What was once a used car lot has become the center of culture, cuisine and community in Walker’s Point.
Jesus Gonzalez and Sean Phelan opened the Zócalo Food Truck Park, 636 S. Sixth St., in July 2019.
After attending culinary school in New York, Gonzalez opened his own taco shop and was later inspired to open a food truck park under Phelan’s mentorship when he noticed other food entrepreneurs in Milwaukee.
While the food trucks and their diverse cuisine are Zócalo’s main attraction, the park also serves as a place that brings the community together.
This is especially notable in the summer, when a typical evening might include taking a salsa or bachata class hosted by the Daync Academy, going running with the Buena Tierra Run Club, or attending a quizmaster’s trivia night.
Zócalo also hosts 414Flea, a curated secondhand event, as well as Mercadera Markets, which supports Latino-owned small businesses.
The park has 10 food stalls:
- Ikigai Izakaya
- The Virellas
- Scratch ice cream
- Ruby’s Bagels
- Modern Maki
- Mazorca Tacos
- Hot Box Pizza MKE
- Arepa for every occasion
- Sandu
- Pallino Burger
Drinks are available in the tavern, a building inspired by the famous blue house of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
We spoke to Gonzalez and Phelan about Zócalo’s past, present and future:
Why did you choose a food truck park?
Gonzalez: “I started a food truck business. While I was starting my first business and selling it to the community, I met other food entrepreneurs in Milwaukee. Because I had been away for a while, it was the first time I realized that Milwaukee had a very rich community of food entrepreneurs and that they told similar stories. They didn’t have half a million dollars in their bank accounts to open a brick-and-mortar business, so they had stands or food trucks. Sean and I started thinking, ‘What if we built a food truck park here in Milwaukee?'”
Phelan: “Before I talked specifically about a food truck park, I asked Jesus, ‘What are the challenges of a food truck? What slows a food truck down? What makes it challenging?’ We made a list and then figured out how to eliminate those obstacles or challenges to create a platform for successful and thriving food entrepreneurs.”
BWhat has Zócalo brought to the community?
Gonzalez: “When I first started selling tacos, I hosted music nights in a dirt lot. … I could imagine a very diverse group of people coming to that dirt lot, bringing their folding chairs, setting up and experiencing the music. What we were able to create in that dirt lot on the south side, we wanted to amplify. (I thought), ‘How can we recreate that sense of community?’ That’s what Zócalo has become. We’re incubating communities within a community there. A lot of what we do as locals is collaborating with different people who are dedicating or sharing their craft or skills to Milwaukee.”
Phelan: “One word to sum it up: ‘collaboration.’”
How did you create a space for young entrepreneurs?
Gonzalez: “Our unofficial slogan is ‘You belong.’ I can relate to Josh and Amber from Daync Studios or McKenzie from 414Flea. They are in the early stages of their business and we are able to share our space so they can continue to grow and expand. We… understand their struggle and we want to see them grow.”
How do you select the suppliers for the park?
Phelan: “Food entrepreneurs reach out to us and we also look for food entrepreneurs ourselves. … Our ultimate goal is to have a really diverse mix of food entrepreneurs, quality food, personalities and people who have a real sense of community. … They welcome collaboration and building community. I think that’s probably as important as what they present as their product.”
Gonzalez: “We’re fortunate to have great food entrepreneurs at Zócalo, and it really just comes down to networking. You have to get involved. If you get involved, you’ll find those people. So far, it’s been great.”
What are you most proud of?
Gonzalez: “For me, it’s the entrepreneurs’ journey. … Watching Daniela (Varela of Ruby’s Bagels) go from selling bagels in a basket to selling in our incubator trailer to being able to afford her own food truck and now moving into a brick-and-mortar store. The motivating part for me is seeing that for us, Zócalo, when we started, it was about incubating, creating a platform for food trucks and our entrepreneurs. I think we’ve succeeded in that. It’s working.”
