The Wild Roaster

The Wild Roaster is on the loose. She’s brewing the best hot coffee at winter festivals. She’s serving homemade, fresh-baked goods at farmer’s markets. She calls the Lake Cook Metra Station in Deerfield her home, and she welcomes us all for a spin of Smooth Jazz, because it’s nobody’s Whiskey Business but ours, and we all want Summer Daize any time of year. You can park it right here—if you’re a coffee lover—violators will be roasted.

Scroll down to see more photos and read more about The Wild Roaster.

“I really like Kaye’s whipped cream in her Caramel Macchiato. The caramel is buttery and mellow, and the coffee is very smooth!”

Kaye Kharasch is The Wild Roaster. She is owner, roaster, barista, chef, foodie, and more. Her background traces back through the decades, and around the world, to connections with famous American chefs. Her passion for food grew into an obsession for hand crafting a most excellent cup of coffee. If teas are the tranquil lakes of the world, then coffees are the speedy byways that connect and move everyone. It is a natural fit that The Wild Roaster cafe is located inside the Lake Cook Metra Station in Deerfield. Kaye starts up everyone’s day on time with SUPER POWER!

It was a Saturday morning when Lisa, my mom and I made our scheduled stop at The Wild Roaster. The trains were far and few between on this sleepy weekend, but the coffee lovers were running nonstop. We had to jump in line and get on board this train. “Don’t you know that it’s time to get on board? / And let this train keep on riding, riding on through.”

We found ourselves some window seats with a nice view of the tracks. Our coffees arrived on the dot, hot with a personal touch. Kaye’s homemade whipped cream (vanilla infusion today) topped my mom’s Caramel Macchiato and Lisa’s Spiced Latte. I wanted to test the height of the bar with a Cappuccino.

After Kaye’s expert pulls, we took our long draws. My mom: “I really like Kaye’s whipped cream in her Caramel Macchiato. The caramel is buttery and mellow, and the coffee is very smooth!” Lisa: “The Spiced Latte has homemade vanilla whipped cream, pumpkin and more. The flavor is full-bodied, and handcrafted less sweet just for me. The coffee is bright with a hint of chocolate!” And me: “I’m enjoying the nice foam on top of the Cappuccino. I taste the robust coffee beneath the milk’s natural sweetness. This is one of the best caps I’ve had in a long, long time!” Our breakfasts arrived right on time.

My mom stepped up to the Cinnamon Roll. Lisa punched her ticket for the Classic Breakfast Sandwich. I reserved the Cherries and Berries Oatmeal. The chill of the morning would be shooed-shooed away by the clouds of steam expressed beyond the pass.

My mom: “The Cinnamon Roll is light and tender. I like the sticky texture. The more I eat, the more I can taste the full flavor, and I can’t stop eating!” Lisa: “The Classic Breakfast Sandwich is very generous: a big, beautiful, fluffy croissant, eggs, bacon, arugula, havarti, and apricot. The presentation is gorgeous. The ‘best breakfast sandwich this side of the Mississippi’ is light and fresh, and the apricot adds a surprising sweet touch!” And me: “The Oatmeal Cherries and Berries features steel-cut oatmeal that is hearty and refreshing on a winter day. There’s plenty of plump cherries and berries. The sweet tartness is lively and perfect with coffee!”

“This Nut ‘n’ Better Bar is very moist with the occasional pop of something like chia seeds. I like this a lot. This has a subtle sweetness!”

Kaye was very gracious and always checking in with her guests. There are stale coffee shops and stationary cafes. But Kaye’s passion and personal touch keep the energy boilerplate hot in The Wild Roaster with the action on the tracks secondary. We continued our journey back home with more to taste.

While we were waiting in line at The Wild Roaster, we picked up the Nut ‘n’ Better Bar, an all-natural, vegan and gluten-free homemade protein bar. Kaye had rattled off everything good in this goodness, but everything went by so fast that we would become delightedly caught up in the mystery. My mom: “I taste something nutty, peanut buttery. Are there oats? This is really good!” Lisa: “This Nut ‘n’ Better Bar is very moist with the occasional pop of something like chia seeds. I like this a lot. This has a subtle sweetness!” And me: “I like the oily and nutty fragrance and taste. This bar has a nice balance of protein and sweetness!” It’s all good!

Double goodness would follow: Summer Daize, the best seller at The Wild Roaster, and Smooth Jazz, a very drinkable light roast. The pure experience of drinking coffee is to taste it black. All the way. We started with Summer Daize, a medium roast with a bold finish. Lisa: “This whole bean coffee, tasted black, is rich and full-bodied. The finish is nice and dark, chocolatey, and clean. This is perfect black!” And me: “The Summer Daize is very smooth, not sour or bitter. I can taste the care and expertise of Kaye’s roasting. I really like the strong finish at the end!” Then we switched to Smooth Jazz. Lisa: “I taste chocolate and a hint of citrus. This is very steady and easy to drink!” And me: “The Smooth Jazz whole bean coffee, black pour, is very smooth and light. This has a cocoa melody with a bright citrus note!” Horses for courses, trains for plains, our engines were smoothly humming.

“The Summer Daize is very smooth, not sour or bitter. I can taste the care and expertise of Kaye’s roasting. I really like the strong finish at the end!”

Coffee chains serve you like a number. People in, people out. Cover up everything with milk, sugar and spice. Why numb yourself over when you want to feel alive? Every stop should start by devouring what’s in front of you. Take a sip or a bite, Kaye’s passion and obsession at The Wild Roaster will ignite your dynamite.

From summer’s farmer’s market when we first met Kaye Kharasch to this winter day when we arrived at The Wild Roaster, we kept on time for our scheduled station. The buzz of excitement and energy chugged back and forth on both sides of the counter. We enjoyed sharing our journey with Kaye as she stayed on track for perfecting the most excellent cup. She can keep going, but I think this might be our stop.

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