Wolf Peach closing; Supper is closed
Top 30 restaurant Wolf Peach in Brewers Hill will close, and sister restaurant Supper has shut down.
Top 30 restaurant Wolf Peach in Brewers Hill, known for its views of the downtown skyline as much as its seasonal food, will close no later than the end of March, and sister restaurant Supper on the east side shut down Sunday night.
Gina Gruenewald owns both restaurants, and was partners with Erich Wilz in Supper.
The building housing Wolf Peach at 1818 N. Hubbard St., however, was owned by developer Tim Dixon, who put it on the market.
Gruenewald said her attempt to buy the restaurant was unsuccessful, losing to the higher bidder. Dixon, who opened the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee and is developing a hotel in St. Louis, said the sale is expected to close in midApril.
The new owner of the Brewers Hill building will be Carl Tomich, president of Westridge Builders Inc. of Waukesha.
Tomich also owns Stonefire Pizza Co., a pizza buffet restaurant in New Berlin that hosts children’s birthday parties.
Gruenewald said she had been in talks with Tomich and had hoped to continue operating the restaurant herself.
The building owner, however, wanted to own the restaurant and operate it under the Wolf Peach name, which Gruenewald declined, she said.
Tomich wasn’t immediately available to discuss his plans for the site, but an ad on Craigslist for a head chef says, “We are opening in April in Brewers Hill with spectacular views of downtown Milwaukee (formerly Wolf Peach).”
Rumors had been swirling since last week about the pending closure of Supper and Wolf Peach, but Gruenewald declined to discuss it then.
“I’m so proud of what we did, and we’re not leaving because we want to,” Gruenewald said.
Now, she said, “I care the most about all my people finding a job,” including head chefs Kyle Toner of Wolf Peach and Erik Hansen of Supper.
Gruenewald has no plans to open another restaurant. “I will miss it, but my time has come,” she said.
Wolf Peach opened in November 2012, taking the place of landmark farm-to-table restaurant Roots, which chef John Raymond opened in 2004.
Wolf Peach continued Roots’ focus on locally grown ingredients, growing some on a farm and some on the land around the restaurant.
Wolf Peach installed a wood-burning pizza oven and was known for its Neapolitan-style pizzas, as well as a view of the downtown skyline from its dining room and its two-level hillside patio.
Gruenewald was uncertain of Wolf Peach’s last day. She hoped to stay open until the end of the month but said the closing could be sooner rather than later.
Supper’s final dinner service on Sunday was a second dinner with Mimma Megna, the proprietor of the late Mimma’s Café on Brady Street and a longtime friend of Gruenewald. Her business partner in Supper was Erich Wilz.
Supper opened in November 2015 at 1962 N. Prospect Ave. in the Art Deco-era Shorecrest building. The apartment building, previously a hotel, had held restaurants over the years that included Snug’s, the Savoy Room and Savoy Piano Bar & Lounge.
Supper’s chef was Erik Hansen, who previously worked at the University Club and Distil.
Supper opened with a higher-end menu of updated Wisconsin supper club classics and modern dishes, along with a drinks menu that looked to supper clubs — classic and new ice cream drinks, and classic and craft cocktails.
Gruenwald tweaked the format in October, calling the restaurant’s new focus more supper table than supper club.
It added homier dishes to the menu, such as lasagna and chopped steak, at lower prices, and offered sandwiches in addition to entrees, including a notable burger.
Supper’s and Wolf Peach’s closings are among several notable closings in the first months of 2018, including several longtime restaurants: Izumi’s on the east side, Coquette Café in the Third Ward and Mangia in Kenosha.