Our Story

 

As most stories involving families go, this one has tears, laughs, highs and lows. In the 1980's, a young man ventured to Wisconsin in search of opportunity (and we think probably Miller Lite). He found that he could make ends meet by working in a kitchen while he figured out how to make his big dreams come to life. For every side hustle he could dream up, a life roadblock would present itself. In the kitchen he stayed.

 

He learned he was pretty good on the grill, learning the best ways to bring flavors out of different cuts. He learned a thing or two about building an experience on a menu. He made a ton of friends that could throw down a beer. Ultimately, he grew up in the kitchen in more than one way.

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In the 1980's, when this young man arrived, he also found himself a father pretty young to four of the coolest people on the planet (or so they say). His dreams and ambitions led him in a different direction from the kids, and the four of them stayed in loose touch for a bit, ultimately with little contact into adulthood, bonded only with a shared last name. 

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But as the universe goes, things change. People evolve. We learn from the past and sometimes figure out a better future. And we are happy to share that this is what happened here. 

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In December 2018, when this man's oldest daughter, Brit(tany), stopped over to visit with him, she asked him if they could make something happen, what would it be? Brit was searching for her "WHY?" and thought her father always had pretty good ideas. 

 

Big Lou took no time at all to answer resoundingly with "A food truck, hija!". You see, all those years in a kitchen were spent daydreaming about building his own restaurant. He figured he had studied people long enough to understand what it would take. Less than a month after Brit stopped by, they bought a truck and hit the ground running to make up for some lost time. (Brit wants everyone to know that the riskiest way to get to know your father as an adult is to start a business with him.)

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The story doesn't quite end there. Brit was telling one of her best friends, Matt, about what had happened between her and her dad and the plan for a truck. Before she could finish the story, Matt told her "I want to be a part of this." Matt spent his entire life watching his parents build their restaurant business in Wisconsin's Northwoods. He figured his love of data coupled with his first hand experience could only mean good things. (He may also think Brit is a bit of a maniac, so he figured she would pull something off.)

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Matt and Brit have worked together. They were at one time, broomball teammates. They have started a cover band together. And now, they are business partners. Safe to say, Matt is now an honorary Rosales. 

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Let us feed you!

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Update June 2020: If you have made it this far into the story, I collected the thoughts on the first year in a cute little blog post. You can catch up here.

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The Name

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The family name is Rosales, and many Hispanics say that means “rose garden or bush.” So “joining the Rose Mob” is a family nickname for those who become part of the family. When you visit our food truck in Milwaukee, we treat you like family and want you to be part of our Mob.  

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