Regina and Ramón in: The Food Truck of Your Dreams
From 2 to 8 years
Introduction
The main characters in this book are brilliant. "Regina, kitchen ace" and "Ramón, palaeontologist by trade". You will find them searching in the Children's Library of the ONCE Foundation, where fantastic things always happen. For example, this very story where you will discover how Regina's creativity and Ramón's perseverance will be essential to achieve a dream result: setting up a real Food Truck for the 1st National Fair of Institutes for YOUTH AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
Regina has deafblindness. Deafblind people do not see or hear like you do. They do it differently. You can easily spot them because they use a red and white cane to identify themselves. Deafblindness is not two disabilities put together; it is a single disability with its own unique characteristics. Some people are born with this condition. Others have gradually lost both senses over time. To communicate, Regina needs a mediator named Agostiño, who is Galician just like her, accompanies her, and is her friend.
Ramón has ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), a disability related to the way our brain develops. Depending on the case, some people talk a lot and others less. There are also those who communicate using pictures. Sometimes they might make repetitive movements with their hands or insist on doing things the exact same way. Ramón loves drawing and knows everything there is to know about dinosaurs, but what he is best at is numbers—he is an ace at that, just like Regina is in the kitchen.
Will Ramón be able to help Regina achieve her goal? Don't miss it!
Chapter 1: The National Institute Fair
“Are you ready for the First National Fair of YOUTH AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Institutes? A place where girls and boys from all over Spain can showcase their entrepreneurial projects. Sign up now! What are you waiting for?”
The institute was full of posters and leaflets explaining the rules, and all of Regina’s classmates were excited about the idea of participating. Eugenia, the head of studies, called Regina to her office.
—Regina, from Rosalía de Castro —that was the name of her school— we have thought about putting you forward as a candidate because we have seen that you have all the qualities to be an entrepreneur: passion, creativity, and perseverance. Would you like to represent us?
—Of course! —how could I not be thrilled…
As soon as she left the office, she held Agostiño’s hand tighter than ever. This was her chance to make herself known. Her blog with recipes from around the world had grown enough to make the leap and fulfil her dream of becoming a gastronomic reference. She would make the most of the opportunity to go to the fair and show what she was capable of doing.
Chapter 2: A Food Truck?
—A food truck? —said Agostiño—. That’s a brilliant idea, but…
—Couldn’t you have thought of something easier? —said Ponce, Regina’s father, looking worried.
—Nonsense, nonsense! Didn’t Grandma Genoveva use to go from house to house in "La Calva" —that’s what her mother called Grandma’s van— delivering her meals years ago? The girl will sort out whatever needs sorting out. Our job is to help her with whatever she needs —her mother replied.
—But, Carmenchu, one of those food trucks needs the vehicle to be approved, and it needs health certificates and goodness knows how many other things…
—You really have a wonderful way of encouraging the girl —she said with irony.
Agostiño brought some peace to the conversation:
—Look, Carmenchu, he does have a point, although the hardest part isn’t finding out about the legal paperwork and permits. The hardest part is the business plan.
A business plan! That was true! Who could do that for them? She hadn’t even finished the thought when a name immediately popped into her head: her friend Ramón.
Chapter 3: Ramón, from Paleontologist to Chief Financial Officer
Ramón was a boy Regina had met last July at the Fundación ONCE Youth Video Game Camp. He knew an awful lot about dinosaurs, and they had become quite good friends, even though it was hard for Ramón to make friends at first. Since then, he had become the most active follower of her blog: he commented every single time she uploaded a new recipe.
The thing was, Ramón was also a wizard with numbers. During those days when they shared experiences, they had solved a lot of riddles and problems together.
The time had come to take a serious step in her project: to appoint her first partner.
Chapter 4: The List
Regina was waiting anxiously to hear her friend's answer. Would he accept the proposal to become her partner?
She knew that Ramón was very meticulous and that it would take him some time to decide to reply. But three weeks had already passed! No, that was too much even for Ramón. She was just about to give up and appoint someone else as her financial partner when she received a very formal email from Ramón.
Dear Regina,
After giving it a lot of thought, I have seen the viability of your project and I have decided to join it. We have to show the jury of the First National Fair of YOUTH AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Institutes that our project is the best, so we can win the first prize and make your food truck a reality.
The business plan is essential for our success. We need to work on the following points:
Concept: defining the type of food and the target audience we are going to reach.
Marketing: a good brand image and a website are essential, so I am attaching this proposal.
Online presence: as your blog already has many followers, it will not be difficult to have attractive social media that catch the attention of potential customers.
Location: researching and choosing strategic places for sales, such as the fair itself, as well as other events and festivals. I am proposing a list for you.
We will stay in touch to move forward.
