatest learning has been to understand that flexibility is a virtue, not a weakness. Learning to move, to adapt, to flow with the unforeseen… and to do it without losing the course or the identity of the project. I have also learned to value the essential: a good product, a good team, and a good attitude can make a difference, even in
the most complex scenarios.
11. If You Had to Define in one Sentence What Having a Food Truck Represents for You… What Would it be?
For me, having a food truck is the possibility of cooking memorable experiences wherever the road takes us.
Nerea knows that her food truck is not just a vehicle, but a heart that beats in constant motion. Because in her world, stopping would be losing the rhythm of that magic that makes up each event, each encounter, each moment in which gastronomy becomes emotion. La Parada does not stand still; it unfolds, transforms, and continues walking, like a story that never ends.
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