Bartolotta’s Award-Winning Chef of 20+ Years Is Leaving the Restaurant Group

Adam Siegel has played a large role in the restaurant group’s growth over the years.

The word is out about James Beard award-winning chef Adam Siegel. The executive chef is leaving The Bartolotta Restaurants, after more than two decades.

The company issued the following statement about Siegel, including the plans for his replacement:

Chef Adam Siegel will be departing The Bartolotta Restaurants to pursue other opportunities. After 20 + years with the company, The Bartolotta Restaurants is grateful for Chef Siegel’s contributions, leadership, and overall commitment to the company. During his tenure, he contributed to the company’s growth from three locations to 17, including fine dining, catering, food halls, and airport locations, and he helped turn Lake Park Bistro into a Milwaukee dining destination. Chef Siegel received his formative training at Spiaggia in the early 90s under Chef Paul Bartolotta; and he worked as an extension of Chef Bartolotta throughout the years, and their careers have intertwined ever since.  The Bartolotta Restaurants wish him the best of luck and will cheer him on as he continues his journey. 

 

The Bartolotta Restaurants is pleased to share that Chef Aaron Bickham has been promoted to Corporate Executive Chef for The Bartolotta Restaurants. A classically trained chef with a diverse knowledge of cultures and cuisine, Chef Bickham will oversee menu development, culinary leadership, operations, and guest experience that have come to define The Bartolotta Restaurants portfolio as well as coaching, mentoring, developing, and recruiting culinary talent in this role. Chef Bickham has been an integral part of the culinary team on and off since 2001, and his overall understanding of hospitality and restaurant management will be vital as the company continues to move forward.

A little more background on Siegel, who won the Beard award for Best Chef: Midwest in 2008. The Chicago native is a graduate of Kendall College culinary school. For three years, he worked at Paul Bartolotta’s Chicago restaurant, Spiaggia, before moving to San Francisco for a two-year stint at chef Julian Serrano’s Masa. In 2000, Siegel became chef de cuisine of Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro, a position he held for two-plus years. He later took on the role of executive chef of the bistro. In 2005, he picked up the role of executive chef of Bacchus.   


 

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Ann Christenson has covered dining for Milwaukee Magazine since 1997. She was raised on a diet of casseroles that started with a pound of ground beef and a can of Campbell's soup. Feel free to share any casserole recipes with her.