Former Sip & Purr Cafe will soon be home to a new Milwaukee bakery. It focuses on local ingredients
The former Sip & Purr Cat Cafe on Milwaukee’s east side will soon be home to a new bakery.
Poppy Bakery is to open in May at 2021 E. Ivanhoe Place, owner Amy Gorski said. Its planned hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, according to an occupancy permit application filed with the city Department of Neighborhood Services.
Poppy, which focuses on local ingredients for its cinnamon rolls, cookies, cheesecakes and other items, began operating in 2023 at the Brookfield Farmers Market, and also has operated at the Waukesha Winter Farmers Market.
The shift to Milwaukee marks Poppy’s first brick and mortar location, Gorski said. It comes after the business saw strong growth in 2024.
“I wanted a place where we could all sit down together,” Gorski told the Journal Sentinel.
She said the 1,800-square-foot location needed little remodeling from its previous life as Sip & Purr, where guests could order coffee and pastries while viewing cats available for adoption.
Also, the east side’s growing vitality and strong foot traffic make it a good location, Gorski said.
Gorski grew up in the Chicago area and earned her bachelor’s degree in 2012 at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She graduated from Chicago’s Kendall College culinary school in 2014, and has since worked at restaurants and bakeries in the Chicago area, as well as Ohio.
Gorski returned to the Milwaukee area for Poppy Bakery’s 2023 launch in part because of her familiarity with the community.
That includes mentoring from Milwaukee chef and restaurateur Dan Jacobs − head chef and co-owner of EsterEv and Dandan, five-time James Beard Best Chef Midwest semi-finalist, and “Top Chef” finalist.
Gorski’s financing for Poppy’s new location includes more than $7,600 raised on Kickstarter.
“I’ve got a community that’s rallying behind me,” she said.
Meanwhile, Sip & Purr is preparing to open in its new location at 833 E. Brady St.
Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Bluesky, X and Facebook.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Poppy Bakery plans May opening at Milwaukee’s former Sip & Purr Cafe
