Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
Ramsés Alvaréz. Photo courtesy of Dia Bom.
Ramses Alvarez is bidding farewell to Farwell Avenue. The chef will leave his vendor stalls at Crossroads Collective in order to transition his Asian-Latin fusion concept, Dia Bom, into a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Brew’d Burger Shop, co-founded by Alvarez, will also close. The final day of service for both restaurants will be Saturday, Sept. 30.
“We are immensely grateful for the support and love we have received from our patrons and partners throughout our time at Crossroads Collective,” Alvarez said in a statement. “This transition represents an exciting opportunity for us to grow and evolve as a restaurant, and we are eager to share our culinary vision on a larger scale.”
Dia Bom is headed to a space within the Harbor District’s Lincoln Warehouse, 2018 S. 1st St., where it’s slated to replace MOR Bakery. The allergy-friendly bake shop is currently seeking a new location.
Dia Bom’s full-service restaurant is slated to open in January with an expanded menu of fusion cuisine.
During its tenure at the food hall, the restaurant was known for its creative takes on kushiyaki (skewered and grilled meat), including beer-braised pork belly, togarashi-crusted shishito peppers, Korean short rib and lobster enchilada rangoon varieties, among others. The restaurant also served bao stuffed with chorizo, jerk chicken and red curry chicken or shrimp.
Get a daily rundown of the Milwaukee stories
Alvarez himself has come to play an integral role at Crossroads, where he has operated concepts since January 2022. New Land Enterprises, the food hall’s owner and operator, regularly taps the chef for company picnics, private dinners and other events.
“Chef Ramses is true culinary artist,” said Tim Gokhman, managing director of New Land Enterprises, in a statement. “We feel so fortunate to play a small part in his journey as a chef and restaurateur and can’t wait to experience the new restaurant.”
Crossroads Collective, 2238 N. Farwell Ave., has seen turnover at nearly every vendor stall within the past year. The Counter, Hot Wax, Triciclo Peru, Ruta’s and Atwood Hwy BBQ Company as well as both of Adam Pawlak‘s concepts, E&F Pizzeria and Egg & Flour, have exited the food hall since the beginning of 2023.
New vendors Nute’s Cafe and Kawa opened in the food hall, joining long-time tenants The Pharmacy and Scratch Ice Cream.
Paige Hammond, general manager of Crossroads, said that the food hall has seen “a flurry of interest” from potential vendors.
“This has been a year of transition for the food hall,” she said. “We’re proud to see several successful vendors taking their business to the next level. On the whole, these transitions give us an opportunity to keep things fresh at the food hall while we provide a launch pad for the city’s next favorite restaurants.”
