Evan Nevels knows the jokes people make about avocado toast and millennials. He understands them, too. He still thinks avocado toast is much more than a fad.

In fact, in 2021 the Brookfield resident built his business, Vocado MKE, on avocado toast. He began at farmers markets with a simple tent. Last year he added a food truck, and this summer he’s added a second truck to his lineup, all offering an entire menu of avocado toast variations.

Vocado MKE will be at events including Burn Boot Camp in Menomonee Falls from 8 am to 1 pm March 4, Earth and Arbor Day at Elm Grove Park from 11 am to 2 pm April 29, and Brookfield Corners Food Truck Festival on May 17, June 21, July 19, Aug. 16, and Sept. 20. Additionally, Vocado MKE is at several markets this summer season, including Brookfield Farmers Market Saturdays May 6 through October, Tosa Farmers Market Saturdays June 3 through October 14, Greenfield Farmers Market Sundays May 7 through October.

A breakfast turns into a business

I actually went to WCTC for business marketing and hotel restaurant management. I’ve always had a passion for food. I just never knew how I was going to pursue it. …Once I graduated with my degree, I did a bunch of other jobs, nothing related to food.

All of a sudden in 2019 I was making myself breakfast, an avocado toast. I was thinking about starting my own business. Avocado toast. I realized there was not a food truck or business that was dedicated to avocado toast, and that is where Vocado MKE came from.

I did more research, played with recipes, and started with a tent and farmers market. The first one was Brookfield Farmers Market in 2021.

The food truck needed work

That was a process. Once the season ended, that first year with the tent, we were trying to figure out a way to expand the business. We ended up partnering with Chef Pam’s Kitchen in Waukesha and renting kitchen space. We were offering Doordash, Ubereats and Grubhub from that kitchen. We didn’t want to wait an entire year or months until the next season. We wanted to keep the momentum going.

Story continues

Should we get a storefront? A cafe? A friend said why not a food truck? I started doing research into costs, found a company that could build them. The company is in Texas and they build trailers.

I was able to get money together and get a trailer built. It came with a lot of headaches, and when we received the trailer there were a lot of issues. It is hard to resolve when you’re in Wisconsin and they are in Texas, but we got that worked out. As we speak right now, they’re building our second trailer.

Getting the food truck layout right was tricky

The biggest necessity was the layout. … I wanted it to be laid out with a nice flow. You don’t have a huge space, so you need everyone to be in their one little spot.

This year he hired workers

For the first two years I had friends and family helping. They wanted to see me succeed, they liked avocado toast and they got free avocado toast. This year, I have employees who will be on one truck while I am on a different truck. I have people who have been with me since the beginning.

Jokes aside, avocado toast is catching on

When avocado toast first came about years back, it was a trendy thing. People would say “Oh, millennials can’t get a house now because they’re getting avocado toast.” It has been a joke.

I think it is here to stay. For the past 15 years I’ve been eating avocado toast. I always thought I was the only one. Yet you look at restaurant menus nowadays, every restaurant seems to have an avocado toast on the menu. When I was younger, you never saw that on the menu.

The way we create them for our business is unique. The combinations are different, which makes people curious. They want to know how that tastes. That is what makes us stand out.

Avocado toast menu keeps expanding

The way we advertise the business now is Wisconsin’s first avocado toast and avocado dish business. The reason it says is that as we continue to grow and the more seasons go on, the more we play with the menu.

Every week we might offer a unique toast as a special. We were going to offer avocado ice cream last year, and smoothies, but we didn’t have a freezer. That’s where we are headed though …

As of now, it is fully avocado toasts on the menu. We have been able to increase the unique varieties we have. When the season does start, we will have about 12 different toasts, varying between a scramble egg caprese to honey bunches with bananas to mango pico de gallo. There is a huge variety for vegans, vegetarians, meat eaters, and this summer we’ll offer gluten-free.

Most avocados come from Mexico

Typically when we get avocados, they are large Hass avocados, the ones that say Avocados from Mexico. There will be times when we get them from California, but I personally like the avocados from Mexico. There is a different coloring and texture. Most people won’t notice a difference, but I notice. This year, we’re going to have to get probably around 600 avocados every week now that we have two trucks.

What he wants you to know about Vocado MKE

We do get questions about what is avocado toast? We get that question a lot. Is it guacamole? No. Guacamole and avocado toast are different. Similar but different.

Avocado toast is an open face sandwich. We take an avocado, mash it up, add different seasonings and juices, layer it, add whatever fun toppings you want. It makes a nice healthy breakfast, lunch, sometimes even dinner. It’s a quick and easy meal to get a good day’s start.

Also, you know it is made fresh, because everything we do is made fresh. One thing I did learn, with a lot of other restaurants, they use packaged avocado pulp. For us, I have physically tried that. I sourced it, tried it. You can taste a complete difference.

Cutting and mashing takes place on site

Every time we go to these markets, we have 100 to 150 avocados in the truck. We are literally cutting, mashing, scooping and everything right then and there. The base is bread, a sourdough, multigrain and this year we’re adding gluten free bread. It is locally made.

Avocado toast can be spicy

We offer variety. If people like a bit of spice, we have a spicy sausage avocado toast with sriracha mayo, red pepper flakes. We have options for hot. We have a basic one, hot and sweet, with red pepper flakes and honey. Then we have if you don’t want any meat, there are options like a margherita with fresh basil and cherry tomatoes, Himalayan pink salt, lemon and black pepper and a balsamic glaze.

We have fruit, vegetables, ones with eggs. I have microgreens, a radish microgreen with feta cheese and balsamic glaze. If you want a meatier toast, you can get avocado piggy with bacon. … You can also customize your toast.

What sets him and his truck apart

All the research I’ve done, I think we may be the only avocado toast food truck out there, not just in Wisconsin, but all over. I haven’t come across another in all my research.

Toppings make avocados delicious

When you eat an avocado by itself, it tastes like nothing for the most part. If you add the right ingredients, the right toppings, the avocado will taste delicious! It makes a delicious tasting toast and delicious meal.

We decided to create our own “avocado toast all purpose seasoning.” I know a lot of people use everything bagel seasoning and like that. I created our own take on seasoning for avocado. You can also use it on steak, eggs, a salad. So we have our own seasoning bottles, and people can buy them online or on the truck.

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forks. Spoons. Life. explore the everyday relationships that local notables (within the food community and without) have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Vocado MKE food truck features avocado toast with many toppings