Vegan Bakery Opening Downtown Location
After a summer back in its “speakeasy” kitchen, Hooch MKE will again brick-and-mortar storefront.
770 N. Jefferson St. Photo taken September 7, 2021 by Dave Reid.
A well-known bakery on the Milwaukee-area farmers market scene plans to move back into a brick-and-mortar location after briefly occupying a co-located space at 3040 S. Delaware Ave. in Bay View from Nov. 2025 to May of this year.
Hooch MKE, which specializes in an all-vegan menu of baked delights, plans to move into a commercial kitchen with window service and delivery pickup space in the lower level of the 770 Building, 770 N. Jefferson St., in East Town.
The business briefly operated in Bay View. “We went back to our OG speakeasy cottage kitchen bakery” for the summer market season, said owner Casey Elliot in an interview with Urban Milwaukee. “Now that the market season is over, we need a way to connect with people that isn’t completely custom-order based.”
The bakery doesn’t plan to change its offerings of sourdough breads, cinnamon rolls, croissants, danishes and the like, but Elliot said changes to hours of operation are likely with a move Downtown.
“We consider ourselves to be neighborhood people, so this is a new kind of business model for us,” Elliot said. “We might need to be open earlier for people going into the office, we might need to be open later for people picking things up on their way home.”
Elliot said the dream is to continue growing hoochMKE downtown to “put us in a better position to find a more permanent cafe space.”
Hooch MKE’s license application is pending before the Milwaukee Common Council.
The application states that the bakery will also be serving breakfast and lunch items to determine if there’s a market for a larger food menu. Dishes listed include breakfast sandwiches using house-made meat and cheese subs, rotating soups and salads, and a Philly cheesesteak.
If a license is granted, hoochMKE will join Shah Jee’s and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee’s Mentor Zone in the lower level of the 770 Building.
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