For the love of avocados

The USD community comes together to celebrate Avocado Fest 

MEGAN SHANNON / CONTRIBUTOR / THE USD VISTA

USD Auxiliary Services hosted the annual “Avocado Fest” last Wednesday, Oct. 20. Located in the front plaza of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (KIPJ), the USD community enjoyed complimentary avocados, a live DJ, and a variety of avocado-inspired food vendors. From avocado pasta salad to tacos with avocado sauce, one thing was for sure; this event was not short on supply of avocados. In addition to food and fun, 10 teams of students participated in the “Guac Around the Kroc,” a guacamole making competition.  

Since 2018, Avocado Fest has been a beloved USD event. Many students were excited to see its return after its year hiatus due to the pandemic. Back in 2010, Andre’ Mallie’, the Assistant Vice President of Auxiliary Services, had the idea to create annual festivals focused on fruits and vegetables that would bring students together to explore new cuisine. 

Originally, the two festivals were Apple Fest in the fall and Strawberry Fest in the spring. But by 2018, Auxiliary Services decided to switch things up. Inspired by the rising trend of avocado toast, they decided to change the festival to Avocado Fest. 

Loryn Johnson, the Director of Marketing and Licensing for USD Auxiliary Services, describes Avocado Fest as a way for USD Dining to give back to their students.

“They [USD students] are our core, our number one customers, and we really love our students,” Johnson said. 

Some students may be surprised to learn that Avocado Fest is a no-cost event for the university. This year’s Avocado Fest included 13 food and drink vendors, all of which were provided free-of-charge by Sysco, a prime food vendor of USD.       

Although the food and drinks are completely free, this event gives food vendors the opportunity to promote their avocado-inspired products. This year’s vendors prepared a variety of tasty samples, such as vegan taco salad, nachos, vegan ceviche, and, of course, chips and guacamole. A fan favorite was the vegan chicken tenders with avocado sauce. 

Ramona Tellez, a USD junior who attended the event, described the “chicken” plate.

“It’s delicious, you wouldn’t know it’s vegan,” Tellez expressed. 

The variety of foods provided allowed for students with different dietary needs and restrictions to enjoy the event. For example, the vegan ceviche was made from the heart of palm, a vegetable harvested from the inside of certain palm trees.      

Beyond the free food, many students enjoyed the community aspect of the event. The KIPJ front plaza was flooded with students, faculty, and staff enjoying each other’s company while celebrating the love for avocados. Music, decorations, and a photo-op with a life size avocado cut-out made for a lively atmosphere. 

USD junior, Maddie Amaral, said she really appreciated the event.

“It was a nice break from classes and the stress of midterms,” Amaral said. 

The “Guac Around the Kroc” contest additionally brought a competitive spirit to the event. 10 teams of two students each participated in a guacamole making competition. Among this year’s teams were the 2019 runner-ups, USD seniors Tyler Young and Bryson Patterson. Young and Patterson were excited to be back for a new chance to win the Guac Around the Kroc title. 

Young reflected on the team’s near win two years ago.

“I don’t think I’ve felt a more crushing blow in my life.” Young said. “Here we are to claim our victory. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.” 

The competition brought crowds of students who cheered on the teams in their guac-making endeavors. Starting off the contest, teams selected their ingredients. The ingredients provided included classic guac ingredients – avocados, onions, tomatoes – as well as more creative options, such as fennel, pomegranates, and pineapple. After careful ingredient selection, students got down to business, smashing, cutting, and preparing their ingredients into award-winning guacamoles.

The ‘guacs’ were taste-tested by USD’s very own chefs, Rodney Robinson, Alex Weltz, and David Cesena. Chef Weltz described the criteria that he judged the guacamole on.

“First off flavor for sure. You need enough salt, enough acidity in there. Second is appearance,” Weltz explained. “Nice knife cuts, nothing too crazy big. And then overall nice balanced guacamole.” 

The chefs tasted the various guacamole one by one. The 2019 runner-ups, Young and Patterson, took their presentation to the next level by carving out a pineapple and putting their finished guacamole inside. Even with this next-level presentation, Young and Patterson just missed the first place title, receiving second place again. 

This year’s winners were USD seniors, Nick Lund and Henry Morrissey. Lund and Morrissey’s guacamole was inspired by the traditional aspects of the adored dip with a focus on creating the perfect chunky texture. 

“We kept it simple, and I think that took us really far,” Lund explained. 

In addition, the winning team noted that they utilized a good amount of lime and salt. Now a guacamole victor, Lund described how he would spend his new free time. 

“I’ll probably make a lot of guacamole, it’s kind of my passion now,” Lund said. 

Avocado Fest left many students feeling a bit more passionate about the tasty fruit.  With a large community turnout, quality food, and exceptional guacamole making, Avocado Fest 2021 is one for the books. 

Students can look forward to the next event hosted by USD Auxiliary Services, which will be Strawberry Fest this spring.