How will Milwaukee chefs fare when Food Network plucks them out of their cooking comfort zones and challenges them to create winning dishes in an unfamiliar kitchen?
You can find out tonight (Sept. 27) when five area restaurant owners showcase their talents on the new Food Network show "Bite Club."
Even better, you can join a host of other Milwaukeeans at a special big screen viewing party at Company Brewing, 755 E. Center St. Get more details here.
What to expect
Among the show’s participants are Caitlin Cullen of The Tandem who serves up comforting Southern-style fare while supplying substantial employment and culinary training for members of the community, and Barkha Limbu Daily of the cheel, a restaurant that has diversified the North Shore’s palate with a menu of delicious Himalayan-inspired cuisine.
The show also features Aaron Patin of Iron Grate BBQ Co., a chef with a fine dining background who gave up the glam to create true Milwaukee-style barbecued meats; Matt Kerley of Bodegon/Hotel Madrid, an upscale dining experience with a focus on Spanish cuisine; and Frankie Sanchez of Sabrosa Café and Gallery, a neighborhood cafe serving up Mexican specialties and fresh, comforting breakfast and brunch dishes while showcasing local art.
Hosted by Tyler Florence, each "Bite Club" episode brings together five of a city’s most talented chefs to battle it out in a restaurant kitchen in which they’ve never before cooked. Before the competition begins, the chefs participate in an entertaining game of chance, during which two of the chefs are deemed judges for the episode. The three remaining chefs are pitted against one another in two fierce rounds of competitive cooking using a predetermined list of "secret" ingredients.
Episode details
The Milwaukee-based episode, entitled "Taming and Flaming Wild Boar," will air on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. During the show, the chefs will compete at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro cooking up dishes with ingredients like sorghum, black garlic, avocado and wild boar.
The six-episode, Thursday-night "Bite Club" series premieres on Thursday, Sept. 6 at 8 p.m. The first episode features five of Chicago’s most acclaimed chefs in a challenge featuring ingredients including alligator meat. Future episodes will feature chefs in Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Nashville, Tennessee.
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.
