Sweetly Baked, Milwaukee’s first CBD Bakery, debuted in 2021 offering both standard and CBD and hemp-based infused desserts for online ordering and pick-up. In 2023, Owner Amanda Buhrman expanded her business with a mobile dessert bar, allowing her to sell her popular treats across the city, as well as provide treats for both public and private events.

Thanks to support from the community, Buhrman says she is getting ready to take the next step in growing her business: establishing a dessert bar in the former Press Au Marche, just inside the Marshall Building at 207 E. Buffalo St.

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The space, she says, is perfect for her business and nearly turnkey, requiring mostly cosmetic changes to bring it in sync with her Sweetly Baked branding and color palette (think: pink!).

“They did such a great job with the build-out,” she says. “Not only is it beautiful and timeless, it’s also set up in a way that makes it perfect for my business.” 

Finding her passion

Buhrman, who began her career in marketing and web development, most recently held a  position with Visit Milwaukee, which enhanced both her knowledge and her connections around the city. So, when she found her passion for baking while she was home during the pandemic – and discovered that she had an innate talent for customizing recipes and making them her own – she says it made it easier for her to take the leap and launch her own business.

“I really just reached a point where I didn’t want to go back to corporate work,” she says. “I wanted to create. I wanted to learn. I hadn’t been so excited about something in a very long time, and I knew that I wanted to take the leap and start my own business.” 

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What to expect

Buhrman says she expects to offer an expanded menu of baked goods including morning options like cinnamon rolls and scones, maybe with housemade flavored butter. A coffee program is also in the works to accompany.

From there, guests can expect a variety of cookies, brownies, macarons and cake pops, along with an expanded selection of desserts, including more full-sized dessert options, which vary from what’s served from the mobile dessert bar.

“I’d like to expand my selection of layered desserts,” she says, clarifying that her focus will be on items like trifles, rather than cakes or cupcakes.

She also plans on obtaining a liquor license which will allow her to serve beer, wine and cocktails. 

“I’ve discovered that I really love playing with flavors and creating pairings,” she says. “So I’d like to lean into that more in the new space and create beverage pairings for the various desserts that we offer. Overall, I want it to be more of an experience.”

Since there aren’t many venues that specialize in desserts that are also open in the evening, she says she’s excited take advantage of that void in the market, possibly offering later hours on the weekends so that she can offer dessert lovers the option to enjoy beer, wine and desserts following the dinner hour.

Due to the nature of the space, Buhrman will continue to utilize her commercial kitchen on Jefferson Street, delivering goods daily to the new retail space. She also plans to continue to use her mobile dessert trailer for events and catering.

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Buhrman admits there are still many details she needs to work out regarding how she wants to operate her new brick-and-mortar business. But she says she’s excited to embark upon the new leg of her journey.

In fact, if all goes well, Buhrman says she’d love to be up and running by the Third Ward’s April Gallery Night, when there will be plenty of traffic in and around the building.

“There are so many great artists right here in the building,” she says. “And I’m looking forward to partnering with different local artists for Gallery Night events moving forward.”