For the past four years, Eloy Fernandez has created mobile food trucks and trailers using unconventional sources including armored vehicles, metal shipping containers, an ambulance, a fire truck and RVs. As the sole proprietor of Fernandez Brothers Concepts—despite the name—he fabricates the trucks and trailers at shops in North Austin and Tomball under the brand Hecho en Tejas. In all, Fernandez said he has serviced or modified more than 60 food or mobile business trucks and trailers and created 33 trucks, including a food RV for Al Capriccio Pizzeria in Leander and a fire truck for Jack Allen's Kitchen in Austin. He said he aims to work on at least two projects at a time—sometimes subcontracting welding or electrical work—and travels throughout the state for meetings, service calls and parts.

What led you to this industry?

I'm always thinking about the way things are made. I'm obsessed with how things are engineered and put together.

How do you get started on a particular project?

Some people come in with an empty truck and say, "Make me this," and I just plan it all out. We can re-engineer everything on the truck, restructure it and sometimes build a frame. Sometimes we just strip floors and redo walls and put in equipment. Every job is a little different. We can do it in two to three weeks, but some take longer, like three to four [weeks]. Once you put things in, you have to start on one end and work your way out.

How do you design how the truck will look?

I want the space to be as efficient as possible. I do a lot of repurposed stuff and focus on reclaimed things, but occasionally we will buy new stuff. We can get [used equipment], clean it up, add new fittings or whatever needs to be done to make it new and repurpose it in the truck.

What is the typical cost of making a food trailer?

You can do them fairly cheap. I've done a hot dog truck for $10,000. We fabricated everything and customized the design. But typically we start with a conversion of some type of existing vehicle, and they run $30,000 to $40,000 and go up from there.