Season's eatings! The weather may be getting colder, but Dining Month on OnMilwaukee is just cooking up, dishing out your winning picks in this year's Best of Dining poll. Dining Month is brought to you by Fein Brothers, your premier food service equipment and supply dealer in Wisconsin since 1929. Congratulations to all of the winners, and happy eating for all those who voted!
Crossroads Collective, the new culinary-driven food hall located at the corner of Farwell and North Avenues, has put a target on the month of November for its opening.
According to information released today, construction crews are track to finish the space in late October, with a series of soft opening events to follow. The dining space has been completely reimagined, with the help of Korb+Associates, to create vendor stalls and a dynamic, inviting atmosphere for future patrons. Wallpapered City, owned by Stacey Williams-Ng (also an instrumental force behind the programming for Black Cat Alley) has been engaged to bring local artists to create artistic pieces for both the forthcoming food hall and a speakeasy, which will connect the two entities.
Once open, the 7,000 square foot retail space will house a commissary-style kitchen which will provide cooking, prep and dry storage space for eight micro-restaurants, each operated by its respective owner.
So far, four tenants have been secured including:
- Laughing Taco, the Walker’s Point craft taco joint owned by Chef Justin Carlisle and his wife Lucia.
- East Side restaurant owners Ashley and Mitchell Wakefield of Tess will collaborate with Tess Executive Chef Martin Magana to debut a yet unnamed soup and sandwich concept.
- Pedro’s South American Food, a food truck operated by Pedro Tejada, will establish a brick and mortar presence in the space to serve their arepas and empanadas
- Small batch ice cream purveyor Scratch Ice Cream will also establish their first independent retail location at Crossroads Collective.
However, Crossroads plans to announce more vendors in the coming weeks, specifically targeting Mediterranean, crepes and fresh/green options.
Interested vendors can contact info@CrossroadsCollectiveMKE.com. More information is available at CrossroadsCollectiveMKE.com.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
.jpeg)
