With its new cheese shop and bar in Walker’s Point, Lake Geneva-based Hill Valley Dairy is looking to carry on a legacy of urban cheesemaking while adding to the neighborhood’s ever-vibrant dining and nightlife scene. The business’s local operation, known as Hill Valley Milwaukee, opened in late November at 138 W. Bruce St., taking over the
Already a subscriber? Log in
To continue reading this article ...
Subscribe to BizTimes today and get immediate access to our Insider-only content and much more.Learn More and Subscribe Now
Ron and Josie Henningfeld. Contributed photo[/caption]
The couple moved out the city in 2014 to start a family. When they launched Hill Valley Dairy a couple years later, they continued to utilize Clock Shadow Creamery's production space -- the first and only cheese factory in the city of Milwaukee -- to make their products.
"If we wanted to survive as a business or even create our business at that point, that was kind of our only option," said Josie. "So we were really thankful to Bob for allowing us to build off of what we had started within the Clock Shadow (factory) and then just to create our own thing."
For the Henningfelds, a driving factor in creating their own venture was the ability to support Ron's family's third-generation dairy farm in East Troy. All Hill Valley Dairy cheeses are made exclusively with milk from Romari Farms, currently headed by Ron's eldest brother.
Hill Valley made its debut at farmers markets, with the Henningfelds spending many weekends at as many as five markets in the span of four days -- all while parenting two children then under the age of four.
"It was pretty grueling," said Josie.
They found their current Lake Geneva storefront in 2021 and decided to plant roots there as "the next best way" to continue growing and building a customer base, Josie said. Located on downtown's popular Broad Street, Hill Valley has a cheese shop with an adjacent cheese bar that serves beer and wine.
Returning to Milwaukee
The opportunity to expand Hill Valley's physical footprint to Milwaukee came in December 2023, when Willis reached out to the Henningfelds with news that Clock Shadow was downsizing and relocating operations to Cedar Grove's headquarters in Plain.
"He offered for us to take over the lease, and after thinking about it, it was the right next step for us to be able to continue to make more cheese, but then also branch out and build the business even a little bit bigger," said Josie.
After finding success at their Lake Geneva cheese bar, the Henningfelds decided to duplicate the concept and "take it a step further" by partnering with Milwaukee-based NiteCap Beverage Consulting to craft an initial selection of six cocktails to pair with cheese on the menu, including those made from cow, goat, and sheep milk as well as blue cheeses. NiteCap is run by the owners of Lost Whale cocktail bar in Bay View.
"What we really wanted to do was to create kind of a culinary experience around cheese and cocktails rather than it just be something that you either have to go to the deli to grab or to go to a bar just to get a nice cocktail," said Josie. "We wanted to try to blend the two together a little bit."
[gallery td_gallery_title_input="Cheese and cocktail pairings at Hill Valley Milwaukee. " columns="2" size="large" ids="603450,603449"]
The goal is also to educate patrons on the various cheeses -- all of which are available for purchase at the shop's cut-to-order counter -- and their makers.
"Our hope is that you come in to either the retail (portion) or the cheese bar and you're able to learn a little bit more about your products and so that you feel comfortable venturing out and finding your new favorite cheese," said Josie. "We're there to open the door and have conversations with people and tell the stories of the farmers that help us get the food there in the first place."
The overall experience patrons will find at Hill Valley Milwaukee is meant to not only stand out from, but also complement the existing establishments that have made Walker's Point a popular dining and nightlife destination for locals and visitors alike, said Josie: "While you're waiting for your table at Fixture Pizza, you can come hang out with us, have a drink, eat your appetizer, and then go out. Or, if you've gone out to dinner at all these places, come have your nightcap with us."
The neighborhood has grown and evolved immensely since Clock Shadow first opened in 2012, Josie said, so taking over the prime corner storefront has allowed the Henningfelds to reintroduce themselves to the community while carrying on the previous occupant's legacy of urban cheesemaking.