Pandemic-inspired vegan treats sell out for Sugar Cube Donuts creator Her background
Emily Ware has always been an out of the box thinker, and this past year forced her to get even more creative. Going into the fifth year operating On the Bus, a vegan shop specializing in sandwiches, salads and smoothies, Ware was looking for ways to keep connecting with customers.
She decided on doughnuts, and started the pop-up Sugar Cube Donuts, selling colorful and fun varieties each week at On the Bus, located inside the Milwaukee Public Market, 400 N. Water St.
The doughnuts have become so popular she's now running the pop-up every Friday at On the Bus, and at select locations around the city on Saturdays and Sundays. Glazed doughnuts are available every weekend, but specialty flavors change weekly. Walk-ups are accepted until they sell out — and they usually do — while orders can also be placed in advance for the Sugar Box, a four-pack of the week's flavors. To order, go to sugarcubedonuts.com
Sugar Cube Donuts plans a Valentine's Day pop-up from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 14 with doughnuts and flowers on the upstairs level of the Milwaukee Public Market. Customers can pre-order a special Sugar Box of Valentine's doughnuts, with walk up purchase available as well. Order at: sugarcubedonuts.com/ pop-ups. Over the course of the past year, this pandemic has forced the level of creativity to go to new levels. Initially Sugar Cube started off as a way to do doughnuts one day a week at On The Bus to continue to draw people in over the winter. As we went along and thought we had something good, we shifted into making Sugar Cube into a full on pop-up brand all over the city.
I did not go to culinary school. I've always been someone who likes to create things and do stuff on my own. I've never actually worked for anybody else.
Her approach
Starting On the Bus, I wanted it to be a way that people could be introduced to vegan food that was at a comfort level, just sandwiches and foods they were comfortable with. We make our own ice cream out of oat milk and coconut milk in-house. It's been a way that a lot of people have tried vegan cooking for the first time.
Developing doughnuts
My general manager at On the Bus, Paige Hammond, she and I came up with the concept for the doughnuts. She's been a big part of getting this off the ground. It was just a matter of trial and error and coming up with a recipe.
We are not overly advertising our doughnuts are vegan. We're just selling them as great doughnuts. They do happen to be vegan.
Colorful cubes
When we were in the kitchen coming up with the recipe, we didn't have a round doughnut cutter. We were just cutting the dough with a knife to a square shape. That's where the name Sugar Cube came from. We don't use a knife anymore, but the colors, the decorating and unique flavors are really important so they're eye-catching.
Flavor fun
Every week we have glazed and chocolate glazed, then three to four different flavors in addition. Those vary each week. My favorite is just the glazed, plain and simple.
Ingredient inspiration
Some of the fun doughnuts we've done include a cookie butter one, which is always really popular. We've done one with cannoli on top. We recently did a cinnamon roll option. Typically flavors with really fun toppings are the first to sell out.
Plan ahead
We do pre-orders for what we call a Sugar Box, that's four doughnuts. One is a special flavor you can only get in the Sugar Box that week, the others are the specialty flavors we do for the week. People pay online and pick up at the pop-up. We also have plenty of doughnuts available for walk-up purchases.
Pop-up hours vary, but at On the Bus Friday mornings weekly begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday we collaborate with different local businesses.
Cube collaborations
We're doing a fun project with Pilcrow Coffee and Dead Bird Brewing. Dead Bird is doing a Coffee Stout with some of our doughnuts in the mash, and we're doing a pop-up in March (date to be determined). Pilcrow Coffee will do their cold brews.
Pandemic push
Sugar Cube was really all fueled by the pandemic. It had been something that crossed our mind, but we were busy enough. This gave us the opportunity to get creative and figure out how to make it work.
It blows my mind we have been as busy as we have. We are set up for curbside pickup and online ordering, too. The traffic going through the market is really high, especially on the weekends.
Sweet to savory
We are experimenting with adding savory doughnuts on the menu, because we do sell them all day long at some of the pop-ups. Doughnuts don't have to be just a morning thing. The Everything is savory. It has a cream cheese base and everything bagel seasoning on top. We also have a spinach and ricotta that we're doing the last weekend in February. We make our own (vegan) ricotta in-house.
Why she does what she does
It is bringing light and enjoyment to somebody's day. These doughnuts, when somebody sees them it brings them happiness. When they see the "bus" at the Milwaukee Public Market, they smile.
About the bus
That bus at the counter was actually my very first car I bought when I was 15. Her name is Johanna. I drove it for a long time, a 1971 VW Bus. It had an engine fire, sat in my parents' barn for a while. then when the opportunity to open On the Bus came about, it came back to life and we turned it into a counter.
Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email psullivan@ gannett.com.