Of course, location is not solely responsible for Feker’s success. But his outlook on business is one that many Milwaukeeans share–an outlook that defines us as a city.
“Do you have enough patience to do the footwork without seeing the result?” This is often Feker’s question to students at a cooking school he runs out of Wauwatosa. “The ones who are looking for the result too soon, they always give up. My dad said ‘sleeping and working is not an option.’ So, that’s been engraved in my mind”, he concluded with a grin.
This combination of determination and joy is what Feker is all about, and is hugely representative of our city’s culture.
“…sometimes you constantly work, but you never…your spiritual and emotional batteries are never recharged,” he explained. “In my case, it has been exactly the opposite. The more work I put in front of me, and the more I do...I’m recharged constantly.”
Feker also went on to explain Milwaukee’s work in making us a more health-conscious society through the use of urban farming.
“…we were named one of the top ten cities for urban farming,” he says. “…That [Urban Farming] basically means taking something within the urban surrounding and creating a smaller farm that can feed its surrounding area. And I think Milwaukee started doing this before it was hip, and before it was chic."
Feker is heavily involved in the Urban Farming group, Growing Power, started in 1993 by Will Allen. Feker further explained how the city of Milwaukee has helped in preserving this organization economically.
“That’s why we are such a huge area, and a huge entity to bring all these flavors to the table. It is a big, big way of starting your own new business. Going green is huge. This city is tremendously involved in giving you lots of real estate that is basically sitting without generating any tax whatsoever to the state. The city will help you in many ways. And, we have state funding and federal government funding, to do many of these things.”
While this is of course an instrumental industry for businesses, it is also a social issue that Feker is a strong advocate for.
“The bottom line, as far as I’m concerned, is I’ve been an advocate for pure food, and healthy eating, through my entire career. Now, with these entities and energies around, it’s going to make it a little bit easier for me to get my hands on that. Because eating pure is not rocket science. It’s passion science. You know, you gotta figure out where it comes from, you gotta get your hands on it, and, if you’re a good chef, you can let those beautiful, pure flavors display themselves. You don’t have to camouflage it with that much junk.”
Chef Michael, continued...
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