Today we’d like to introduce you to Avneesh Oberoi.
Avneesh, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started cooking when I was 5 years old. Weekends making brunch with my dad were a ritual I still think of fondly today. A love for food exists in my family that is so strong, we’ve made it our trade for the last 70 years and 4 generations. Passion is something visible at any age and my family always encouraged me to explore my love for food. As I grew older, I hosted themed dinner parties before I learned to drive, had garden parties in the summer, grilled at pool parties, made sweet and savory treats for family and friends, and even baked 1000 almond lace cookies for my sister’s wedding. Any excuse to cook!
I studied business in College and I got a job in the tech field and wasn’t happy. I thought maybe it was environment, and so I joined an amazing tech firm, got to travel around the world, and met some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met in my life, but the most exciting part of my day was always the “family” meal we shared as colleagues at a new restaurant or watering hole at whatever city we were in. After getting laid off due to oil hitting a low, I had an honest conversation with myself and an honest conversation with my family. I was ready to try something new.
Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t think starting a business is smooth for any entrepreneur in the beginning, especially given that for us we are trying to maximize the quality of product and service for every guest at our truck. It takes a lot of attention to detail. Our ice cream is made from scratch with real milk (nothing powdered), real cane sugar (no high fructose corn syrup), and real vanilla bean imported from Madagascar (not vanilla extract!), and a tiny pinch of Himalayan Pink Sea Salt.
Each one of our donut cones is hand rolled, dusted with cinnamon sugar, and baked off within minutes of you eating it because they’re made from scratch. We add Nutella or Biscoff (Cookie Butter) Lining on the inside to order and you get unlimited toppings (Fresh Sliced Strawberries, Oreos, Sliced Almonds etc). I think things would have been easier if we had sacrificed on quality and service, but I wanted to create a brand that gave each guest a five star experience. We want to keep people coming back after sending them home with a smile on their face.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The DoughCone (Gourmet Dessert Food Truck & Catering) – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We’re a gourmet dessert food truck that offers the ability to customize your DoughCone with the freshest ingredients. We have the highest quality and freshest ice cream on the market. Our products have no artificial fillers, preservatives, or Frankenfoods, and our handmade cinnamon sugar donut cones win each of our guests over. We specialize in event catering for corporate events, weddings, birthdays with and without the truck and we are known for original Handmade Cinnamon Sugar, Nutella lined, DoughCone.
Simply put, we are Houston’s donut ice cream cone destination. Everything is made from scratch from our vanilla bean ice cream to our cinnamon sugar donut cones. We have definitely developed a reputation for a quality experience. People love the team working at our truck just as much as they love the product because each DoughCone is made to order by people who want you to have the best and most unique experience.
Our team is passionate about what we do and we want to make sure that translates into you having an experience you’re still thinking about long after you finish the last bite. We even hide a strawberry in the bottom of the cone and call it the “surprise finish” so that you finish your DoughCone with a fresh light bite.
I think I’m most proud of how the community has embraced our product and our team. We have people waiting outside of the truck as soon as we get places and they keep coming back.
One thing that sets us apart from being one of the only food trucks in the world making DoughCones is our commitment to each of our guests. Whether it’s a catered event or someone who comes to our walk up hours, if you didn’t have a five-star experience, we want to know how we can fix it. Ice cream is supposed to make people happy.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the diversity here, it’s really inspiring. We’ve had east Asian weddings where matcha ice cream was requested so we did a ton of research on Japan and created an amazing ice cream for our guests. We’re working on other unique flavors, conventional Cookies and Cream or Belgian Chocolate with the best Belgian chocolate we can get, and things that are less familiar like mango saffron for our catered clients.
Being a food truck, I have to say I’m not a fan of the traffic, but we’re usually serving ice cream from early until late when the roads are clearer.
Contact Info:
- Address: 105 Sabine Street
- Website: www.thedoughcone.com/catering
- Phone: 832-863-5224
- Email: events@thedoughcone.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thedoughcone
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDoughCone/videos/1700724376608087/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedoughcone?lang=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-doughcone-houston-12
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMzgE2aTG-c
Image Credit:
Deneige Broom Fox 26 News, Julie Julez, Zach Casler, @faithienguyen
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
