’Tis Dining Month, the tastiest time of year! This means we’re dishing up fun and fascinating food content throughout October. Dig in, Milwaukee!
There’s something delicious coming to East Tosa.
Delicious Bites, a local business which has made a name for itself selling wraps, salads, entrees and desserts for pre-order and delivery, is preparing to open a storefront at 6538 W. North Ave. In fact, if all goes well, the business could open by mid-December, just in time to offer holiday desserts for pick-up.
Behind Delicious Bites is Tomira White, designer, chef and co-founder of the Bronzeville Collective, who operates the food-based business with her husband Corey and son Drew.
“I’m the creative behind the business,” says White, who officially launched Delicious Bites at Upstart Kitchen, the entrepreneurial hub at 4325 W. Fond du Lac Ave. “But my husband is the face and the muscle, and Drew helps me with production and takes photos for our social media.”
Beautiful, delicious bites
White says she’s been cooking as long as she can remember. In fact, she launched her first food-based business, offering prepared meals on Friday nights to hungry customers to fund the purchase of her first car after graduating from college. More recently, while living in Houston, Texas, she discovered her love for baking, a skill that led to the creation of recipes like her popular peach cobbler pound cake.
“I came from a food family,” she says, “So, cooking was natural. For years, people have been encouraging me to open a business. So, when I came back from Houston, I decided to give it a try. My goal was to create food that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.”
White built her business through home delivery and built awareness through pop-ups and a variety of events including the Kujichagulia Markets at Sherman Phoenix and the Deer District Night Market.
White says she didn’t have plans for a storefront. But, when her sister came across the former Indulgence Chocolatiers retail shop on North Avenue while searching for a location for her own business, she says the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“The location is perfect,” she says, “There’s nothing like it over there. And I loved the idea of being able to have a consistent location where people could come to pick up their food.
What to expect at the new shop
Once open, Delicious Bites will offer a shop stocked with grab-and-go offerings including popular items like grilled chicken pitas, jerk salmon salad, shrimp and grits and seafood macaroni and cheese.
White also expects to have freshly baked desserts, including chocolate chip cookies, peach cobbler pound cake and cupcakes, along with beverages like coffee, tea and water.
“We’ll have a standard list of items that are always available,” she says. “Plus specials. We would also like to start offering family meals which can be picked up and reheated at home.”
Until the shop opens, White says she will continue to offer Delicious Bites offerings for pre-order and delivery. Customers can place their orders online at thedeliciousbites.com. Loyal fans who wish to support the business and contribute to the costs of building out the new North Avenue space can also make donations on the website.
Pick up treats this weekend
White says she’ll be introducing the Delicious Bites business to the East Tosa neighborhood this weekend by handing out Halloween treats during both the Wauwatosa and Milwaukee trick or treating hours on Saturday, Oct. 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 31 from 1 to 4 p.m.
In need of desserts for Thanksgiving? Delicious Bites will also be offering a wide selection of treats including peach cobbler, pound cake, traditional pound cake, award-winning pecan pie cheesecake, cookie platters and more for pre-order online beginning on Nov. 2.
You can follow Delicious Bites on Instagram and Facebook for offerings and updates.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
