Food truck helps keep Alberta rodeo star racing during pandemic

An Alberta-based professional barrel racer says a pandemic can be a great time to start a side hustle, with the right strategy and support.

"I have wanted a food trailer for a long time.I can't even tell you how long," Melissa Thiessen told CBC News.

TheStettler rodeo starhas been working in restaurants since she was 14.

"I always thought it would be really cool to own a restaurant, but I do know that it runs your life and nothing else happens but that," Thiessen said.

"I love to cook. I like to entertain."

So when the globalpandemic hit and the shutdown began, Thiessen and her husband knew the timing was as good as it was going to get.

"In April, I said to my husband, Steve, let's just do it. Let's put our heads down and finally get it finished. It only took us two weeks, which is crazy," she said.

"Rodeo is our passion and you want it to be your one and only source of income, but the reality is you need something else."

The couple landed on southwestern as a themebased on the food they liked when they travelled into the United Statesfor competitions.

"The feedback has been really good. It's been fun," Thiessen said.

"I had been testing my recipes for a long time."

She's keeping the menu short and targeted, with typically about seven menu items.

"The people who know southwest food are very happy. I sell out all the time, so it's been good."

Her personal favourite? Chili lime pulled pork tacos.

Thiessen says she suspected a food truck one of the first types of businesses allowed to reopen as pandemic restrictions softened would be a hit.

"Because of COVID-19, I knew it would be a success, because food trucks were allowed to be open. It's very COVIDfriendly. I knew I would be OK," she said.

She says she gets plenty of requests to set up the food truck at various locations more than she can handle.

"In the last two weeks, I have turned down at least two jobs every day," she said.

And once the new post-COVID-19 world is figured out?

"Even when things get back to normal, you will still see the Cowboy Cafe," she added.