Whitefish Bay is suddenly the place to be when it comes to new places to dine. First, the area welcomed The Bay restaurant, which opened on May 2, and currently three other food establishments are in the works.

Florida-based Grace & Shelly’s Cupcakes plan to open in the former Think Toys location at 308 E. Silver Spring Dr. by Aug. 1. The two woman team, Shelly Stayer and Grace Bolen have made quite a name for themselves in Naples, Fla., where they have previously opened five cupcake shops. In addition to gourmet cupcakes, the Whitefish Bay shop will also be offering Wisconsin-made ice cream and gourmet popcorn.

Vinamo, a wine bar and small-plates restaurant at 402 E. Silver Spring Dr., is also scheduled to open in August. The restaurant, which will emphasize European and Italian-style dishes, will serve soups, salads and sandwiches at lunch, small plates at night and brunch on the weekends, according to owner Rosemarie Niles.

By September, the WB will also have its own The Roman Candle Pizzeria.

After eight years of building his business in the Madison area, Brewer Stouffer, owner of The Roman Candle, has announced his plans to launch a new location in Whitefish Bay at 133 E. Silver Spring Dr. in the former home of Peabody's Interiors and most recently Honquest Furniture.

"I’ve been looking in the Milwaukee area for about two years," Stouffer says. "I looked at the North Shore, Bay View … a lot of solid, strong neighborhoods. We love putting our locationson strong main streets. Whitefish Bay has one of those classic main streets, but there weren’t many restaurants, and there wasn’t a neighborhood pizzeria. I really see Whitefish Bay blossoming, and I’m really excited to be part of that. "

The pizza is made from scratch using 50 local ingredients, including grass-fed beef, multiple types of pepperoni and unique offerings like beets, corn, and candied walnuts. One of their best-selling Madison pies is the Pestoral, topped with pesto, feta, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper, Kalamata olives and Roma tomatoes.

Stouffer says that, in addition to fresh, hand-cut ingredients, one of the things that makes their pizza unique is the dough, which is hand-made using a two day process and hand-tossed just before baking.

"We have a very rigorous process which makes our artisan doughs stand out," Stouffer explains. "We begin with a polish. We don’t use sweeteners in our dough. It’s just water, oil, yeast, flour, salt. Every single one of our pizzas begins as a dough ball. As a result of the care taken with the crust, our pizza attains a nutty, rich flavor. "

In addition to pizza, the Roman Candle will also offer salads with house-made dressings, appetizers and desserts, along with craft beer, wine and cocktails. Gluten-free pizza options will also be available. Hand-dipped ice cream from the Chocolate Shoppe in Madison will please children and adults alike.

Stouffer says that, in addition to dine-in options, take-out, delivery and lunchtime slices will also be available.

"I think pizza has gone to a new level in the last five years or so. The coal and wood-fired ovens have led to artisanal pizza. We’re not the fastest pizza out there because we make everything from scratch. But, we deliver quality pizza unlike any other. In fact we pride ourselves in the fact that one third of our pizza is delivery. "

Stay tuned to OnMilwaukee.com for more information about the Whitefish Bay dining scene as it develops.