La Comunidad de La Burbuja

Scene

Apr 8

Wide shot of La Burbuja employee setting up food truck. **(Gaia Buller for The Santa Clara)**

Over the last four years, La Burbuja has slowly established itself to be an irreplaceable landmark of Santa Clara University. The care that goes into preparing customer’s food—and the personality of those who work at La Burbuja—are all hidden within the food truck’s walls.

As students who come from families of immigrants, we know the struggle of finding your way and staying true to your identity, especially while adapting to a new environment.

Much like us, the owners and workers of La Burbuja are from Peru, so we wanted to take the initiative and capture their Peruvian identity in the small ways it shines through in their work.

Keychain of Peru Llama. **(Gaia Buller for The Santa Clara)**

Mexican Coke Bottles. **(Gaia Buller for The Santa Clara)**

Neon Open sign reflected in food truck side mirror. **(Gaia Buller for The Santa Clara)**

We had passed by the food truck several times before stopping. At first it was such a normal presence in our lives that we didn’t consider photographing it. We already knew that we wanted to take photographs of how people in the Bay Area spend their leisure time, but it wasn’t until Tierney suggested La Burbuja, that all the pieces fell into place.

The owners were incredible and always welcomed us inside with smiles. This sense of acceptance, kindness and purpose was so sincere that, at one point, when a customer came to order, they permitted me to take charge with little more than a thumbs up and a smile.

Taking Customer Orders. **(Tierney Burke for The Santa Clara)**

We found ourselves swallowed up by the business of the truck. Order receipts swept down the aluminum counters. Employees called back and forth to each other in Spanish, as the TV played out, commentators speaking on a recent soccer game.

In that moment, the food truck became more than a place of work—it became a space where belonging was built through trust, language and most importantly, food.