Street Eat Beat Time to make the mobile donuts

Donuts don't care if someone can't eat gluten,  if they live a vegan lifestyle, what they look like, or what their political views are. They can work around all of that. All a donut cares about is a hot oil bath, and maybe being eaten before it goes stale.

Here in Chicago, where donut madness is in full effect, it is unlikely that anyone will find a stale donut just laying around. The city consumes thousands of the 10 to 15 million donuts the world eats daily. Places like The Doughnut Vault in River North peddles 1,000 doughnuts a day, five days a week—usually selling out well before early afternoon—and places like Lakeview's Dinkel's Bakery and Old Fashioned Doughnuts in Roseland have been selling old fashioned, sugar glazed, custard-filled, and jelly donuts for more than 35 years.

Beavers Coffee & Donuts is a new donut-themed food truck that recently hit the streets. Helmed by Gabriel Wiesen and James Nuccio, Beavers Donuts is trying to make a name for itself—and make a little 'dough' at the same time. The two owners spoke with The A.V. Club about the difference between “donut” and “doughnut,” how they got their start, and what it's like to own a donut truck in Chicago.

The A.V. Club: Describe Beavers Donuts for people who have never heard of you.

Beavers Donuts:  We are Chicago’s first and only food truck serving fresh mini-donuts with various gourmet toppings and fresh ground imported coffee.

AVC: Why the name, "Beavers Donuts"? It sounds kind of pervy.

Beavers Donuts: We are definitely not perverts! While working on our donut recipe at Jim's [owner James Nuccio] house, one of our friend’s daughters was drawing a picture of Jim's dog eating a donut. Looking at the picture we thought it looked more like a beaver than a dog, and ended up going with the name. We then handed the name and drawing to an artist and he turned her picture into our current logo.

AVC: What is the difference between a "donut" and a "doughnut"?

BD: No difference, really. Some people say that "donuts" are smaller like ours, and "doughnuts" are large and have big holes. For us, we like “donut.”

AVC: How do you choose which donuts to make, sell, and try?

BD:  Our base donut recipe was created over months of testing, and playing with the fun and original toppings is something we are always perfecting.

AVC: What are your most popular donut flavors?

BD: Those definitely have to be our classic cinnamon sugar and our s'more-topped donuts.

AVC: Describe your testing process for new flavors and toppings.

BD: We openly take suggestions from all of our customers and we are constantly playing around with new flavors and toppings. Generally we try everything new a couple times and if it gets a resounding “yum,” we add it as a special. If the special is a big hit, we add it to the menu.

AVC: What made you decide to open a donut truck?

BD: About two years ago we set out to open up a small brick and mortar restaurant in the Rogers Park neighborhood. After years of saving, months of negotiation and paperwork our attempt at securing financing for the restaurant, despite our best efforts, fell short. Around the same time we heard word of some family members heavily involved in the food truck industry and began to explore the option of opening a food truck. Instantly we knew it was the right move for us. 

AVC: Before owning a food truck, what were your previous jobs?

BD: We both have worked many jobs within the hospitality industry throughout high school and college, as well as jobs in real estate, human resources, and corporate treasury since. But we always have had a passion for one day opening our own restaurant.

AVC: What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve faced opening the truck?

BD: While we face all of the same obstacles as a typical restaurant, there are certainly additional and unique feats to overcome being a food truck owner. We are limited in space and capacity, help and money. By far and quite surprisingly another obstacle has been the city of Chicago. We are sons of Chicago, born here, raised here, our families and friends live here. This is our home. We wish to operate our truck in the spirit of fair competition and turn an honest profit. We understand the struggles of owning a brick and mortar restaurant, the cost of real estate, and yet we still plan to have our own. We have many friends that currently own restaurants in the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods of Chicago that support us completely, and understand our goal is to add value to Chicago's culinary tradition and culture, not hinder it.

AVC: How do you keep the donuts warm since you can't cook on board?

BD: We purchased our truck from a nationally established food truck manufacturer fully equipped to pass licensing in any state, so we are able to cook and prepare our food to order. Any additional preparation and cleaning we do at a shared kitchen of which we are licensed members. Our truck has passed health inspection with the city of Glenview, where we also operate, and we have all of the necessary licensing and insurance to operate like any restaurant. Currently, because of the food truck laws restricting cooking on any public street in Chicago, we are confined to operating as a caterer or on private property where invited.

AVC: If the city of Chicago were to change the legislation to allow food trucks to cook on board, what would that mean for Beavers Donuts?

BD:  We think Chicago would see an amazing food truck culture emerge and we would be excited to be a part of it. With so many great restaurants and chefs in this city it would put a huge smile on our faces, and make Chicago an even more amazing place to live and eat.