They sell their vegan croquetas around Miami, but they give them away at this skate park
La croqueta de jamon is a staple of Miami cuisine. It’s a rolled, breaded, battered and fried delicacy of juicy cultural goodness with generations of epicurean perfection under its crispy exterior.
Gabriel Lopez is reimagining the croqueta. The 28-year-old Cuban-American’s business, 2 The Rootss, sells vegan versions of the beloved snack in flavors ranging from lemon garlic cilantro to Taro Cookies & Creme. His vegan croquetas have spread from the North Trail Skatepark near the Dolphin Mall, where Lopez got his start handing out free food to skaters two years ago, to the high-end Grand Tasting Village at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, where tickets can reach up to $550.
Lopez’s goal? For Miami to hold onto its culinary traditions, but in a way that betters locals’ quality of life. Indeed, doctors have linked the consumption of meat to colon cancer and heart disease, among other maladies. And of course, its production creates planet-warming greenhouse-gasses far more potent than even carbon dioxide.
Lopez grew up in San Diego, where his Cuban-American heritage made him stand out; early on, he was nicknamed “Cubano.”
About five years ago, he moved to Miami bringing with him over a decade’s worth of dedication to street skating culture, a contract with Black Pool Skateboards, and a strong understanding of the negative impact that a meat-heavy diet had on his energy levels.
“I just felt really lousy and out of energy at some points,” Lopez said. “I couldn’t believe how I felt at such a young age, and I was looking for something to bring the life back into me”
Lopez’ solution came from replacing the meat in his diet with vegetables. This inevitably found its way into his home kitchen where, cooking with his mother, he came up with the idea to craft a 100% vegan croqueta. Staying true to the culture, the recipe is comprised of traditional Cuban household vegetables including green peppers, boniato and yuca.
At the time, Lopez worked at the original Night Owl Cookies location in west Miami-Dade County, where he watched a small kitchen project become a multi-million dollar business. By day, he skated at North Trail SkatePark a couple miles away, where he soon realized that he wasn’t the only skater who would run out of gas.
“I meet a lot of young adults and young kids who, same thing, they show up here ready to skate but don’t have the energy for it.”
This inspired him to start a business of his own: one that represented his culture and that of many North Trail skaters – bringing a new take on the Cuban household favorite that you couldn’t find at la ventanita. With the help of his partner Erica Denis, he’s branched out to more adventurous flavors such as nacho bean and cheese, strawberry shortcake, and even “mom’s spaghetti.”
Lopez’s goal was to hold onto the culinary traditions of Cuban cuisine, while making it healthier by excluding the processed ham. He named his business 2 The Rootss, a kind of double entendre referring both to the root vegetables he uses for almost all of his croquetas and for the food’s heritage.
“It’s important,” he says, “to ground it and to make it be known that cultural food will take a healthier route.”
Lopez now sells the treats at $2 each from three storefronts: Aguacate’s Sanctuary of Love off Bird Road, Mendez Fuel on Coral Way and Organic Food Kings, right off Miami Avenue. The duo can be found every Saturday at the Coconut Grove Farmers Market, and it’s not their only weekly pit stop.
On just about any given Monday, Lopez and Denis go to the skatepark, where they hand out vegan croquetas to skaters, at an event referred to by the locals as “Meatless Mondays.”
On a recent evening, about 20 skaters were warming up when Lopez and Denis arrived with a cart that included a small oven. Soon, there was the ritualistic passing around of high fives and “Que vuelta”s.
Then the two handed out about 150 croquetas; each skater fueled up on at least six dipped in a variety of sauces, ranging from cream frosting to homemade cilantro. There was also a promise of a couple extra in the oven. Almost no one paid. Some gave him a dollar or two as a thank you.
Coming back to the place where the business got its start, the two continue the tradition of satiating hunger in a way that makes the renowned snack out to be a full-time meal; enough to empower even the most industrious of skaters.
Juani Martinez, a skater known for his ability to make a board seem to float in mid-air from beneath his feet, was beyond grateful for the food. Asked what he would’ve eaten if Lopez had not shown up, he mentioned the dried fruit he’d left at home.
“I haven’t eaten all day,” said Guillermo Sanchez, the best handboarder in the park. “But with this I’m full, and just like that, I’m good to go for the night.”
This story was produced in partnership with the Lee Caplin School of Journalism and Media at Florida Internatioinal University.
