[/media-credit]Mike Carlin prepares breakfast on Auraria campus in the mobile restaurant, Mikes 2, April 19.
Avocados aren’t usually considered a breakfast food, but local food truck Mikes2Kitchen and importer Avocados from Mexico are trying to change that.
“We want to help incorporate vegetables into the most important meal of the day,” said Mike Levine, co-owner and manager of Mikes2Kitchen. Although avocados are technically a fruit, many people think of them as a vegetable.
Mikes2Kitchen and Avocados from Mexico are partnering up for a contest to get people excited about pairing avocados with their coffee in the morning.
Levine met fellow co-owner and head chef of Mikes2Kitchen, Mike Carlin, while working in La Jolla, Calif., in 2000. Carlin is from Kansas and Levine grew up in Texas. They both wanted to put down roots somewhere with more approachable people.
“We wanted to get back to where people are a little more down to earth and friendly,” Levine said.
Levine and Carlin had friends living in Denver and had their food cart made in Parker in 2010. They’ve been operating in Denver 12 months a year ever since.
They try to keep their operation sustainable. Carlin and Levine are hoping to convert their truck so they can use old fryer grease to run their generator. They currently recycle their old grease. Carlin and Levine use disposable containers for the customers, but all of their prep and cookware is reusable.
Avocados from Mexico came up with the idea for the contest, but Mikes2Kitchen is assisting with the promotion through social networking.
To participate, contestants must tweet a picture of their avocado torta, a kind of Mexican breakfast sandwich, from Mikes2Kitchen to @Guacgrl with the hashtag #GoodMorningAvocado and they’ll be entered to win. A representative with Avocados from Mexico will randomly select three winners per week throughout April to receive a prize of $100.
[/media-credit]Mike Levine hands off breakfast as Mike Carlin cooks in the background in their mobile restaraunt, Mikes 2, at Auraria campus April 19.
“We wanted to work with a great restaurant that could easily add an avocado breakfast item to their menu,” said Samantha Coacci, a representative from Avocados from Mexico.
Mikes2Kitchen serves tortas and tacos for breakfast as well as po’ boys — baguette sandwiches — and tacos for lunch. Their locations throughout the day are listed on their website, mikes2kitchen.com, and on their Twitter and Facebook pages.
“Mikes2Kitchen is one of the most popular food trucks in Denver,” Coacci said. “They have a mouth-watering menu and a large fan base.”
Jennie Grimes, a grant writer at the Colorado AIDS Project and one of the prize winners, said she enjoyed her meal at Mikes2Kitchen.
“I had a delicious veggie taco with fresh avocado on top,” Grimes said.
People: Mike CArlin, Mike Levine
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