By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor Published Nov 20, 2012 at 10:20 AM

Chef Michael Feker, owner of Il Mito Trattoria e Enoteca, will soon open a new restaurant in The Knickerbocker Hotel, at 1028 E. Juneau Ave. on Milwaukee's East Side.

The location, formerly the home of Osteria del Mondo, attracted Feker's attention when he first came to Wisconsin in 1997.

"It is only meant to be that the first restaurant that we dined in while doing our market research is where we will be planting the seeds of our growth now," Feker says of the new space.

Feker is an accomplished chef with over 20 years of culinary experience, and has owned restaurants in Los Angeles, Milwaukee and currently in Wauwatosa. He specializes in traditional Italian and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine and is also a culinary instructor, owning and operating CMF School of Culinary Magic.

Feker also ran an Il Mito location in Walker's Point, which closed in 2007.

Feker can also be seen weekly on his own local cooking show, Feker's Kitchen, which airs Fridays at 11:30 a.m. on Fox 6.

Feker's new concept will open in January 2013.

Watch OnMilwaukee.com for additional details.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor

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.