Hi, I'm Papa Will.
I wrote this book for my daughter,
and maybe for your kid, too.
The origin story
In June 2025, my wife Samantha and I welcomed our daughter Violet into the world. A few months later, we packed up our life in San Diego and moved 3,000 miles to where Samantha grew up, Westchester, New York. The decision was tough, but we wanted to raise Violet around family.
I've spent over 20 years in the hospitality and beverage industry. I know what it means to bring people together around a table. And somewhere between diaper changes and bedtime routines, I started thinking: what if I made something that did exactly that, but for kids?
The Guacamole Gang started as a simple idea: food characters in a band. But it became something bigger. It became a story about friendship, about finding your people, about the magic that happens when everyone brings something different to the table.
The Illustrator: Amy Laird
The Guacamole Gang wouldn't exist without Amy. A San Diego-based illustrator with an extraordinary gift for bringing characters to life. Amy transformed six simple ingredients into six unforgettable personalities. Every page is her work. Every expression, every instrument, every detail, it’s all hers.
The Mission: No Kid Hungry
5% of all book sales supports No Kid Hungry. A book about food should mean something beyond the page. One in five children in America face hunger today, about 14 million kids. That's not acceptable, and this book is one small way to do something about it.
