After a Memorial Day weekend soft opening, Supernova Coffee & Doughnuts has officially opened their doors at the 3rd Street Market Hall, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Owned and operated by Avenue Coffeehouse proprietors Sara Lewkowski and Aaron Ruiz, the new coffee shop occupies a prime location at the front of the food hall where they are now serving up a menu of coffee, espresso drinks and housemade doughnuts.
On the coffee side, guests can order coffee made with a custom Supernova coffee blend from Anodyne, along with a laundry list of specialty lattes, including delicious options like the Black Hole (blackberry, lavender, white chocolate) and the beautifully flavorful Cosmic Latte featuring white chocolate, caramel, vanilla and … glitter!
On the doughnut side, guests can expect a variety of classic yeasted doughnuts, all gilded with a variety of different housemade frostings.
However, guests will also have the opportunity to enjoy a unique style of doughnut: the potato doughnut. Made popular by the Spudnuts chain in the 1950s, these raised doughnuts are made with a combination of flour and potatoes, resulting in tender, airy doughnuts with a distinctive flavor and texture. At Supernova, they’re served with a simple, sweet housemade glaze.
Moving forward
“We’re learning so much as we go along,” says Lewkowski of their time thus far at the Market Hall. “We’ve hired some really great employees, and we’re excited to be open. We love the area, and we really love being in a place where we can work with so many other vendors.”
In fact, working with other vendors will be a focus at Supernova. Lewkowski says they are currently pursuing collaborations with Mid-Way Bakery, who will supply apple Danish filling for forthcoming Supernova apple fritters. They are also working on a puppy chow doughnut in collaboration with the folks at Hot Dish Pantry.
Lewkowski says they’ve intentionally started off slowly to get their bearings. However, she says old fashioned cake doughnuts will be introduced at Supernova soon. She’s also perfecting a recipe for gluten-free vegan doughnuts, which she hopes to be able to introduce in the coming months.
Soon, guests can also look forward to fast, easy service, thanks to Supernova Coffee & Doughnuts convenient pick-up window. located just off of Wisconsin Avenue. Lewkowski says they should have the window up and running by the end of June.
Supernova Coffee & Doughnuts is currently open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Supernova is looking for a few fun, energetic employees to join their team. Open positions include baristas and at least one doughnut-maker-in-training. Serious inquiries only. Interested parties can send their resumes by email to supernovaCND@gmail.com for consideration.
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.
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