Ramón
Chapter 5: Loose Ends
It was clear she hadn’t made a mistake in choosing Ramón. He had almost everything figured out already!
—There are still a few loose ends —she said very seriously to her whole family, who were listening with their mouths wide open—: customising the van and the menu.
The customisation part had to be explained to her father several times, though in the end, he understood it quite well. Making the necessary improvements to "La Calva" so that "the permit people"… would give them the permits.
—Although we don’t need to do it just yet, Dad. A scale model will be enough. If we win the prize, we’ll have plenty of time to make it real.
Ponce enthusiastically set to work on the blueprints. It had turned into a proper team effort. Even Agostiño himself was busy with saws, plywood, and paint for the model.
The menu was in the hands of Regina and several classmates from school, who had volunteered to help out thanks to Eugenia, the head of studies. But just as they finished it, an unexpected setback arose that they hadn't counted on at all.
Chapter 6: What a Setback!
Ramón…
Ramón, who was very organised, had put together a most peculiar menu and had sent it to everyone on the team:
- Jurassic Wraps (tortillas filled with vegetables and chicken).
- Triceratops Burgers (mini burgers with wholemeal bread).
- Pizzi-Raptor (pizzas with a garlic-stuffed crust).
- T-Rex Milkshakes (green and orange fruit smoothies).
Regina hadn’t thought that Ramón, being such a dinosaur lover, would want to make his own Jurassic contribution. How could she tell him, after he had put so much enthusiasm into it, that this idea wasn't what the rest of the team had in mind?
The most important thing, much more so than even winning first prize at the Fair, was for Ramón to be happy. Regina thought very highly of her recipes, but she felt it was even more important not to let her good friend down. So, she set the whole team to work to make the effort and change the plans a little.
Chapter 7: A Delightful Product
Without hesitation, Regina set about organising everything. Although profits in a business are very important, in this case the human factor was much more important. Not letting Ramón down.
They had to start over with the model that Ponce and Agostiño were working on. A few adjustments here and there, and the van was transformed into a beautiful dinosaur that served as a fun brand design.
Next, the marketing team began looking for places where they could be present with their new brand, such as Dinópolis in Teruel, a perfect spot to sell their healthy food.
Finally, the menu. Regina pulled the most fun recipes her grandmother had taught her out of her diary and renamed them with Jurassic names, giving them that special touch that only she knew how to give.
When Ramón saw everything, he was sure that this was going to be a winning project. Perhaps not the winner of the competition, but certainly the winner of all the hearts that had poured their love into it.
Chapter 8: And Finally at the Fair!
The big day had finally arrived. The Fair was held in a huge pavilion, with colourful lights, loudspeakers cheering everyone on, and hundreds of girls and boys running from one side to another with nerves and smiles. And there was the whole dinosaur team together.
—My goodness! —said Ponce, looking around—. It looks like everyone here has set up their own private NASA!
There were some truly amazing projects.
A group of students from Valencia had created a robot gardener that watered plants only when they were thirsty. The robot, wearing a straw hat, even sang traditional folk songs while watering.
At another stand, some teenagers from Zaragoza were presenting their plastic recycling chamber, which crushed bottle caps and turned them into coloured threads for 3D printers. They had printed an entire giant-sized chess set, and each piece wore sunglasses and a moustache.
But the most striking thing was the invention from an institute in Bilbao: a solar-powered flying scooter. Mind you, the only person who dared to try it was the creator himself, who wore elbow pads, a helmet, knee pads and even a pillow tied to his back just in case.
—This is incredible… —Regina whispered to Ramón as she touched the model of their dinosaur with her hand—. What if people don't like our project as much?
CHAPTER 9: The Jury
Ramón, who didn’t usually say many words at once, answered calmly:
“Regina, people don’t always remember the most spectacular person; they remember the most authentic. And you are authentic.”
That comment gave her strength. When their turn finally came, Regina and Ramón placed the model in the centre of the stand. The dinosaur seemed to wink, thanks to a misplaced sticker, which brought the first chuckles from the jury.
Regina, with Agostiño’s help, began to explain the menu using Jurassic names, while Ramón presented graphs and figures that proved the business’s viability. The combination was so unusual that it was thoroughly charming. The members of the jury couldn't help but smile.
The best part came at the end, when they offered the visitors some mini-tastings that Regina had prepared with Carmenchu's help: little dinosaur-shaped biscuits filled with chocolate.
“Hey, these diplo-biscuits are delicious!” a child shouted with their mouth full, running to grab another one.
Regina and Ramón’s stand filled up within minutes. They didn’t know if they would win the prize, but they knew they were achieving the most important thing: making sure everyone enjoyed their idea.
“Mission accomplished,” Ramón said.
And without caring who had won or not, Ramón and Regina congratulated each other. They truly had made it.
