We’re thrilled to welcome The Bartolotta Restaurants back to Kohler Food & Wine and enjoy a taste of artfully crafted fare from their collection of chefs.
Chef, Owner, and Cofounder
Four-time nominated and two-time James Beard award-winning Chef Paul Bartolotta is the cofounder and owner of The Bartolotta Restaurants, a nationally recognized restaurant and catering organization. Cofounded with his brother, Joe Bartolotta, the business has grown to become the premier culinary brand in the Greater Milwaukee region, offering first-class service and cuisine across a portfolio of 17 one-of-a-kind restaurants and catering facilities. An internationally celebrated chef and restaurateur, Chef Bartolotta has shared his culinary talent in kitchens around the globe—from Paris to New York to Las Vegas—for more than 30 years, and he has been instrumental in shaping Milwaukee’s culinary scene since The Bartolotta Restaurants launched its first concept, Ristorante Bartolotta dal 1993.
Chef Bartolotta graduated from the Restaurant and Hotel Management Program at Milwaukee Area Technical College in 1980, and began his professional training in New York with famed restaurateur Tony May. With May’s support, Chef Bartolotta traveled to Italy and France, and trained in some of the countries’ most prestigious restaurants. In 1994, Chef Bartolotta received the James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest for his work at Chicago’s Spiaggia; and in 2009 he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest for Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas.
Chef Aaron Bickham serves as Corporate Executive Chef for The Bartolotta Restaurants. A classically trained chef with a diverse knowledge of cultures and cuisine, Chef Bickham oversees menu development, culinary leadership, operations, and guest experience that have come to define the company’s restaurant portfolio, as well as coaching, mentoring, developing and recruiting culinary talent. An integral part of the culinary team on and off since 2001, Chef Bickham’s understanding of banquet operations, catering, menu development, and restaurant management are vital to Bartolotta’s ongoing success. Chef Bickham previously served as the company’s Corporate Executive Sous Chef, and has worked alongside such acclaimed chefs as Bill Kim and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Chef Miles Borghgraef serves as Chef de Cuisine at Joey Gerard’s – A Bartolotta Supper Club that embraces a casual dining experience while paying homage to the Midwest supper clubs that rose to popularity in the 1930s.
Chef Borghgraef began his career with The Bartolotta Restaurants in 2009 as a sous chef for Ristorante Bartolotta dal 1993, before being promoted to Chef de Cuisine for Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro in 2012.
He successfully opened and operated his own restaurant, Birch + Butcher, for four years – earning Best New Chef, Milwaukee, and Best New Restaurant accolades in 2018 – before returning to The Bartolotta Restaurants as Chef de Cuisine at Joey Gerard’s.
Chef Amber Dorszynski serves as Executive Chef of Mr. B’s – A Bartolotta Steakhouse, in the city of Mequon, Wisconsin. A veteran of The Bartolotta Restaurants family, Chef Dorszynski opened Mr. B’s in 2017, helping establish its reputation as Mequon’s destination for prime steaks along the Milwaukee River. Prior to the opening, Chef Dorszynski served as Executive Chef of Joey Gerard’s – A Bartolotta Supper Club, in the same building.
Chef Dorszynski joined The Bartolotta Restaurants in 2010, beginning as a line cook at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro. After spending three years honing her craft, she was appointed Sous Chef of Joey Gerard 's in Mequon in 2013, and two years later she was promoted again to Executive Sous Chef of Mr. B's – A Bartolotta Steakhouse in Brookfield.
Chef Dorszynski credits her passion and interest in food to a childhood spent watching television cooking shows on Saturday mornings with her father. She was so inspired that she would often cook dinner with her family as a means to practice her skills and test her recipes. After spending time as a child and teenager cooking every meal possible for her family and friends, she decided to make it her profession.
Chef Dorszynski holds a degree in culinary arts from Madison Area Technical College.
Chef Michael Genre serves as the Chef de Cuisine at Harbor House, a New England-style seafood restaurant set on the shores of Lake Michigan. As a veteran culinary professional with a true love for working in the kitchen, Chef Genre began his career with The Bartolotta Restaurants in 2011 as the lead line cook at The Rumpus Room. During his career he has also graced the kitchens of Bacchus – A Bartolotta Restaurant, he was the Executive Sous Chef at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro and is now at home in the kitchen at Harbor House.
Chef Genre holds degrees in Culinary Arts and Supervisory Management from Milwaukee Area Technical College. His dedication to excellence has elevated him to his current position where he displays expertise in fine dining and seafood, leadership and management, menu development, mentoring, and administrative skills.
Angela Rondinelli serves as Executive Chef of Downtown Kitchen, an urban food hall located within the U.S. Bank Center in downtown Milwaukee. An experienced chef and a member of The Bartolotta Restaurants family since 2016, Chef Rondinelli is responsible for overseeing one of the most versatile dining programs in the organization’s portfolio, and a multipurpose facility that operates multiple food stations while accommodating guests and events on a daily basis. Chef Rondinelli previously served as Executive Chef and Sous Chef at the acclaimed Mason Street Grill in downtown Milwaukee, and as Sous Chef of Chicago’s Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba.
Amanda Strandt serves as Executive Chef of Mr. B’s – A Bartolotta Steakhouse, in Brookfield, Wisconsin. At the helm since 2018, Chef Strandt oversees the kitchen specializing in one of the region’s most extensive selections of steaks and helps to maintain the restaurant’s status as “One of America’s Top Steakhouses,” an honor bestowed by The Daily Meal. As Executive Chef, she has curated a menu of classic steaks and chops, seafood, traditional dishes, and the restaurant’s famed meat and seafood combo dishes. Chef Strandt joined The Bartolotta Restaurants in 2014 as Executive Sous Chef of Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro, before moving into a similar position at Bacchus – A Bartolotta Restaurant. She has also trained in many of The Bartolotta Restaurants kitchens, including Harbor House, Joey Gerard’s – A Bartolotta Supper Club, and The Rumpus Room – A Bartolotta Gastropub.