As part of the split, Montemurro and Johnson's Mojofuco group will take sole ownership of Comet Cafe, a business they brought the Lucks' on board to manage and give a refresh in 2005. In turn, the Lucks' will inherit full ownership of Palomino and Honeypie Cafe. Mojofuco also retains ownership of Balzac, HiHat Lounge, The Garage, Fuel Cafe, Finks and all BelAir Cantina locations.
"It's all for very positive reasons and we are ending with lots of love for each other," says Valeri Lucks in an email this evening. "We just have different long term goals and being tied together financially was making it harder than necessary for us to pursue them."
Honeypie's bakery will continue supplying baked goods to Comet Cafe, says Lucks. She also noted that there are plans in the works to expand the restaurant's wholesale baking business, which launched the popular PieGram offering in 2014. The pair will operate moving forward under the name PIE Inc.
Watch OnMilwaukee.com for more information on the Pie Inc. expansion as details become available.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
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 every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, 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.
