Doughnuts in Demand

Sunday Dough’s photogenic doughnuts have catapulted the Sheboygan business from cottage baking pop-up to two retail locations in just two years. “I’m trying to elevate the doughnut because it can be so many things – a breakfast [treat], dessert or a snack,” explains owner Laura Andrews.

The bakery’s flagship at 1402 S. Eighth St. offers coffee and cafe seating, along with pastries. A satellite space is also open on weekends inside the new Cavelier Wine Bar in Port Washington. (Bloodys, mimosas and doughnuts!) Andrews encourages customers to pre-order for pickup anytime during business hours – it isn’t unusual for them to sell out.

These creations are nothing short of hedonistic. The bakery makes them with a brioche dough enriched with butter and eggs. One of Sunday Dough’s top-selling flavors, lemon cheesecake, is dipped in lemon glaze and topped with cream cheese frosting and graham cracker crust crumble.

Other core varieties include strawberry shortcake and maple French toast. The two rotating monthly specials also have a fanbase, unexpected as their flavor combinations tend to be (keep your eyes peeled for spicy wonton). “I feel like people are finally starting to trust me to push them out of their comfort zone,” Andrews says.

Laura Markz was looking for a beverage to combat the negative aftereffects of drinking alcohol (headache, fatigue, nausea). Not finding what she wanted available on the market, in 2023 the Menomonee Falls mom of three created the nonalcoholic elixir that also can be enjoyed as a mocktail or mixer herself. That’s Lotza, a canned sparkling citrus punch pumped with vitamins, electrolytes and adaptogens – plants that are professed to help the body manage stress.

In Lotza’s case, those ingredients include sea buckthorn, rosehip and hibiscus. For now, the low-sugar punch in two flavors is available only through getlotza.com ($44 for a 12-pack). But Markz says it is launching on Amazon this fall. Lotza’s target audience is women in their 20s and 30s. “We’re starting really niche, with women in a particular age group and [those] interested in their health and what they put in their bodies,” she says.

Perusing Perfection

“When I was a kid, my first food love was a fried chicken sandwich. I really believe if you get in a relationship with your favorite food, learning how to cook it will teach you the mechanics of how to approach cooking everything.”

– Kurt Fogle of Dairyland

Building Confidence

While Lish Steiling’s resume includes competing on the Food Network show “Chopped” and working for celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, she looks very fondly on her years in Milwaukee restaurant kitchens.

Born and raised here, Steiling had a stint at the landmark Grenadier’s before cooking – with beloved former MKE chef Jan Kelly – at a popular, farm-based Walker’s Point restaurant called Barossa. Now an Emmy- and James Beard Award-winning culinary producer, Steiling is releasing a cookbook this month with talk show host Tamron Hall, with whom Steiling worked at the “Today” show.

A Confident Cook aims to empower beginner and “curious” cooks with recipes that are comforting and accessible. “It’s been a crazy ride, and I pinch myself every day,” Steiling says.