Meet the Composter: Rivertown Taps

Rivertown Taps

What do craft beer and composting have in common? You’ll find them both at Rivertown Taps, located in the heart of Phoenixville. This is where our composters Chef Lewis Leiterman and partner, Tess Strayer, create scratch-made meals with locally sourced ingredients with a commitment to community and conservation.

Lewis, who is from the Poconos, and Tess, from Harleysville, are huge craft beer fans and love the social aspect of craft beer. That love and Lewis’ life-long culinary journey drove them to open Rivertown Taps in 2022.

“We love the welcoming social atmosphere of Phoenixville and wanted to be a part of this unique community,” said Tess.

So, they found a building – a former pizza shop – that was renovated with many of the interior design aspects built by Gary, Tess’s retired father and one of the owners of Rivertown Taps. Refurbishing wood from the original structure, the interior of the new gastropub pays homage to Phoenixville’s industrial background while providing an approachable foodie experience where the community can interact with each other and the chefs while pouring their own craft beer.

“We want people to be encouraged to try new things (on our menu) and gather in a way that they feel part of the whole experience,” Tess said.

The menu, with its fresh, from-scratch ingredients lends itself to composting. So, as they ramped up to open last year, Tess incorporated her life-long environmental passions into the space and their practices.

Rivertown Taps uses stainless steel flatware and glassware – not plastic – linen napkins, and little-to-no paper products. They use compostable to-go containers and throw out very little food – only what can’t be composted.

Tess and Lewis are residential composters where they live in Royersford, so it only made sense to carry over the practice to their restaurant.

Tess credits her mother and grandparents for building her environmental consciousness. Their household uses zero plastic – no plastic bags or water bottles. They shop locally and seasonally and generate about one bag of trash per month!

For others striving to be more environmentally conscious, Tess recommends: “start small and educate yourself. Simple steps go a long way! Carrying a reusable bag with you goes a long way when shopping local.”

Want to support a local, community-focused, environmentally-sound business with delicious food and drink? Visit Rivertown Taps at 226 Bridge Street, Phoenixville. 

Back to Earth Compost Crew is happy to have Rivertown Taps in our composting community!