A former Fitchburg furniture store previously — and briefly — occupied by nonprofit Little John’s will be the new home of Blue Plate Catering, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. Blue Plate co-owner David Porto bought the building on Oct. 24 for $2.2 million with his brother, Michael Porto, and Blue Plate founder and Chief Executive Jodie Fowler.
The three are renting the 24,500-square-foot space to Blue Plate, which they own with three other partners. Construction work on the 5302 Verona Road spot is set to be completed by mid-August. The new building will provide space for food preparation, and a banquet room with a 150-person capacity will host corporate meetings, trainings and other events.
Blue Plate’s current lease on an 8,000-square-foot space in the Holy Name Heights building, in the Diocese of Madison on High Point Road, extends through the end of 2025. The business is Madison’s largest catering company, born out of Food Fight restaurant group’s Monty’s Blue Plate Diner on Atwood Avenue and employing 32 full-time workers. Blue Plate caters 3,000 to 3,500 events annually.
