For this, Chef Justin Johnson's third and final stop in the James Beard edition of The Engine Room series, he found himself far outside the posh and pricey metro Milwaukee Downtown at Meritage on Vliet Street, a mere bean bag toss from Wauwatosa.
La Merenda, Beans & Barley, Meritage and Hinterland will help Milwaukeeans provide safe drinking water to children around the world as part of the United Nations' World Water Week, March 19-25. They will offer patrons the opportunity to donate $1 for the tap water they normally enjoy for free, joining hundreds of restaurants across the country in support of the UNICEF Tap Project.
Meritage chef and owner Jan Kelly is still stunned that she is a semifinalist for a James Beard Foundation Award. Kelly is among 20 persons named semifinalists for the prestigious best chef's award in the Midwest region. Dan Van Rite of Hinterland and Justin Aprahamian of Sanford are also on the list, which will be narrowed down to five next Monday.
The list of restaurant and chef semifinalists were announced today for the 2012 James Beard Foundation Awards, the nation's most prestigious recognition program honoring professionals in the North American food and beverage industries. Semifinalists for this year's awards were chosen from 28,000 online nominations, and Wisconsin-area restaurants and chefs were nominated in three categories including Best Chef in the Midwest, Outstanding Bar Program and Outstanding Wine Program.