Dean Miskell of Marina had long dreamed of a food truck, but there was a rub: He didn’t want to cook. When he discovered a coffee truck for sale in Sacramento, it was go time.
Brewjee’s first pop-up was on June 21, 2021. It’s since catered at youth sports all over Salinas and North County, the first season of Monterey Bay F.C. at Cardinale Stadium and events like quinceañeras. Brewjee became a fixture at farmers markets, including at Natividad Medical Center. By the end of 2022, a regular there who works in hospital administration got the idea that maybe Brewjee could take up residence. While the truck remains on the move outside of regular hours, it is a presence at Natividad’s entrance daily.
“We could be mobile but we don’t choose to be,” says Amanda Contreras, Miskell’s partner. “We’ve been here a year-and-a-half, and it has only been amazing.”
Contreras and Miskell – who have since hired on a full-time staff of six – found that stronger espresso drinks were a particular draw for medical and nearby law enforcement staff keeping long hours. The brown sugar shaken espresso has become by far the best-seller. It uses real brown sugar, no syrup, and is frothed up over a cup of ice with oat milk and cinnamon – it’s nutty and a little bit sweet. “A lot of people are double-fisting with two brown sugars,” Contreras says. “It brings us happiness.”