While most high schoolers are babysitting or mowing lawns, siblings sophomore Zion Isaac and junior Nylah Isaac are busy grilling hot dogs and scooping snow cones from their food truck, “Links N’ Ice” — a unique tribute to their Brooklyn roots and hip-hop culture.

Originally, the Isaac family planned to open a restaurant, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the struggles of securing a building, they pivoted to a food truck. 

“We’ve been planning the idea for the food truck for about five years now; it started around 2019 before COVID had hit, and we really wanted to open up a rap or hip-hop inspired restaurant,” Zion Isaac said. “We got all of the licenses but realized how expensive buying a whole building for a restaurant would be, so we decided we would eventually get a small food truck. Then COVID hit, and we had to hold off on it for a while.”

Once securing the food truck was done, there was still work to do, like buying supplies and cleaning. 

“There was a lot of work to do, the truck was untouched for a few years; so, it was heavily damaged,” Zion Isaac said. “We used the basic tools that we had on hand to clean it and got all of the kitchen resources like the grill and fryer from the restaurant depot.”

Another struggle before opening day was getting the truck branding with the signature Links N’ Ice logo. 

“We had a couple of struggles when we were first trying to get the truck up and running,” Nylah Isaac said. “The biggest challenge for us was getting the truck wrapped with branding and our logo. Then getting all of the supplies to go in the truck was also a little challenging. It has to be high quality but still able to fit and work in the back of a food truck. But, after we were able to get the truck wrapped and the equipment, it was pretty easy after that and everything began to come together.”

Since its opening, the food truck has been a destination for teens and adults. Junior Karin Tian visited the food truck after hearing about it from her friends. 

“I loved being there, the atmosphere was so great with the hip-hop music,” Tian said. “It was  such a unique experience and so much better than regular hot dogs. They were able to put such an original twist on it that made the food taste so much better. There were so many options, like hot dogs with hot cheetos and oxtail meat that made even deciding what to order so enjoyable.”

In addition to the food truck, Zion and Nylah Isaac have had to balance sports and scho

olwork. The siblings said they coordinated their schedules to determine the best operational hours for their truck. Sophomore Blakely Roberts went to the truck and was impressed with how well it was run. 

“I don’t know how they can manage it,” Roberts said. “I can only imagine how much work and coordination it must take to make the food so good, especially while two of the co-owners are in school from 8:30-3:30. It is really impressive.”

Links N’ Ice is now a fully operational food truck in Morningside. With a diverse and original menu. 

“We decided on a New York street hot dog style because of where our dad grew up,” Zion Isaac said, “So, all of the names for the foods are based on ‘90s rappers. The inspiration for the toppings came from those rappers’ backgrounds. For example, the Common Dog is named after the rapper Common, who comes from Chicago; so, the dog has elements of the famous Chicago hot dog.”

The siblings strived to make all of the food diverse and original, but there are some meals that stick out. 

“My favorite food is the ‘I’m so ATLien,’” Nylah Isaac said. “It has oxtail meat, candied jalapenos, lemon pepper aioli, garlic aioli, crispy scallions and onion. I also like the Common Dog with relish, pickled peppers, tomatoes and onions.”

Zion Issac believes Links N’ Ice has become a place for personal connection, bold flavors and culture.

“My personal favorite thing about running a food truck is the community,” Zion Isaac said. ”Getting to meet all of these people from all over the place coming together just to try our hot dogs is insane; we’ve had people drive from Tennessee just to buy a hot dog, which to me is seriously amazing.”