C. Adam’s Bakery at Public Market changing hands
2 employees to take over business from founder
One of the original businesses in the Milwaukee Public Market, C. Adam’s Bakery, will have new owners.
The bakery is making the transition from founder Lisa Crum to two of her employees: Julia Block and Chelsea Zwieg.
Block and Zwieg will keep the bakery’s name, which was named for Crum’s nephew.
The bakery, with its pastry cases filled with cookies, sweet rolls and cakes, is one of the original businesses at the market, 400 N. Water St. The Public Market opened in October 2005.
Zwieg, who has written freelance articles about baking for the Journal Sentinel, has been head baker for C. Adam’s for 11⁄2 years and with the company for 21⁄2 years. Block, who worked as general
manager, has been with the bakery for 10 years.
“Julia and I have always wanted to go into business together,” Zwieg said.
Under the new ownership, C. Adam’s will expand its line of baked goods for mornings, such as savory scones, and it will start making doughnuts daily instead of weekends only.
The women plan to expand offerings in the bakery’s macarons and cookie sandwiches, as well. Chocolate chunk cookie sandwiches with cookie dough cream filling sell well, Zwieg said, as do chocolate cakes with cookie dough filling and vanilla buttercream frosting, and cupcakes with cookie dough frosting.
“It blows our mind, how many we sell,” Zwieg said. “People love their cookie dough.”
They plan to broaden the bakery’s presence by operating stands at farmers markets, including South Milwaukee on Thursday nights and Cathedral Square Market downtown on Saturday mornings in summer.
Zwieg and Block are looking into shipping the bakery’s products, as well. A number of C. Adam’s customers are tourists who want to send treats to family or just back home, to themselves.