The Riverwest Co-op

There are some things that one should not miss if they visit Milwaukee or live here. The Riverwest Co-Op is one of these things. The Co-op is located at the corner of Fratey and Clarke Street and provides a heart to an eclectic neighborhood. The Co-op is run almost completely by volunteers, to which I am a part. Every Saturday morning, I head down to the Co-op and begin a good morning by volunteering in the kitchen. Most of the time I spend my time washing dishes and taking orders, but I have deep aspirations of learning to be the ultimate vegan cook that my co-workers have achieved.

There are a couple of people who I volunteer with that provide a front to serve tons of famished community members good and tasty vegetarian treats. The Co-op serves as not only a restaurant, but a community grocery store that only stocks the finest fruits, vegetables, juices and grains.

The people that I work with are a group of dreamers. Guys that live their lives trying to find something that allows them to break away from the profit driven society to find something authentic. All of us share this vision to a certain extent and we live, serving as the backpedaling force that tries to stop the alienation that we feel within ourselves and the people that we surround ourselves with.

First there is Zack. Zack is a quirky little guy who's smile never leaves his face. Zack a genuinely kind guy with a good heart works on creating the condiments for all the dishes that we serve at the co-op. Residing from up state rural Wisconsin, his family has some land in the middle of the national forests up around the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The small town good bigheartedness is certainly evident in Zack's personality and reflects to some extent the hospitality of small town America.

Then there is Greg, Greg is the only full time kitchen guy that actually gets paid to work there. Greg is a native of Boston and avid collector of zines, artwork and music. A couple of times a month he opens up his house to a gallery display in the living room of his small house. People from throughout the community come and jam pack themselves into this small room to see the spectacle of artwork shining from the creativity of a social group that has created its own society amongst the toils and tears of this seemingly degraded and used up world. An immortal class as Culley would describe it. Greg has been a resident of the Riverwest Community for about four years.

Finally there is Rawles. I don't know Rawles's first name but he really adds to the environment of the kitchen as well. Rawles is Greg's right hand man, who takes over the stove when he shows up, allowing Greg to catch up on the paperwork that needs to be done. Rawles is quiet and seems to live his life in a mediative state. There is something in Buddhism that involves being very aware of exactly what you are doing whether that is washing dishes or making food. The trick is to do this in a meditative state where the one and only thing on your mind is doing exactly what is in front of you. Rawles exemplifies this very well, when the kitchen gets busy and the rest of are running like chickens with their heads cut off trying to figure out what is going on. Rawles is concentrated, relaxed and intentional about the job in front of him. He remains in this ascetic state no matter how crazy things get.

That is the crew that I work with. Each and every one of them offers a new degree of fun to the job. All are genuinely good individuals which make volunteering a joy.