One question from his son reminded this food truck owner what really matters
By Rachel Whelan
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NORWOOD, Ohio (WLWT) — For most teenagers, summer means sleeping in and hanging out with friends.
For 14-year-old AJ Velez, it means clocking in.
AJ has spent years working alongside his father, Ty Velez, at the family’s food truck, AJ’s Cheesesteaks, learning everything from handing out orders to working the grill.
But Ty says the biggest lessons were never about cheesesteaks.
“I grew up in an environment that was heavily gang infested,” Ty Velez said. “A lot of my friends either ended up in jail or they ended up in prison.”
Those experiences shaped the way he raised his son.
Ty said he has always tried to teach AJ to care for the people around him and to use opportunities to lift others up whenever he can.
Recently, he saw those lessons come full circle.
AJ approached his dad with a simple request: Could one of his friends spend the summer working alongside them on the food truck?
“I asked him, can he come with us on the truck? Because I didn’t want him to be roaming around in the streets,” AJ said.
Ty said there was never any hesitation.
“It made me emotional because it let me know that I was doing the right thing,” Ty said. “It also let me know maybe I am a good father, and hopefully we can pass this along.”
The friend recently worked his first shift on the truck alongside AJ.
AJ said he hopes the opportunity gives his friend a positive way to spend the summer, and one day, he’d like to do the same for others.
“When my dad passes it on to me, I’m going to hire some of my friends,” AJ said. “I don’t want that for none of them.”
Ty hopes their story encourages parents to have honest conversations with their children and reminds young people that looking out for a friend can be as simple as creating an opportunity.
“We have the uncomfortable talks,” Ty said. “I think it’s important to talk to your kids. I think it’s important to sit down and have conversations with them that they don’t expect you to have.”
For Ty, that one question from his son was proof that those conversations were making a difference.
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