SALT LAKE CITY — Longtime Rose Park resident Trina Perez says her neighborhood gets a bad rap.

"I don't know why, but there are a lot of misconceptions about the area," she said. "I've heard it referred to as 'the ghetto.'"

Perez says that couldn't be any further from the truth. She happily refers to it as "tight-knit" and "the best."

Even though Rose Park is just a few minutes from downtown Salt Lake City, Parks says when it comes to getting the attention of businesses, it's hard not to see the cup as being half empty.

"We don't have a lot of options for a lot of things," she said.

And for Perez, there's always been a gaping hole in the heart of Rose Park.

"Coffee was one thing that I personally needed and wanted," she laughed.

Rather than just complain, Perez decided to do something about it by opening her own coffee shop.

"I just got sick of gas station coffee options," she said.

A former special ed teacher, Perez is finding her footing in the coffee business. And that footing is on wheels.

"This is an old FedEx truck that we converted into a coffee truck," she said.

Over the summer, Perez opened the Buzzed Coffee Truck, serving up a wide variety of coffee and hot chocolate drinks, as well as teas and Italian sodas.

She says she is mainly a self-taught coffee brewer but also took some classes from the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

Perez lacked the money to open a traditional coffee shop, but she didn't let that get in the way of putting piping-hot drinks in the hands of her customers.

"What's that old saying? If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life," she said.

That's because the Buzzed Coffee Truck isn't just about brewing coffee; it's about building a community.

"That's what I really like is building relationships with people," Perez said. "Hearing about their day or hearing about their sick kid, and I've really developed a lot of friends doing this."

Perez keeps her truck close to home, parking it in Rose Park four days a week. That means her customers are also her neighbors.

"I'm really surprised at how many people come up to the window and thank us for being here," she said.

At some point, Perez hopes to set up a formal "brick and mortar" coffee shop — located, of course, in Rose Park.

So while she may be pleasing her own taste buds, Perez also is hoping to make Rose Park a more attractive place for residents and visitors — one cup at a time.

"I didn't do this to be rich," she said. "I did it to be happy, and I'm really happy."

The Buzzed Coffee Truck lists its locations on Facebook and on Twitter.