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Derek Mosley is a portal to Milwaukee. Each month, he joins Lake Effect to talk Black history, the local food scene and whatever else he's discovered.

Highlighting Emmanuel's Mix and Rooted MKE

Two Milwaukee-based businesses, Emmanuel's Mix (left) and Rooted MKE (right), are this month's recommendations from Judge Mosley.
Emmanuel's Mix (left) / Mallory Cheng (right)
Two Milwaukee-based businesses, Emmanuel's Mix (left) and Rooted MKE (right), are this month's recommendations from Judge Mosley.

Judge Derek Mosley is well known for his role as a municipal court judge for the city of Milwaukee. But, you also might know him as one of Milwaukee’s food influencers.

This month, he shares his snack pick and recommends a place to visit. For snacking, Judge Mosley recommends picking up Emmanuel's Mix, made in Milwaukee.

"Emanuel's Mix is a mixture of pretzels, Chex mix and pecans. And it has different seasonings on them," he says. "So it's [a] perfect combination of salty and sweet... And they don't last very long in my house."

There is only one flavor, but in each pack, there are hints of vanilla, and it comes with a crunch. Emmanuel's Mix can be found at most farmers' markets across the city, the Milwaukee Public Museum store and Kujichagulia Producers Cooperative in the Sherman Phoenix.

Judge Mosley also recommends checking out Rooted MKE. Located at 5312 West Vliet Street, Rooted MKE is a BIPOC children’s bookstore and literacy center that centers on the narratives and stories of BIPOC characters.

>> A peek into Rooted MKE, Milwaukee’s BIPOC children’s bookstore & literacy center

"It's everything from fantasy to fiction, to even history. There's little books about Black history written for children, but it's more than just that," says Judge Mosley. In addition to being a bookstore, Rooted MKE also has a makerspace and offers tutoring.

When walking into Rooted MKE, Judge Mosley was moved by seeing characters who looked like him. "That just means so much because you feel like you are part of the story where your heroes look like you, right? And it's not just for, you know, people of color. It's important that everybody goes to Rooted [MKE] and buys books for their children so that their children can see that all the lead characters don't have to be white," he says.

"They can be indigenous, they can be Latino, they can be Asian, they can be Black. And they can be all of the people who make up this great country," Judge Mosely says. "And so every time I just get goosebumps when I walk in there."

Monthly with Mosley features Judge Derek Mosley. He joins Lake Effect every month to share restaurant recommendations, unpack our legal system, and share his personal research on Black history. Judge Derek Mosley is a municipal court judge for the city of Milwaukee for his day job, and he is also known as one of Milwaukee’s food influencers.

Mallory Cheng was a Lake Effect producer from 2021 to 2023.
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