Tune into WOL 1450 AM, 95.9 FM or the WOL Livestream on Thursday, December 11 at 10:30 a.m. EDT for Everything Co-op, hosted by Vernon Oakes.
In this episode, Vernon speaks with Mike Houston, General Manager of the Takoma Park Silver Spring Food Co-op; and Chloe Newman, a Founding Co-Owner of Third Space Bakery. This episode also kicks off Everything Co-op’s 2025 Holiday List.
Mike Houston is General Manager of the Takoma Park Silver Spring Food Co-op. Mike has been in the natural food industry for 16 years managing independently-owned community stores. He is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery’s Emerging Leaders program and is the Past Board Chair of the Montgomery County Food Council. Mike also serves on the National Cooperative Grocer’s Advocacy Advisory Committee, the Member Advisory Committee, and the Old Takoma Business Association Board. He is Managing Editor of Garlic and Roses, a digital media website and worker cooperative serving food co-ops nationwide. Mike holds a B.S. from the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources.
Chloe Newman is a Founding Co-Owner of Third Space Bakery, a worker-owned, community-centered bakery and teaching space based in Pittsburgh. The business is built around the idea of an essential “third space”—a place beyond home and work where people can engage their creative, social and independent selves while building meaningful connections with others. Chloe’s passion for baking and working with food led her to create Crust Worthy in 2019, which has run as a one-woman bakery, offering organic sourdough breads and pastries at the Bloomfield farmers markets. When she’s not elbow-deep in dough, Chloe enjoys outdoor activities, including biking, hiking, camping, sticking her hands in dirt, foraging and going out for ice cream.