The amount of food wasted in this country is shocking – between 30% and 40% of the supply, according to an estimate by the USDA. Motivated by that and the challenges farmers face in the winter, last November Alena Joling opened Farmers Market to Go (17000 W. Capitol Dr., Brookfield), giving consumers year-round access to fresh, local food. 

Joling also owns Moleta, an artisan knife-sharpening business, and got to know local growers from Moleta’s presence at outdoor farmers markets.

Farmers Market to Go took over a vacant space adjacent to the knife and kitchen store Joling also owns and offers a growing assortment of goods – this winter I found fresh leafy greens, squash, potatoes, cabbages, jarred sauces and salsas, pickled vegetables, honey, spice mixes, coffee, baked goods and prepared foods.

The vendors buy a shelf and share in the monthly expenses, but they keep 100% percent of the profits, Joling says. “We’re just trying to keep it as affordable as possible for everybody involved,” she says.  

This grocer is open daily, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. but may adjust hours in summer. “I anticipate we would be open after the outdoor markets [close for the day] for our vendors to drop off stuff that didn’t sell.”

To mark 50 years since Lao, Hmong and other Southeast Asian refugees arrived in the U.S., local Lao-American chef Alex Hanesakda will celebrate the cultural impact of his community at “Rivers Run Deep,” on April 12 (3-8 p.m.) at Bay View’s Cactus Club. The event will feature Lao sausage, lemongrass wings, smoked brisket and more from Hanesakda’s pop-up restaurant, SapSap.  

Sugar Leaf Coffee Roasterie is the new bean shop in town. It is the result of owner Steve Kessler’s 23-year career in the coffee industry – 16 of them at Anodyne, where he was director of wholesale operations. Though he started his career as a barista, he didn’t want to open a cafe; Sugar Leaf is strictly a wholesale operation that roasts beans in a Bay View warehouse.

Kessler says he wants his coffee to be “approachable, like getting coffee from a friend.” His menu consists of seven single-origin roasts and five blends. Two of his favorite coffee regions are Ethiopia (often floral and fruity) and Guatemala (rich, full-bodied, chocolate notes).

“I want to sell coffee I like to drink,” says Kessler. A few local places that will brew his beans include The National Cafe, MOR Bakery and Mid-Way Bakery at 3rd Street Market Hall. He also sells direct to consumers at sugarleafcoffee.com.

The Tosa location of Crafty Cow (6519 W. North Ave.) now has a pop-up bar, Outlaw Oyster, serving bivalve mollusks, lobster roll sliders, a whitefish melt and more. It’s open Wed-Sun. • After not renewing its lease at 2258 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. earlier this year, 6-year-old Caribbean restaurant Sabor Tropical plans to reopen in a new, not-yet-revealed location by early May. • Sam Sandrin’s dreams of opening an inclusive, community-focused space are moving forward. Expanding the footprint of her Midwest Sad bakery concept, a Walker’s Point storefront at 601 S. Sixth St. will be a combined bakery/deli/bar. It’s scheduled to open in May. • Longtime private chef Micaela Erickson plans to open RADISH MKE this summer in a tiny Bay View spot with a 10-seat counter (2986 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.), offering her specialty salads, gluten-free items and a small market area.