LITTLRE GEMS
Avant Coffee Shop went away.
Two months ago, the shop was closed, both coffee and bike operations, supposedly for renovations. March came along and the owner of the building announced that the space was for rent. The coffee and bike shop combination was owned by Ann Esarco, once a candidate for city council and running two very successful businesses on the same premises. Attempts to reach Ms. Esarco went unanswered…until this week.
Here is Ms. Esarco’s response to our many entreaties for some explanation, published with her permission:
“Hello. Sorry I have not responded, but I know leaving the coffee business makes me and others sad. I will forever miss seeing the faces I have grown to love to see. But I had to close a chapter and begin to prepare for retirement. It was a good business. It had great employees and the best customers.”
So, there’s the resolution Ann shared with her adoring public so everyone who so loved that place, and her, and the employees, will have to move on into a future without Avant or her. A lot of people, including the entire staff of the GSR and the Regional News, are going to miss her and the shop.
Bad Ass Coffee is looking at coming to Lake Geneva.
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii was founded in 1989 on the shores of the Big Island with the vision of sharing premium Hawaiian 100% Kona coffee. This became a favorite of locals and visitors alike, news spread fast and Bad Ass Coffee was born. Today, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii continues to serve premium Hawaiian and other top international coffees with a kick. The name comes from the legend of the donkeys from Kona, Hawaii. For generations, the donkeys of Kona, Hawaii could be heard bellowing as they carried precious loads of coffee beans down the steep mountains of the Big Island.
The native people of Kona named these hard-working donkeys the “Bad Ass Ones” because of their reliably strong, but stubborn nature in carrying their precious cargo. Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii announced that it plans to open a location in Lake Geneva in 2025. If presented and approved the Lake Geneva location will be part of a larger multi-unit agreement with Marquee Coffee LLC. “Expanding in the Midwest allows us to bring our ohana close to home and to where Chicagoans love to spend time,” said Ardel McKenna of Marquee Coffee, LLC.
This will be the brand’s first store in Wisconsin. Friggen Donuts, which tried to open a few years ago, was found to have an unacceptable name. Will Bad Ass get past that precedent? How about the fact that Lion Coffee in Hawaii owns all the fields where Kona coffee beans are grown? Is Bad Ass going to use Kona Beans only named that and not the real deal? Only time will tell. Marquee Coffee is located in Colorado, incidentally, not Hawaii.
Families with QUEST cards may see additional deposits this summer.
Wisconsin is the first state to get approved for a program giving low-income families extra money to feed their kids over the summer when children are no longer benefiting from school breakfasts and lunches. This is a struggle for many families as grocery prices increase and kids are home all summer. The additional groceries can be a financial burden for a family living paycheck to paycheck. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service approved Wisconsin’s Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program. Eligible families will receive $120 for each school-age child.
Benefits will be distributed in late June. Families with QUEST or Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) cards will see the funds automatically added to their cards. Other families will receive a pre-loaded debit card in the mail. Most families will receive the benefits automatically if they participate in other programs, such as free or reduced-price meals at schools, QUEST, and FoodShare. The cards can be used anywhere that accepts FoodShare benefits, including grocery and convenience stores and some farmers markets. You’ll know if your family is enrolled in Summer EBT when you get a letter in the mail explaining the program and the benefits you’ll be receiving. The Summer EBT program, created by Congress, is based on similar efforts to address food insecurity for kids during the pandemic.
