Hatched, known for delicious hand pies, ceases operations, won't open cafe planned for Tosa

The owners of Hatched, a baked goods business, have decided they will not open the cafe they had planned for West Tosa and will cease operations entirely after seven years of piemaking in the Milwaukee area.

"(We're) beyond grateful for the love, support, and compassion we have been shown over the years. Our little family business budded and flourished because of our wonderful customers turned friends," owners Allison and Craig Cebulla wrote in a post on Facebook and Instagram May 4.

"Now it is time for us to bid farewell. While we don’t know for certain if Hatched (in any form) will ever return, we do know that the memories we have created over the last several years will live with us for a lifetime," the post said.

Allison Cebulla's love of making hand pies dates back to spending time in the kitchen with her mother, the Journal Sentinel reported in 2019. Cebulla brought Hatched to life with her husband and co-owner Craig when they opened a commercial kitchen in Brookfield in 2018.

Depending on the season, Allison Cebulla would make anywhere from 200 to 1,500 hand pies per week, she told the Journal Sentinel in 2019. Customers could find small-batch pies by Hatched sold at Venture Brewing Company, Canary Coffee Bar, 1848 Coffee and farmers markets, as well as through online pickup orders.

The co-owners also decided to close to spend more time with their two young children, they said in reply to Facebook comments from customers, who flooded the announcement with words of gratitude, bittersweet well wishes and a few shoutouts to Hatched's blueberry lemon curd filling.

Some customers asked if the Hatched owners would consider writing a cookbook.

"I’m definitely contemplating a cookbook now with all these requests!" the Hatched owners responded to one comment.

The co-owners did not respond to a request for an interview by a Journal Sentinel reporter before this story's publication.

Opening a retail cafe like the one planned for Wauwatosa was a long-time dream for Cebulla, she previously told the Journal Sentinel.

Hatched was approved for a conditional use permit at 11500 W. North Ave. at a Common Council meeting June 20, 2023, according to city documents.

In February 2024, the Cebullas were approved by the Community Development Authority for a maximum of $10,000 in code compliance forgivable loan funding for the construction of ADA-compliant restrooms in the building. The loan program provides assistance to Wauwatosa businesses that need to undertake code compliance updates to buildings.

The Cebullas had planned bring a full coffee program, pies, baked goods, soups and sandwiches to the 3,000-square-foot storefront, the Journal Sentinel reported.

Contact the reporter at bfogarty@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Owners of Hatched, the pie cafe planned for Tosa, cease operations