Cupcake Café is Sweeter than Corporate World

Bobbie Peters' love for baking came with the love of her family.

Working in the corporate world, Peters’ expertise wasn’t necessarily in the kitchen. But as her work schedule demanded more and more travel, taking away from her husband and four children, she remembered a 2005 business plan for a coffee shop that she had tucked away.

“Being a mom to a four kids, I just found that baking and cooking became a serious passion of mine because I would have to feed my children and my husband,” Peters said. “It would seem like when I would go into the kitchen to bake, they would either bake with me or they would leave me alone so I could bake — it was kind of like my free time. And then it became a huge thing for me.”

In 2005, she didn’t think the plan would work as it was dependent on coffee sales to make a profit. But when she added in cupcakes to the plan, it seemed like the perfect fit.

So stepping way from corporate America last winter, Peters started selling cupcakes from her home. Soon, she found a little storefront tucked away in downtown Waukesha. She opened O’ What a Day Café on the Main Street Plaza on April 19 and she’s been selling the cupcakes in downtown Waukesha ever sine.

“It has been going really well; we have had lots of parties, lots of brides,” Peters said. “… I think overall we can’t complain.”

Her plan for O’ What a Day Café is to have cupcakes for whatever life brings people. If it is a party — she has cupcakes for that. If it is a simple pick-me-up, she has that too.

“When people walk in here and when they have a smile on their face when they see the cupcakes, it totally makes it worthwhile for me,” Peters said. “There is something about cupcakes that just make people happy. They come in with just huge grins.”

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Right now the café sells dessert cupcakes only, but Peters has been experimenting in the kitchen to create savory cupcakes. While they are not on the menu yet, she’s perfecting recipes for what is essentially a dinner in a cupcake. Lasagna, orange chicken and other recipes are being considered as she develops recipes for those people who don’t have a sweet tooth.

Other specialty items that are new for the shop include Alterra coffee, cheesecakes, liquor cupcakes and gluten-free cupcakes. Additionally, Peters said she tries to purchase ingredients locally and makes everything from scratch.

“We don’t do any mainstream baking at all,” Peters said. “It is heavy labor in the kitchen — beating the butter and cracking the eggs.”

­More About O’ What a Day Café

• Location: 234 W. Main St. Suite 8, Waukesha (in the Main Street Plaza near
• Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays (late hours for Friday night events and early hours during Saturday Farmers’ Markets).
• Phone Number: 262-574-0034
• Website: www.owhatadaycafe.com
• Social Media: Facebook; Twitter @oWhataDayCafe