Chef Info

Executive Chef Adam Siegel

Originally from the North Shore of Chicago, Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro Executive Chef, Adam Siegel unknowingly began his culinary career helping out at Michael’s, his stepfather’s restaurant, at the tender age of 14. He has since worked throughout the United States with three James Beard Award winning Chefs on both coasts and in some very prestigious Michelin star restaurants in Italy and France. Adam, an alumnus of the culinary school at Kendall College in Chicago received his formative training at Spiaggia under his mentor and James Beard award winning Chef Paul Bartolotta. During his 3 years at Spiaggia, Siegel worked in every station in the kitchen before requesting Chef Bartolotta arrange for him to study with Chef Julian Serrano at Masa’s in San Francisco, where he remained for more than 2 years.  From there, Siegel ventured to Italy for year at the Michelin two star Ristorante San Domenico di Imola with Chef Valentino Marcattilii, returning stateside to open Olives in Washington D.C. with yet another James Beard Award winner Chef Todd English.

When a Chef de Cuisine was needed at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro, Siegel’s credentials made him the obvious choice. In 2000, Paul Bartolotta summoned his protégé home. During the two and-a-half years as Chef de Cuisine, Siegel continued his culinary and cultural education traveling extensively in France studying the nuances of French cuisine and working brief stages at La Regalade in Paris with Chef Yves Camdeborde and at L’Ardoise with Chef Pierre Jay.  Chef Siegel was perfectly prepared for his present position as Executive Chef of Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro.



Since taking over the helm as Executive Chef, Adam has made the menu his own demonstrating three distinctive cooking styles. Les Plats Classique represent Lake Park Bistro’s signature dishes; Les Plats Traditionnel are traditionally prepared Regional French Bistro fare and La Cuisine Modern du Chef are Chef Siegel’s modern and contemporary interpretations of today’s ever evolving French bistro cuisine. In 2005, Adam added to his duties by taking over the kitchen of Bacchus – A Bartolotta Restaurant as its Executive Chef. At Bacchus Adam has broadened his cooking repertoire by creating stellar contemporary American dishes.



In 2007, Adam returned to France to work with Michelin 2 star chef Thierry Marx at his top restaurant in Bordeaux, Cordeillan Bages, and also at Francois Pasteau’s l’Epi Dupin in Paris.  In April 2007 Adam received a James Beard Award nomination for Best Chef in the Midwest. Adam did not take the award that year, but was again nominated in 2008. 2008 would prove to be Adam’s year; he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest 2008 on June 8, 2008.



Since the prestigious James Beard Award, Adam has been cooking with some of the best chefs in the country. In 2009 he hosted a Top Chef dinner in Milwaukee with season three and four winners as well as other top named James Beard Award-Winning Chefs. Thomas Keller also shared a kitchen with Adam in 2009 for an Ad Hoc dinner. In 2010 Adam was a guest on No Reservations, which airs on the food network with host Anthony Bourdain. Adam took Bourdain around town and showed off the cuisine that made Milwaukee famous.