Bartolotta Restaurant Group's John Wise tells us that Paul Bartolotta does battle with his friend Mario Batali Sunday at 8 p.m. on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America."
When the OnMilwaukee.com staff visited Bartolotta in his Las Vegas restaurant last year, none other than Batali was planted at the restaurant's bar -- in trademark Crocs -- enjoying a drink.
Wise says that Bartolotta's Chef Adam Siegel will make his national debut on the program as an assistant to Bartolotta.
"Speaking of Adam," adds Wise, "one week from 'Iron Chef' finds him in New York walking the red carpet at the James Beard Awards, where he is nominated for the second time for Best Chef Midwest. Joining Adam and his wife will be a contingent of Bartolotta folks cheering him on."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
