Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 28
small business matters
what's the buzz
By Wild Sage Barista, Rebecca Tammaro
T
here's a new coffee bistro on the block, and it has been
the watercooler buzz of local workplaces in downtown
Reading since opening in early April. Wild Sage Coffee
and Kitchen is the brainchild of Jessica Weixler, who has worked
in an office setting before and knows intimately the frustration of
the lunchtime dilemma (where are we going to eat!?).
While the menu carries its staples (some of us are not quite
sure what we did for lunch before the Turkey Sammie), what
makes Wild Sage stand out are its seasonal items, which reflect
the bounty and variety of the land. For instance, the Spring
Strawberry Salad featuring organic greens and a house-made
maple-balsamic dressing, the Spring Brie Sammie with grilled
asparagus, local ham, whole grain Dijon mustard, and the Spring
Grain Bowl, featuring Organic Farro (an ancient cereal grain that
belongs to the wheat family).
Even the coffee bar (which features a full espresso-based
drink menu) does not suffer from lack of creativity and attentive
planning. The Cold Brew Tonic, for instance, is an exciting
concoction currently featuring Ethiopian Yirgacheffe cold brew
coffee and a house-made pomegranate syrup.
"It's the creativity of developing new recipes that keeps me
going," says Weixler. Adding, "It really is a team effort," speaking
not just of her employees, each of whom work both in the back
preparing meals and up front serving guests, but also every person
who comes through the door.
This is one of the advantages to attending a small local
business. The staff at Wild Sage values every piece of feedback,
and has made tangible changes to the menu based on comments
from guests. The limited-time White Bean Sammie, for instance,
appeared on the menu in response to the request for more vegan
options.
A Sense of Community
Given the high quality of the produce, the careful attention to
detail, the high-end flavor profiles of every item, guests who visit
Wild Sage might be surprised to find out that this venture into
the food industry is totally new for Weixler, whose background is
in community development.
However, at second glance, it makes perfect sense. Wild Sage
is Weixler's response to the ultimate irony of our times: that our
ever-connected world leaves us feeling ever disconnected from
what really matters. Food, especially carefully planned, organic,
local, healthy food, is a medium for fostering relationships. "The
food is sourced locally, we know our purveyors, and we share a
commitment with them to quality food that is good for the body
and soul," says Weixler.
Photos by Life Story Photography.
28 COMMERCE QUARTERLY SUMMER 2017
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 1
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 2
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 3
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 4
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 5
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 6
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 7
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 8
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 9
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Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 12
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 13
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Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 16
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Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 18
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 19
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 20
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 21
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 22
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Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 25
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 26
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 27
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 28
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 29
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 30
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 31
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Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 64
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