The sweet taste of succes
Alumni-owned eateries have become an essential p
A well-rounded education means you can succeed in almost any field, no matter your major. These three alums know better than most; Ellen Ghere Paulus, Cameryne Roberts, and Sabina Magyar took their humanities and social science knowledge to work in the restaurant industry, and now they’re enjoying sweet success. The Cupcake-A-Rhee Ellen Ghere Paulus has a pretty sweet ride – pun definitely intended. She is the co-owner of the Cupcake-A-Rhee, a cupcake food truck she operates with her husband, Bob Paulus. Now in their fourth season as confectioners-on-wheels, Ghere Paulus says she and her husband are “living the dream.” “We’ve always been bakers for our family events. Everyone kept saying, these are so good, you should turn them into a business,” she recounted. “So, we took all the skills that we had learned – Bob is also a UWM grad from the School of Business – and decided, let’s just try having this cupcake food truck.” It was quite the career shift. Ghere Paulus majored in anthropology at UWM and graduated with her Bachelor’s in 1988. Three years later, she earned her Master’s and put her degree to use working at UWM’s archaeological research laboratory. Though she enjoyed the job, the frequent traveling took a toll. So, she and Bob purchased a family business and worked at Paulus Printing for 21 years before the shifting printing industry prompted their decision to buy a food truck. The Cupcake-A-Rhee has been a staple in the Milwaukee food truck scene ever since. Whether they’re on the street or at a special event, Ghere Paulus says the best part about her job is making people smile – even if that special event is a funeral.
Ellen Ghere Paulus and her husband Bob show off a batch of freshly-baked cupcakes outside of their food truck. Photo courtesy of Ellen Ghere Paulus. 6 • IN FOCUS • March, 2019
