The Sweet Taste of Success: Alumni-owned eateries have become an essential part of Milwaukee community

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.

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.

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.

“We do, if you can believe it, a lot of funerals,” she said. “I feel honored that in a time when people are usually grieving, that they wanted to use our product to bring a little joy and happiness.”

The rewards make up for the labor; Ghere Paulus says the truck is out almost daily from March to December each year, and the work day can stretch to 18 hours at times. Even so, she’s having a lot of fun.

And, she says, she could not have done it without her UWM education.

“While you are focused on your own degree and classes, the things that you learn from people in your classes or being a well-rounded student develop you into a person with a broader scope and more open mind,” she said.

So the next time you see the powder blue Cupcake-A- Rhee truck around town, stop by, grab a bite, and say hi. Paulus says to try the Pink Champagne cupcake – that’s her favorite.

Lulu Café and Bar

As the co-owner of Lulu Cafe and Bar in Bay View, Wisconsin, it might seem like Cameryne Roberts wouldn’t have much use for her English major or her certificate in Women’s Studies. But, she says, they’ve proven indispensable.

Cameryne Roberts (seated on counter) and her business partner, Sarah Jonas, smile inside of their newly-purchased restaurant space in 2001. Photo courtesy of Cameryne Roberts.

“I do all of the writing for the restaurant for any promotional materials or menus. It’s definitely a skill that I probably wouldn’t be as good at had I not attended UWM,” she said. “Higher education is just so important to develop critical thinking in general. That has been really important in terms of running a business overall.”

She would know; Lulu Cafe and Bar has been a community staple since 2001. Serving salads and sandwiches, the restaurant has become known for its signature Asian slaw and delicious burgers. Roberts, who graduated from UWM in 1992, co-owns the restaurant with her business partner, Sarah Jonas. The two met through mutual friends, and both attended Milwaukee Area Technical College to study culinary arts. Robert’s earned her associate’s degree in 1998.

“I’d started cooking as a hobby a year or so before I left an unsatisfying job in the corporate world, and I really loved it,” Roberts recalled. “I had that epiphany – I don’t want to work in corporate, so why don’t I see if I like the culinary world?”

The two got their start catering small events. Eventually, “Sarah’s husband decided that we needed to find a commercial kitchen because we were displacing his beer out of the fridge every weekend,” Roberts recalled with a laugh. When they found their location in Bayview, “We were super-busy the moment we opened the doors. We said, I guess catering’s out, because we just didn’t have the time.”

One of the best parts of owning a restaurant has been becoming an intrinsic part of the Bay View community.

“We entered into this endeavor knowing that we wanted to build a space that everyone in the community was comfortable coming to, from little old ladies to the punk kids skateboarding outside. We wanted that community feel,” she added. “Over the years, we’ve met so many people and have become really good friends. Just being able to be a part of Bay View was a really big thing for us.”

The Village Cheese Shop

Sabina Magyar’s shop is a reflection of her: Firmly grounded in Wisconsin traditions with deep respect for her European roots.

Magyar owns the Village Cheese Shop, a retail store and eatery in the heart of downtown Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Offering wide selections of cheeses and wines, along with specialty items like cured meats, honeys, jams, crackers, and pastas (all things that complement a good cheese board), the shop also hosts special events like fondue nights and cheese classes.

Sabina Magyar showcases her selection of cheeses displayed at The Village Cheese Shop in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Photo courtesy of Sabina Magyar.

Magyar’s European heritage comes courtesy of her German mother and Hungarian father, and she grew up hearing both of those languages at home. After graduating from UWM in 1991, where she majored in communication and minored in German, Magyar spent the next years of her life living in New York City. She later moved to Hungary, where she spent time living and visiting with her extended family.

It was in Hungary - and later living in Italy and Romania - that Magyar got her exposure to European wine and cheese culture, as well as on her subsequent travels through Europe.

“It all kind of relates,” she said. “My parents were old-world European. Everything came from the garden. … From that culture, I knew I wanted to do something with food. Food, wine, culture – it’s all connected to me.”

When she eventually returned home to Wisconsin, with its own rich traditions in dairy and cheese, opening her own cheese shop was the logical next step. The doors opened in 2017, and since then, everything in the shop is cut to order to ensure quality. Magyar’s selection is based on the best in artisan cheese and rarer cheeses she works hard to acquire. Right now, she’s enamored with a Belgian gouda that took four months to procure. Her other current favorite is a Wisconsin bourbon cheddar called “Nighthawk.”

“We focus on local products from Wisconsin and the Midwest, but we always have products from Europe.” Magyar says with a touch of pride in her voice. “It’s kind of like me – a local girl with European roots.”

Like Paulus and Roberts, Magyar says she owes a lot to her UWM education.

“I blossomed at UWM. There were so many things I wanted to learn, and there were so many classes that were inspiring to me. It encouraged me to be broad.”

By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science