Judge Derek Mosley’s Next Case? Taking Us to Food Court

On a typical winter Tuesday morning, draped in a black robe and clad with square-framed glasses, Chief Judge Derek Mosley hears hundreds of cases at the Milwaukee County Criminal Justice Facility in downtown Milwaukee.

His next big case? Convincing Milwaukeeans to shop locally during the holidays as COVID-19 has forced eateries and stores to close nationwide.

Almost each day, Mosley takes his large social media following — which exceeds Facebook’s limit of 5,000 friends — to #mkefoodcourt. The hashtag is a field trip of Milwaukee’s food scene through the iPhone lens of one of its most popular figures. 

“I impartially judicate Milwaukee’s food scene,” Mosley said in an interview with Media Milwaukee earlier this year.

To understand Mosley’s love of all things local, you have to know how he got here.

A Chicago native, Mosley received a law degree in 1995 from Marquette University Law School and was hired as a Milwaukee County assistant district attorney before graduation.

In August 2002, after seven years as a prosecutor in the D.A.’s office, Mosley was appointed by the Milwaukee Common Council to fill a judicial vacancy and became the youngest African-American jurist in Milwaukee County history.

“Milwaukee reminded me of Chicago, but with a little less drama,” Mosley said. “In Chicago, you have to be in slacks and a tie — here, you can be in jeans.”

Since his appointment in 2002, Mosley has been a prominent cheerleader for the food scene in the City of Milwaukee and its surrounding areas.

“My two biggest loves are law and food,” Mosley said.

At Eastside food hall Crossroads Collective, Mosley’s influence is ever-present. He’s thenamesake of a meat platter, ‘The Mosley,’ at Black-owned barbecue stop Heaven’s Table BBQ.

And the owners of another Mosley favorite, Crossroads’ buzzy Egg & Flour Pasta Bar, credit the jurist with helping Milwaukee and their business grow.

“We have the trust and support of someone that knows food and experiences — it’s an honor we see him back as often as we do,” Egg & Flour owner Adam Pawlak said. “He is a role model, voice for the unheard and one of Milwaukee’s anchors of success.”

Pawlak, who’s set to appear as a contestant on Season 19 of the Gordon Ramsey-led hit FOX series Hell’s Kitchen, counts Judge Mosley as a friend.

“Judge Mosley has such a great network of people from all works of earth and all sides of town,” Pawlak said. “He brings awareness to new restaurants or types of cuisine that might seem out of the box to someone.”

A June 28 post in the Milwaukee Foodie Facebook group recapped a recent Mosley visit to Egg & Flour.

“Yesterday, I forgot to post this amazing Caprese Salad I had for dinner from Egg & Flour MKE. It was so damn good! I think I might get it again for lunch today,” alongside his go-to hashtag #mkefoodcourt.

For example, he’s one of four finalists for ‘Milwaukeean of the Year’ in the Best of Milwaukee 2020 Awards by independent newspaper Shepherd Express. His #mkefoodcourt Facebook posts regularly receive hundreds of likes and dozens of comments. And he’s a staple in the Facebook group, Milwaukee Foodie, that boasts 52,300 members and counting.

Mosley can recite local food recommendations like a law professor prepping students for the bar exam, a test that certifies legal students into lawyers.

If you’re looking for a night out, Mosley suggested the contemporary fine dining establishment EsterEv. It’s from the creators of the Chinese hotspot DanDan in the Third Ward. For college students dining on a budget, Mosley said that Black-owned food hall Sherman Phoenix and trendy empanada bars like La Masa and Triciclo Peru top the list.

In mid-November, Mosley launched a “Favorite Things” Facebook series to highlight Milwaukee’s local businesses and make a case to shop locally during the holiday season.

In a Nov. 16 post on Facebook, Mosley wrote, “Although I am not Oprah, I too have some “Favorite Things” — Each day I will feature one locally made item that gives me a little joy,” referring to the talk show host’s annual The Oprah Winfrey Show segment.

Mosley’s ‘Favorite Things’ local impact holds similarities to the famed Oprah Show segment that was first known for plucking obscure products from unknown companies and turning them into international successes.

On the morning of Nov. 18, Mosley named chocolatier Milwaukee Fudge Company’s Custard Flavor of the Day sample pack of fudge as that day’s favorite thing in a Facebook post. The first sale was within minutes of that post.

“We were just thrilled when we heard that we were on of his favorite things,” Milwaukee Fudge Company owner Theresa Nemetz said. “We’ve already been fans of Judge Mosley.”

Nemetz later commented, “Thank you so much for including our fudge as one of your favorite things, we are so very honored!!!”

On Mosley’s ‘Favorite Things’ posts, dozens of commenters have reacted with admiration. “I think this is a great idea Oprah,” one said. “Thank you for these awesome posts!!! I feel like all I have to do for holiday shopping is check your posts. Yay!,” one commented wrote. And another boldly stated, “You’re better than Oprah…..”

Those are the type of reactions one would expect from the “you get a car!” meme where Oprah gives 276 Pontiac vehicles to every studio audience member who, in turn, have arguable meltdowns during a 2004 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Mosley’s not Oprah, but it’s obvious that he is one of Milwaukee’s favorite things.