On Saturday, July 9 from 5 to 9 p.m. Franksville Craft Beer Garden, 9614 Nortwestern Ave. in Franksville, will be hosting a fundraiser to assist numerous food trucks and small food businesses with their recovery after a fire destroyed their commercial kitchen space at Common Cookhouse, 924 E. Rawson Ave.
During the family friendly event, guests can enjoy food provided by Rose Mob Grill along with a performance at 6 p.m. by Katy Ambrose of Katy’s Cooking tonight will be performing during the event.
Silent auction items from Anytime Arepa, Dairyland, Moran’s Pub, A&W Franksville, Papa Luigi’s, Weiss Meats, Andis Company and a variety of other local businesses.
All proceeds raised by the silent auction, plus a percentage of beer sales from the event will go directly to tenants impacted by the fire. For more information, visit the fundraiser event page on Facebook.
Popular food vendors impacted
The fire, which took place on June 22, collapsed the roof of the commercial kitchen. Although the extent of the damages has yet to be determined, a variety of small businesses were displaced, with many suffering losses of equipment, prepared food and equipment. Most have also lost their current source of income, as they no longer have an inspected kitchen at which to make their products.
Tenants who were displaced by the fire include Trouble Makers Cocina, Ruby’s Bagels, Das Brat, Katy’s Cooking Tonight, El Famoso Jalisco's, Weiss Meats, Clarke Street Sausage Co., Oxtail Noodle House, Bleu Sheep Charcuterie and Nadi Plates.
All tenants of the kitchen were insured, as required by their contracts with Common Cookhouse. But with insurance claims often taking weeks, and sometimes even months to process, Common Cookhouse is rallying the community to assist with getting them back on their feet more quickly.
Founded by Cathy Sederberg in 2020, Common Cookhouse was established to provide commercial kitchen spaces to small food businesses and food trucks. In fact, in its two years of operation, the kitchen has served as a launchpad for more than 20 small businesses including Dairyland Old Fashioned Hamburgers and Anytime Arepa.
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.
