Since Sucre opened two months ago, the square’s newest sweetspot has generated a fair amount of buzz. The patisserie presents downtown Madison with a different way of thinking about dessert, and a different way of thinking about business. Owner Punky Egan has transformed a former fast food joint into a Euro-chic cafe-- complete with environmentally friendly touches such as low VOC paint, locally forested sugar maple flooring, and takeout containers made of cornstarch-- with the help of employees who visibly share her passion for the sweet life.

Josh Wright, Sucre’s manager and pastry chef, earned his culinary degree at MATC and after stints at L’Etoile and Harvest, he headed out to California to hone his craft. He tells me in a slightly sheepish tone, "I left the week after my wedding, and I was gone for a year and a half." The time was well spent; Wright was at esteemed culinary school Le Cordon Bleu for a year and then worked for five months as a "stage" (chefspeak for "apprentice") under renowned pastry expert Elizabeth Falkner at Citizen Cake, a San Francisco patisserie/bar/eatery dubbed "The Pastry Chef’s Restaurant." Upon returning, Wright felt he owed his teachers a debt of gratitude. He wanted the freedom to share what he learned, and when the opportunity to work alongside MATC instructor Punky Egan at her new downtown space arose, Wright was the perfect candidate.

I caught up with him late in the afternoon after Sucre had been open just shy of a week. Customers were gasping over the impeccable pastry case, commenting on the brightly hued edible decorations adorning each dessert, the gigantic blackberries on an individual crème brulee, the liberal swath of caramel upon a dainty éclair. One woman approached Wright at the counter to inquire about possible options for her diabetic friend. "She can drink her dessert!" Wright passes her a copy of Sucre’s thorough yet particular wine list, singing the praises of some of their sweet liqueurs and dessert wines. He seems to be only half joking, and continues by telling her that they will eventually offer fresh local fruit and berries, perhaps accompanied by local cream.

Wright allows me a peek inside their kitchen. Having heard the refrain "Sucre opened in a space which was formerly a McDonalds" I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I am blown away by their massive workroom (which, incidentally, is as spotless as Sucre’s pristine front countertops). A parade of tiny chocolates perch on the stainless steel countertops, and Wright points out their rows of German deck ovens used to bake the exquisite pastries and sweets that are the staples of Sucre’s menu. "Everything is made here. Everything is assembled here. I was producing up until three o'clock."

I ask Wright to pick a favorite from their colorful array of sweet options. He readily answers, "Tradition is very important… I like the classical things." He speaks of the Opera Torte, a striped confection of fluffy almond biscuit, chocolate, and espresso buttercream, as being an especially appropriate choice owing to Sucre’s proximity to the Overture Center. And then Wright pauses, and nods toward the Sacher Torte. "I have to say, I really like the story behind this one." Wright goes on to tell me, in detail, the history of the Sacher Torte: Franz Sacher, the teen apprentice to the chef of Prince Metternich, is called to substitute for the sick chef on a night of great importance to the prince, who ordered Sacher to create a magnificent dessert for his revered acquaintances. The result, a rich chocolate almond cake with a layer of apricot preserves and a silky coat of chocolate ganache, was a legendary success.

Punky Egan arrives with her son, Jeffers, and as he heads back towards the kitchen and Wright turns his attention to polishing the gorgeous La Marzocca espresso machine with a bright orange cloth, she and I settle into a sumptuous white leather banquette. I could definitely see myself sitting in one of these until the wee-est of hours. I ask her what’s with the four flat screen plasma tvs on the wall? Turns out they are not placed there for Badger fans or ubiquitous silent movies, but as a frame for her son’s artwork. He’s created a graphic animation, a moving and evolving abstraction dreamed up specifically for Sucre. Jeffers, an internationally acclaimed visual artist, is responsible for the entire restaurant’s design, which is comfortably contemporary. There are no omnipresent retro French advertisements or tacky Parisian prints hanging on the walls here—instead a simple mural of bright orange circles, a Lucite countertop reflects in the window, cool chrome table bases briefly catch the eye before one gravitates towards the real art: the pastries. The stark white walls are warmed by areas of exposed brick, glowing teardrops of light, peach-hued flower petals floating in glass, red-tipped yellow tulips bouncing out of orange bud vases.

