For a long time while growing up, Alex Wilder battled a condition that made it difficult for him to eat. Now, he’s feeding the whole neighborhood. Nineteen-year-old Wilder is the owner Old Town’s new
Wild Rose Café on Turner Street.
The idea for the café was actually inspired by Wilder’s condition.
“My dad talked about opening a restaurant so we could experiment with food and I could eat whatever,” he says. “I went to the Art Institute in Novi, got some training and decided to leap right into it from there.”
The Wild Rose Café features homestyle cooking with a culinary twist. Though only open for a couple of weeks, Wilder says he’s already been told his gourmet burgers are the best in town. His secret is the ingredients. The Charlotte native gets his organic beef fresh from his neighbor’s farm.
“We also do all baking on site and support local business for our ingredients,” Wilder says. In fact, all ingredients are locally sourced when possible.
The approximately 1,500 square foot café seats 32 dine-in customers and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Wilder says he chose to locate the Wild Rose Café in
Old Town because of the neighborhood’s connection to the arts.
“I’ve always been around music and the different arts,” he says, “Old Town pretty much covers all of it.”
Source: Alex Wilder, Wild Rose Café
Writer: Natalie Burg, News Editor
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