Photo courtesy of HoochMKE
Casey Elliot - HoochMKE
Casey Elliot, owner of HoochMKE
“Our flag means bread” is the motto at HoochMKE, a plant-based, closed loop kitchen that has been serving up delicious baked goods at farmers markets and community events around Milwaukee since 2023. Just in time for Vegan Restaurant Week, HoochMKE is unveiling its new brick-and-mortar space at MKE Outdoor Indoor Exchange, 3040 S. Delaware Ave. in Bay View, this Friday, November 7.
As a cottage baker, owner Casey Elliott shapes everything by hand. Because she is a one-woman show, it can take several days to get everything prepared. “It’s all very time-consuming,” she says. “It takes about twelve hours to have everything baked.”
HoochMKE offers sourdough breads, cinnamon rolls, sweet and savory danishes, doughnuts, cookies, cakes and more, all made with locally sourced organic ingredients, including flour from Meadowlark Mill and either ancient or heritage grains. All goods are also packaged in biodegradable materials. “The beauty of doing small batches is, I get to go crazy with funky flavors,” Elliott affirms. “The sky is the limit.”
All Natural
Photo courtesy of HoochMKE
Hooch MKE - Bread loaves
HoochMKE breads
Of HoochMKE’s breads, Elliott says the garlic rosemary is the best-seller, although she is delighted that the cranberry walnut sells well year-round. In terms of pastries, nothing is ever fried; Elliott bakes only from natural yeast. “Cruffins,” croissant dough proofed in muffin tins and then hollowed and filled, are a HoochMKE hit, as are the Danish frøsnappers. Another popular treat lately has been Elliott’s buckwheat chocolate miso cookies.
“I come up with so many great cinnamon roll flavors, but the classic maple is always the first to go,” Elliott observes. “I would never say I’m celiac-safe, but I do offer some things with gluten-free ingredients.”
Fall is in the air, so seasonal favorites like apple cider doughnuts, carrot cakes and sweet potato pie cinnamon rolls are back at HoochMKE. The new space will be open Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Online ordering will continue to be available.
“For years, we’ve been ahead of the curve with so many experimental trends and flavors, but nobody knew who we were,” Elliott contends. “I’m over the moon to be able to introduce ourselves to a broader community, and to not just keep upping the ante, but to see people respond in real time.”
Originally from Mississippi, Elliott has lived in Milwaukee since 2016. When she decided to go vegan in 2019, Elliott sometimes found it difficult to find options accommodating her dietary needs. “I missed being able to just pop into a shop,” she remembers. “I’ve always been an avid baker, and for a while I was doing custom cakes, and I had it in the back of my mind that working at a bakery would be a cool thing to do.”
After leaving an aviation job, Elliott re-entered the service industry, eventually going from bartending to baking. “Being able to make my sister’s bread was what started this entire operation,” she explains. HoochMKE’s name is a reference to baking sourdough.
Once Elliott opened, she quickly received positive feedback from people with food allergies who were happy about her vegan offerings, noting, “It’s not just a niche thing for animal lovers anymore; it’s a necessity for a lot of people.”
For custom orders or catering, contact hoochmke@gmail.com.
