Moon Cherry Sweets are a vegan bakery pop-up began by Jack O’Grady and Chase Rolan, who’re additionally identified for co-owning fusion vegan kitchen pop-up Maya Ophelia’s. Launched earlier this yr in January, Moon Cherry Sweets takes their culinary endeavors in a brand new route by specializing in candy and savory pastries. Black, Brown and Indigenous trans people eat free; nobody is ever turned away.
O’Grady shares how they conceptualized Moon Cherry Sweets. “We wished to create a bakery that coincided with Chase and I’s first-gen roots by having stuff we grew up consuming that we couldn’t discover vegan in Milwaukee; we additionally wished to not simply have or not it’s the identical stuff our grandparents make in order that we may put our personal twist on issues. It’s not simple for trans people out right here so we wished to create pleasure inside the group in a constructive means.”
Their first pop-up was at Cactus Membership in February. O’Grady continued, “The pandemic was actually onerous on Maya Ophelia’s. We owned and operated our personal meals truck and we didn’t have traders or any wild sum of money, plus we began proper in the beginning obtained shut down. Chase and I had to return to working jobs once more; I went again to Cactus Membership, and I obtained this concept there with Kelsey the place I’d work Sunday mornings however would make it right into a social occasion. It was at a time the place a number of us have been determining find out how to socialize once more, and that’s after we obtained the concept to supply a bakery together with the non-alcoholic choices Cactus Membership had. I got here up with a menu of various espresso drinks we may make, and that turned the primary pop-up.”
Whereas Rolan has been head chef of Maya Ophelia’s, O’Grady fills that function for Moon Cherry Sweets whereas Rolan takes cost of promoting and graphic design. The bakery’s identify comes from Rolan’s pet identify for O’Grady. “Individuals suppose it’s a Prince reference or some hipster wiccan identify but it surely’s not,” O’Grady laughed.
Moon Cherry Sweets’ choices have included chocolate-covered donuts, ube whoopie pies, croissants, cookies and plenty of different tasty treats. “Once I was a child I didn’t get to go to large, fancy bakeries,” O’Grady mentioned. “It’s closely influenced by going to the fuel station with my dad each Sunday morning. He’d get a paper and a espresso and I’d get chocolate milk after which he’d let me select a Little Debbie or Hostess deal with, so it’s an enormous homage to that.”
They just lately did one other pop-up on the Crossroads Collective on Milwaukee’s East Facet, the place they plan to proceed doing pop-ups one Saturday a month. They are going to be at Cactus Membership Sunday, Sept. 9, the place they’ll supply brunch fare with donuts and savory pastries. Within the coming months Moon Cherry Sweets plan to start out promoting their treats at a well-liked native restaurant in addition to proceed having pop-ups in additional locations. “We need to assist foster communities throughout Wisconsin if we are able to,” O’Grady mentioned.
To get in contact, e-mail Moon Cherry Sweets at maya.ophelias@gmail.com or go to their Instagram @moon_cherry_sweets.