"Orange is my favorite color," Punky admits, "A little orange goes a long way!" Egan is a Fox Valley native and a 22-year teaching veteran. When I ask Egan how she got her start as a baker, she recalls baking a cake as a Mother’s Day surprise out of the Betty Crocker "Cooking for Kids" cookbook—a book she still has. She went on to get a bachelor’s degree from UW-Stout and eventually became a Certified Master Baker, an accolade held by less than 150 bakers in the country. Egan is balancing her job as instructor of baking and pastry art at MATC with managing the day-to-day minutiae of owning her own business. Her dedication to both her students and her storefront is palpable. "I’m always encouraging people to reach their goals. And I have a great, young, energetic staff that really keeps me going!" As an instructor, she says that one of her own goals is that her students will "eventually get enough experience to open their own bakery." One of her former students opened The Baker’s House, in Minoqua, while several others are working as bakers at Epic. In fact, Egan originally mulled over partnering with some of her students, who eventually opened the successful Madeleine’s Patisserie on Madison’s West Side.

"But I really wanted to be downtown. I knew it would have to be the perfect location, the perfect building. Here they were already putting a new façade on this building... everything just fit." She recalls a conversation with her friend Susan Schmitz (president of Downtown Madison, Incorporated): "Susan said, what Madison really needs is a European style bakery right downtown." Egan speaks of how traditionally a bakery used to be an important centerpiece of any downtown area, and that tradition has been experiencing a renaissance of sorts in recent years. Indeed, Sucre seems to perfectly encompass the fusion of downtown American tradition and uptown European tradition, in a way that reflects Madison’s growth as a cultural center as well.

Sucre adds something delightfully different to the downtown palate. "I really want to have budding pastry chefs and bakers do some wild and crazy things here, things that Madison needs." In addition to some of the classics on the menu that Wright is fond of, there are confections on the menu that may be hard to pronounce but prove easy to enjoy: the Caramel Feuilletage, puff pastry paired with Madagascar vanilla and a chocolate banderilla or the Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte, a chocolate biscuit with vanilla and chocolate chantilly cream and delicately spiced cherries. Standbys like carrot cake and lemon tart are also available, but rendered in a fashion far more artful than the typical plated slice or slab. Here, the carrot cake is a dome-shaped, with a whimsical buttercream carrot carefully placed in its center. The miniature lemon tart is crowned by fresh blueberries, and green and white stems fashioned out of white chocolate that has been deftly tempered across a sheet of acetate.

Sucre also offers breakfast pastries such as scones, danishes, and a delectable anise-flavored Gibassier, light lunch fare during the day and cheese plates (cheeses carefully curated to pair with their wine list along with housemade crackers and bread) at night. Lunch at Sucre "won’t ever be a big hunk of chicken on a plate—that’s not what we’re about!" Instead, one can order a sandwich on housemade focaccia or peasant bread, to be accompanied by a light side. "Maybe organic coleslaw, with carrots and apples, in a light, sweet vinaigrette," Egan muses, "and a little chef’s choice dessert. Our lunch will always come with something sweet."

The two page wine list reads like a dessert menu as well. Italy’s Planeta St. Cecilia is described as "strawberry cake+carob+pomegranate." Austria’s Velich Darscho Chardonnay: "allspice+roasted almonds+whipped cream." The desserts are listed with suggestions for wine pairings, a user-friendly approach that appeals to those less acquainted with European flavors. And though its sleek surroundings may indicate otherwise, all menus are reasonably priced—- two can easily get a dessert and a glass of wine each for less than $25. Egan recalls the tantalizing experience of being in Paris, and feeling adventuresome when it came to tasting the wine and food. She wants the customer to truly have an experience at Sucre, and part of that experience is a little sense of that adventure. "I want to challenge the customer’s tastebuds a little bit, but still have chocolates always on the menu."

Egan admits that the challenges of owning her own business can be time-consuming. "I get a chance to walk my dog [a beautiful German shepherd named Cosmo] for about 15 minutes a day... The night out with the girls has been on hold for awhile." However, opening her own space, sharing her innovative approach to dessert in Madison is definitely worth it. "I think just sitting in this space, just the fact that I provided this is fun to think about. But I can think about it for just a minute!" And then it’s back to working on sweet success.

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WSJ Marketplace: Sucre brings a sweet touch to the Square