David Boucher and the Amaranth Cafe and Bakery

Last Tuesday I went to a meeting about urban gardening that was supposed to be about Alice's Garden. The meeting was held at the Amaranth Bakery and Cafe on W. Lisbon. The cafe was on the corner of 34th and Lisbon, which is farther west than I have ever been in Milwaukee without being in Wauwatosa. Service Learning has gotten me to explore areas of the city where I would definitely think twice about going to. I was happy to find out that I wasn't the only person from the class there since Josh, Jackie and Kirsten were also there. The person that was supposed to be conducting the meeting wasn't able to make it that night so the urban gardening meeting was pretty much canceled. However, the owner of the cafe, David Boucher was more than willing to talk and answer questions about the neighborhood and the history of Milwaukee in general. David had lived in Milwaukee for the last 15 years. He was attending UWM to get his doctors in the Urban Studies program but became dissatisfied with the program and left UWM. He instead bought a pre-Civil War house on N. 34th Street with the intent to rehabilitating it. He also bought a bar on Lisbon which he fixed up and turned into the Amaranth Bakery and Cafe. The cafe and bakery offers healthier options for the diets of the community's residents than the average fast food restaurant would. Also on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the cafe offers soup at “pay what you can.” David has been an active member of the community since moving into the area. He told us about the history of the neighborhoods in Milwaukee and about how originally the area that the cafe was in was primarily a Polish and German neighborhood. Over time, people moved around and the demographics of the area changed dramatically. David also talked about how the city is crippled by its bureaucracy. At times, people have suggested that streets like Lisbon should be turned into a boulevard which would mean that the city would have to buy people's property in order to make the street wider. This idea is absolutely absurd and was made by people who knew nothing of the area and who knew nothing of the people that it would effect. Fortunately that initiative did not go into effect. David also discussed the area and how it has changed over the last 15 years. Much like JPNA in the Johnsons Park area, David is working to dissolve the crime in the area and keep it out. He has helped buy up properties that were known drug houses and houses that were linked to crime and violence. He was also dealing with much of the same problems that the JPNA deals with certain properties. The building right across the street from the bakery has been vacant for sometime. The community and the owner cannot come to terms of how the building would best serve the community.
Overall my experience at the cafe was very valuable to me mainly because I live in Milwaukee but have little knowledge of its history and especially the histories of the neighborhoods on the west side.

Photo taken from http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/imgs/hed/art2912nar.jpg