Originally printed in the December 2019 issue of Produce Business.
Cuisine: All-avocado meals
When Italian friends Alessandro Biggi, Francesco Brachetti and his cousin, chef Alberto Gramigni opened their first fast-casual Avocaderia bar in Brooklyn during April 2017, their aim was to inspire people to build a happier and healthier lifestyle by making avocados the center of the plate. From vibrant avocado toasts and salads, to produce-packed grain bowls and smoothies, every dish contains avocados sourced from Michoacán, Mexico, through importer-distributors such as Baldor.
Little did they realize the impact they would have, particularly among young professionals; quickly selling out during the first three days of business, and making several lists for ‘best avocado toast in NY.’ Soon Avocaderia grew to three food hall locations, each one a natural-looking space dotted with potted plants and a green neon sign that reads ‘Smashed in NYC.’
Next year Avocaderia will open four more New York City restaurants, on top of considering expansion to states such as Texas and California, following a Shark Tank investment. In the process, Brachetti says the trio have lost count of how many avocados they use daily.
“We fell in love with avocado because of its incredible flavor and the super food properties,” recalls Brachetti. “We believed there was an entire community that shared our passion, and as soon as we created our Instagram account [to gauge interest a year before opening], the connection was immediate.
“Avocado has this magic property. It’s healthy and delicious at the same time. It is also extremely versatile, and we believe it’s such a unique fruit that it has the power to create a deep connection with our communities, and allows us to promote our mission.”
Using the Mediterranean diet as a reference, Avocaderia takes inspiration from many global cuisines, from Europe to Egypt, and Japan to South America, focusing on simple but high-quality products. The menu changes four times a year to celebrate seasonality.
Apart from the signature guac and chips, the best-sellers are the Portobello Road Bowl (brown rice, avo cubes, mushrooms, hummus, kale, tofu, cashew Parmesan and chipotle mayo), and the Mediterranean Toast (sourdough bread, avo mash, olive tapenade, cherry and sun dried tomatoes, Feta cheese and pistachio dukkah).
The Mango Lime Smoothie is also extremely popular; containing the all-important avocado mixed with almond milk, mango, lime and agave. The most unusual dish is perhaps the Burrata Dream Toast, which Brachetti describes as “very pretty and delicious,” thanks to a show-stopping Burrata and avocado ‘rose.’
“We have a culinary team that works on R&D because we believe continuing to innovate is key to our success,” adds Brachetti. “We are always eager to experiment and try new ideas.”
Some of the more unusual pairings with avocado include: mango (the Mango Lime Smoothie), matcha (a Kale Matcha smoothie containing avocado, kale, banana, agave, coconut milk and matcha powder) and Impossible meat (the Impossi-Bowl with quinoa, shredded kale, carrots, purple cabbage, roasted beets, pickled onions, sliced avo, Impossible meatballs, mixed seeds and chipotle dressing).
AVOCADERIA (INDUSTRY CITY)
238 36th St., Brooklyn, 11232, NY
Tel: (374) 458-3549
avocaderia.com
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat-Sun: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
