🍩 Bloom Bake Shop cooks up something new

🍩 Bloom Bake Shop To Open Monroe Street Restaurant

• The owner of Bloom Bake Shop has bought the space that formerly housed One & Only and Brasserie V restaurants, about a block away from the bakery at 1851 Monroe St., and plans to turn it into a new restaurant.
• The bakery had to close its in-store cafe as its baking operations expanded. Owner Annemarie Maitri bought the building from the One & Only owners and said the restaurant space doesn’t need much renovation. But she plans to update the kitchen and bathrooms and put her own stamp on it, although she was reluctant to give details. She’s hoping to have the new spot open by next spring. [Isthmus]

🍎 Madison Grocery Share Aims to Help SNAP Recipients

• A group of Madison neighbors have started a website, Madison Grocery Share, that gives locals the chance to help out people whose SNAP benefits have been impacted by the federal government shutdown.
• On the website, those who are offering help can share where they live in Madison and what monetary amount they are willing to share. Those who are seeking help can detail how much help they need, and how they’d like to receive it.
• A day after the website launched, 87 households had signed up seeking assistance. [Cap Times, Madison Grocery Share]

🚧 Nakoma Road and Packers Avenue Finally Reopen

• Nakoma Road fully reopened on Friday after being closed for months for a sidewalk improvement project. A small portion of Manitou Way near Nakoma Road will be closed for three weeks for a utility project.
• On the north side, Packers Avenue is also back open after work on a railroad crossing was completed last week.
• North 7th Avenue between East Washington Avenue and East Mifflin Street will be closed all this week for utility work on a five-story mixed use development at 2430 E. Washington Ave. [City of Madison]

🚨 Madison Nanny Detained By ICE In Milwaukee

• Dailin Pacheco, who served as the nanny for a Madison family for over two years, was arrested by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents recently. Pacheco, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela who has applied for asylum, was detained when she went to Milwaukee for a court-mandated appointment. A friend of Pacheco has set up a GoFundMe to help cover legal expenses.
• 🎧 How to help Madison’s immigrant community: Centro Hispano director Karen Menendez Coller went on the City Cast Madison podcast recently to talk about how to really help and understand what Madison’s Latino community is going through. [Cap Times, GoFundMe, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

Last weekend was the time when I officially accepted the change of the seasons, putting away my short-sleeved shirts and hauling out the sweaters. But along with the cardigans comes a lot of great stuff to do in November in Madison.

On the City Cast Madison podcast today, the gang shares what we’re looking forward to doing and eating this month, as well as what we’re going to do to stay cozy in November.

But one podcast isn’t enough to cover everything happening around town. Here’s some more fun things to do this November!

🎭 A Month of Musicals

It’s a busy November on the local theater scene, and for some reason we’re getting a lot of musicals this month. On the podcast I mentioned Forward Theater’s production of the hit comedy musical “Gutenberg! The Musical!,” running Nov. 6-30 in the Overture Center Playhouse.

Meanwhile, Overture Hall will host the touring Broadway production of “Some Like It Hot,” a musical adaptation of Billy Wilder’s classic movie comedy. It plays Nov. 11-16.

Opera is sort of a musical, right? Madison Opera is bringing Puccini’s “La Boheme” to the Overture Hall stage Nov. 7 and Nov. 9.

Capital City Theatre is bringing back its original musical adaptation of one of the greatest holiday movies ever, “It’s A Wonderful Life,” to the Orpheum Theater for one matinee show on Nov. 16.

🛍️ Shop ‘Til You Drop

Canny gift-givers know to get a jump on their holiday shopping early, and November offers some great ways to find something special for that person on your list. Local record stores are celebrating Record Store Day Black Friday on Nov. 28 with a bunch of exclusive releases from Bob Dylan, Talking Heads, Chappell Roan, and many more.

The 2025 Native Art Market brings over 40 Native artists to Arts + Literature Laboratory on Nov. 8, including beadwork, quilting and leatherwork. Learn more about the art at special workshops, and maybe sign up for a class yourself.