The Pfister Hotel's executive chef Brian Frakes has been named the Chef Honoree for the 2014 Wisconsin Restaurant Association (WRA) Education Foundation Salute to Excellence Awards. The award celebrates his volunteer work and commitment to the community.
Frakes, who has served as a member of the WRA board of directors for the past two years, has also served as a local mentor for ProStart, a nationwide, two-year WRA program for high school students that develops the best and brightest talent into tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice industry leaders. In that role, he spends time helping teams improve plate presentation, knife skills, teamwork, workflow, restaurant management and more.
Frakes also volunteers at Catholic East Elementary School, speaks at various high schools about the restaurant industry, is a regular advisor for Milwaukee Area Technical College, and serves as an externship mentor for the Culinary Institute of America, Le Cordon Bleu, Johnson and Wales and Kendall College. He is actively involved with the American Liver Foundation, March of Dimes, American Cancer Society and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
Chef Frakes will be honored at the WRA Education Foundation’s awards celebration at Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan on Oct. 19.
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.
