Each week on This Bites, dining critic Ann Christenson from Milwaukee Magazine and Radio Milwaukee’s resident foodie Tarik Moody dig into the city’s culinary and restaurant culture to help you find new spots, old favorites and the best ingestibles around Milwaukee.
We all deserve a treat now and then. The Milwaukee Public Market has always been a good place to indulge that particular urge, what with vendors like C. Adams Bakery and Kehr’s Candies occupying neighboring stalls at the downtown food haven. Thanks to a recent sweet-shop swap, it’ll remain that way.
It was just last week that Kehr’s announced plans to close down its brick-and-mortar location at the market, switching its focus to online and curbside sales. Any panic sweet-tooth-havers might have felt over the news was short-lived thanks to the folks at Freese’s Candy Shoppe, who quickly stepped in to take over the real estate on the west end of the market.
While Freese’s will be new to the space, the candy maker is a grizzled veteran when it comes to the Milwaukee area. Otto Freese opened his soda fountain in West Allis almost a century ago, and the shop evolved to sell a variety of goodies — from fairy food and mint meltaways to roasted nuts and the intriguing brandy old-fashioned s’more on a stick.
Kehr’s last day in the space was Thursday, so you should be able to enjoy those offerings from Freese’s as you stroll through the market in the very near future. Also coming up soon are a bunch of food happenings around Milwaukee:
- The Gallery Food Hall will host the first of three Palestine Cooking Workshops this weekend, with the others to follow March 17 and April 7.
- A new restaurant softly opened in the former Lopez Bakery space and will utilize some of its predecessor’s well-known recipes.
- A Thai/Japanese restaurant called Room Service will open its doors this spring in Bay View.
- Pilot Project is gearing up for a Battle of the Bites between chefs from Milwaukee and Chicago on March 15.
Ann and I have no plans to go head-to-head, but you never know what the future will bring. So if you don’t want to miss any spirited debates or other culinary square-offs, make sure you subscribe to This Bites wherever you listen. Thanks.
