MILWAUKEE — Many small businesses were able to hang on and survive during the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

One Milwaukee cafe is one of them, and that owner is working to let others experience her culture through food. 

Since she could remember, Johanna Ortiz has always had a passion for baking. After starting a business in her home selling food and baked goods many years ago, she wanted a place she could call her own.

“Our vision coming here was so that everyone could enjoy baked goods everyday and just not on the weekends,” said Ortiz. 

Her cafe has been a part of the Milwaukee community for two years now, but with the ongoing worker shortage, she said it’s had its challenges.

“We make it work because we’re all family so we all pitch in,” she said. “We’re all working long hours. It’s hard sometimes.” 

Ortiz runs the business alongside her husband Juan, and many other family members like her children, mother, and nieces.

At Johanna's Cakes & Desserts Cafe, you’ll find traditional Puerto Rican dishes like peril and arroz con gandules, which is slow roasted marinated pork and the island’s traditional rice dish. Also a popular pastry are the quesitos, which are made daily with both guava and cheese.

Ortiz’s son, Josue Mendoza, is a cook at the cafe and said there was no better place he could have brought his kitchen experience. 

“When my mom offered me a position here, it was a no-brainer,” said Mendoza. “You need a lot of hands. It’s not a one person job.” 

Ortiz said she grew up just a few blocks down from where her business now stands in a neighborhood she said will always feel like home. 

“Not even in my wildest dreams [I] imagined that this would be ours, and that we would have a business here,” she said. 

She keeps the value of family close to her heart and even considers her customers family. She said she will continue to work to keep a piece of her culture and traditions alive through food, so close to the place she grew up and still calls home. 

The cafe is located at  1239 S 11th St. in Milwaukee.

For more, visit https://www.facebook.com/Johannascakesmke/ or https://johannascafe.com/.