Tucked into the city of Fitchburg, but still a reasonable distance from downtown Madison, Oasis Cafe is, indeed, an oasis away from it all. The space is bright and inviting with tables outside that stretch across the long entrance to the building, complete with a dreamy, European-looking pergola overhead. Walking in, you almost forget that you are in a rather industrial area of Fitchburg.

Choosing from the wide selection of beverages and food items is a tall order, although the baristas are eager and happy to give recommendations. Across from the display case of frosted delicacies sits an equally delicate display of locally curated artisanal goods, perfect for browsing while you wait for the caffeine to kick in. The truth is, this isn’t just a place to just grab a cup of joe and leave. And while takeout is always an option, you wouldn’t get the full experience of the place if you didn’t linger here for a while to soak up the vibe. This is a place where tables are filled with regulars as soon as the doors open at 6:30 a.m. most days, a place where hobby groups, local politicians, and others are often seen grabbing a drink or delicious breakfast sandwich and staying for a couple of hours.

Although the business originally started in 2011, Casey Thompson took over ownership of Oasis Cafe in July, 2024. He loves seeing all the regular customers and feels a sense of community when he can remember their orders and notice that they feel comfortable returning again and again. He also appreciates the fact that Fitchburg is made up of folks from all walks of life and loves when someone new discovers their space.

Casey and his husband also own and manage a few other businesses in the area including Fair Trade Coffee on State Street. Casey is business-minded, having worked in a corporate position prior to owning his coffee shops. “Although I liked my corporate job,” Casey admits, “I wanted to change my path and become a full-time business owner. I have always wanted to own my own businesses for as long as I can remember, and I have always been entrepreneurial. When this opportunity came up, it was exactly what I needed to be 100% on my own.”

He explains, “It has been said that many small businesses fail not because the entrepreneur isn’t passionate about the business they are in, but because they didn’t have a solid background in business.” He loves the fact that his background in business allows him more time to focus on his favorite parts of working in the cafe: His time in the kitchen and providing the best hospitality to their diverse guests.

Madison Roots 

Casey grew up in Verona and has lived in Wisconsin his whole life. In his very limited spare time, he enjoys riding his bike and spending time in the countryside. “It’s where I do a lot of my thinking,” says Casey. “I also spend time in the woods in the fall cutting firewood. You could say that this is my meditation time where it is just me and the woods.” Another favorite pastime is spending quality time with his two nieces.

It is obvious that he takes his contemplative time and his time spent with family and channels that peaceful energy into the way he runs his business. He is down-to-earth and pragmatic, bringing a hopeful and wise enthusiasm to the way he talks about his staff and the patrons that visit each day. Casey also affirms, “As an LGBTQ owner, I do find that I have more focus on inclusion, which I apply to everyone I encounter. Since each person comes from different backgrounds and has different beliefs, I can be tolerant of most any perspective and opinion without making judgements solely on a person’s beliefs. We experience all types of people at Oasis, and in my opinion, each one needs to be treated with the same loving hospitality regardless of their viewpoints.”

Mornings In the Kitchen 

“I really love cooking and baking,” Casey tells me, “but I only really like to do this in a commercial kitchen and not so much at home. There’s just something about working in a commercial kitchen: I’ve got all the tools, I can throw flour around and make a mess, and then bring the garbage can over to clean it up. I frequently work on the line in the kitchen, and I also do lots of the baking, which is my favorite part. I currently bake all of the dessert bars, sweet breads, scones, spicy cheese rolls, and quiches, amongst other seasonal baked items.”

Casey’s eyes light up talking about how he was once able to fix a piece of kitchen equipment when it broke down. “I have always had an attraction to commercial kitchen equipment and love figuring out how each piece works,” he says. And as I listen, it is easy to see that this job is his passion project. He loves every aspect of it, even the parts that might frustrate another business owner. To him, it’s all a part of the bigger puzzle of business ownership.

Another huge part of that puzzle is the cafe’s impressive menu. The Deluxe Breakfast Sandwich with bacon comes out quickly after I order. It’s a lightly toasted spicy cheese bagel, almost croissant-like, flecked with bits of some kind of hot (but not too hot) pepper, and features scrambled egg, Monterey jack cheese, avocado spread, garlic aioli, spinach, and tomato. The display case of pastries and desserts makes it hard for patrons to choose just one, but the scones are guaranteed to hit the mark with the perfect flaky balance of frosting to pastry ratio. If you stay long enough for lunch, make sure to grab some pelmeni. The pillow-like dumplings are a perfect comfort food for a cold Madison afternoon. The pelmeni is a “holdover from the previous owners, who own Paul’s Pelmeni downtown,” and it was apparently too popular to not keep it on their menu.

Local or Bust 

Casey learned pretty quickly that running a locally owned shop means they aren’t trying to compete with places like Starbucks. “In general, people who like Starbucks are a completely different customer base,” he says. “You’re competing with hospitality, things like whether or not you have good drinks or good food.” Casey explains that his customers generally prefer to shop locally, and prefer the more intimate feel of a small business.

He also works with staff to provide the same mindful and welcoming hospitality to everyone who places an order. “I don’t want people to feel bad about changing their order after they receive it, for example. There are always going to be mistakes, but it is how you react to it. We tell our staff, ‘Don’t ever ask the customer if you can remake it, tell them that you are going to remake it.’” He also mentions that when it comes to the staff themselves, he tries to provide as much opportunity as possible for them to grow within their own careers, even if that means they might leave for something new. The restaurant industry itself has a lot of turnover, especially being in a college town, but Casey understands that folks might get opportunities that they can’t turn down. He supports them either way.

Casey appreciates that he lives only a few minutes away from his shop and loves being able to support other local Fitchburg businesses and organizations when he can. “I am grateful for the community. Everybody is very friendly and outgoing, and there is a very diverse crowd of folks here. I feel like we really try to cater to that.”

It is obvious that Casey has placed a lot of thought and care into each aspect of running his business: From waking up early to bake, to supporting his staff, to fixing his kitchen equipment, and even sourcing local artisans. This is a project of love for Casey. And when there is love in the kitchen, there is love in the food.