It is home away from home for many South Bronx residents who crave a taste of Puerto Rico and smoked pork.

On a recent Saturday, Angel Jimenez, who owns La Pirana Lechonera food truck, danced to music as he prepared dishes in his truck at 152nd Street and Wales Avenue. He has done this for the past 15 years, keeping tradition alive in the process.

"It feels like home here in the Bronx," said one patron. "It's definitely like the island."

Dancing aside, the magic happened in a smoker that Jimenez set up next to his food truck. He cooked pork for almost eight hours and then cut it with a machete. 

"This is my father's and my mother's machete," he said. "Forty years ago, and I still got it," he said of the machete. 

"I grew up on this. This is the real thing," he said, referring to his food. Jimenez was a finalist at the 2014 Vendy Awards, which is an annual cook-off between the city's best street vendors.