Steaming Cup owners sell Waukesha coffee shop to pair with 'passion'

The Steaming Cup coffeehouse in downtown Waukesha is being sold to Jason Tofte, the longtime chef at Eddie Martini’s, and his wife, Cristina (not pictured). Credit: Michael Sears

July 10, 2015

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By Carol Deptolla of the Journal Sentinel

The Steaming Cup, a coffeehouse in downtown Waukesha, will have new owners as of Aug. 1: Jason Tofte, the longtime chef at Eddie Martini's steakhouse in Wauwatosa, and his wife, Cristina.

The couple, who met at the fine-dining restaurant when Tofte started working there 18 years ago as a line cook, had always talked about having a casual place of their own, he said.

Tofte's last day as executive chef at the popular Eddie Martini's, a role he's filled for 10 years, will be July 24.

"I felt like that place was my own, so it's not like it was an easy decision for me to make," Tofte said. Cristina Tofte, who also worked as a manager for restaurateurs Sanford and Angie D'Amato, will keep her job in IT while pitching in at the Steaming Cup, 340 W. Main St.

The Steaming Cup will continue to serve sandwiches, salads and soups, but Tofte plans to roast the meats, make the dressings and buy seasonal ingredients at Waukesha's farmers market for salads. He'll keep items like the coffeehouse's scones and cinnamon rolls, and add other items such as coffeecake and quiche. The entire menu will be tweaked. "I'm going to make it my own," Tofte said.

What won't change, he said, is the shop's atmosphere and the way the staff interacts with customers. "That's what drew us to the Steaming Cup," Tofte said.

When the Steaming Cup opened 11 years ago, it was the first in Waukesha's downtown to open at 6:30 a.m. Its other innovation was staying open until 10 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays as an alternative to taverns.

The Steaming Cup will remain open daily in the transition, and Tofte expects to extend Monday and Tuesday hours; it now closes at 5 p.m. those days.

Though it's thought of as a coffeehouse, the Steaming Cup also has an expansive selection of teas and the adjoining Spring House Tea Room. Tofte said the room will be more readily available as a quieter place for guests or for groups that want to meet.

Tofte and his wife, who live in Waukesha and are customers at the coffeehouse, had heard the Steaming Cup was for sale and suggested it to a friend who they thought would be interested in buying it, not thinking of it for themselves. Weeks went by, and they decided to "just talk" with owners Kerry and Terry Mackay, Tofte said.

The Mackays took an unusual tack, interviewing potential buyers to see who would be the best fit for the business they began in 2004, after 20 years of researching and planning.

Kerry Mackay said 19 groups or individuals had approached him since the end of March, after he listed what he called a "passion sale" on Facebook, not with a broker — "not so much looking for a guy who wanted a coffee shop, but who has a passion for it," he said.

"I don't want to sell my place to someone who isn't going to keep it running," Mackay added. He looked for a buyer with energy, he said, and who was driven by passion and the love of running the business. "Well, Jason has that," Mackay said.

Mackay noted this would be his second retirement — his first was from Harley-Davidson after 37 years — and he has plans to start another business, making garden accessories with a 3-D printer.

The Steaming Cup, he said, is on pace to have its best year ever.

"It's always good to leave on a winning note," Macay said.

Carol Deptolla is the Journal Sentinel dining critic. She also reports on restaurants, bars and other food- and drink-related businesses. @mkedinercdeptolla@journalsentinel.com