On Thursday in the Matousek Auditorium at the Milwaukee Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, 5000 W. National Ave., veterans and employees will be treated to a cooking demonstration and free samples of food from award-winning chef Justin Carlisle and Milwaukee Veterans Affairs Medical Center dietitians.
The demos, which take place at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., will feature a warm bean salad and lentil soup from Carlisle, an Army National Guard veteran.
"We chose these recipes since they are naturally low fat, high fiber and high protein," said Julie Haase, deputy clinical nutrition program manager, in a press release. "This is something veterans and employees can learn from. Chef Carlisle is going to show us ways to prepare these foods in new ways, with herbs and spices for flavor, instead of salt. People will be amazed at how easy and tasty good, nutritious meals like this can be."
Door prizes will also be available for veterans who register at the event.
Carlisle has been building accolades since he opened his restaurant, Ardent, in 2013. He has won several awards, including "Best Restaurant in Wisconsin" by the Business Insider; "15 Best New Restaurants" by Conde Nast Traveler; and was a semifinalist for best new restaurant by the James Beard Foundation. He is also the only finalist from Wisconsin for the 2017 James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
