For the fifth straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com, presented by Concordia University. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as the winners of our "Best of Dining 2011."
What happens when a community rallies in support of a common cause?
Ask Jessica Kelter-Weisnicht, a 30-something vegan baker and owner of Compassionate Cake in Milwaukee. Her new business is the focus of a Kickstarter crowdsourcing campaign which will assist in establishing a commercial kitchen for her at the non-profit East Side coffee shop Brewing Grounds for Change. The fundraising campaign runs through the morning of Oct. 31, promising T-shirts, free cupcakes and more for generous contributors.
Kelter-Weisnicht always knew that baking would be part of her future. Even as a child growing up in Franklin, there were tell-tale signs that pointed to her one-day career.
"I loved going to rummage sales and flea markets looking for vintage cookbooks and old-fashioned kitchen gadgets," she says. "During summer vacations I would spend my time reading cookbooks like they were novels. The kitchen was my playground. When most kids at 16 wanted a car, I wanted a Kitchen Aid mixer!"
By the time she was in high school, Kelter-Weisnicht decided that she would go to culinary school after graduation. So, in the fall of 1993, she enrolled in Milwaukee Area Technical College's culinary arts program. After graduation, she continued on to earn her diploma in baking.
Although Kelter-Weisnicht has been baking and decorating 100 percent vegan cakes and cupcakes for years – with many of her efforts donated to charity – she began selling her bakery through Brewing Grounds in May 2011. She noticed that very few Milwaukee bakeries offered consistently egg- and dairy-free options, and she hoped to spread the word that vegan baked goods can be both delicious and beautiful.
"My goal is to let people know how delicious vegan food really is and to not be afraid of it," says Kelter-Weisnicht. "There are a lot of restaurants and other food places that offer a few vegan items but I wanted to create a business that solely produced vegan options. I wanted a business that people could contact if they needed a vegan wedding, birthday or any other type of special occasion cake."
To that end, Kelter-Weisnicht focuses her baking on classic flavors with modern twists. Her repertoire includes over 80 different combinations, including inventive favorites like maple caramel "Smart Bacon" and banana split cupcakes, mojito shortbread and white chocolate cheesecake with biscoff cookie crust.
The mission of Compassionate Cake focuses not only on preventing animal cruelty, but also supporting her local community.
"I try to source as much locally as I possibly can," Kelter-Weisnicht explains. "I make my own vanilla extract. I use Penzey's spices, great teas from Rishi Tea and freshly ground coffee beans from Anodyne. I shop at the farmer's market and incorporate as much seasonal produce, maple syrup and herbs as I possibly can."
And that's the sort of local commitment that Brewing Grounds is counting on. The cafe reports that sales have been through the roof at the coffee shop, and that's what prompted them to bring Kelter-Weisnicht on the premises.
"We frequently have people coming in after we've already sold out of the flavors Jessica delivered for the day," says Brewing volunteer Crystal Schmidt. "It didn't take us very long to decide that we needed to offer Jessica a space to produce her bakery."
Personnel from Brewing Grounds sat down with Jessica to brainstorm ways for the not-for-profit cafe to raise enough money to put a bakery in their kitchen. They finally decided that a Kickstarter campaign would be a great way to both generate interest and funding.
"This week is going to be a real push," Schmidt says. "We either make our goal and get the donated amount or we miss our goal and receive nothing - that's how Kickstarter works. But, we have extremely high hopes and are confident that very soon Milwaukee will have its own vegan bakery on Farwell to boast about!"
The Compassionate Cake Kickstarter campaign is well over halfway to its goal of $3,000. To usher in a strong finish for the campaign, Brewing Grounds for Change will hold a benefit show Friday, Oct. 28 from 6 to 10 p.m. Featured acts will include The Gazettiers, Andrew the Red and more. Learn more at Brewing Ground's Facebook page, or click here to donate directly to the campaign.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
