’Tis Dining Month, the tastiest time of year! This means we’re dishing up fun and fascinating food content throughout October. Dig in, Milwaukee! OnMilwaukee Dining Month is served up by Potawatomi Casino Hotel.
Longtime Milwaukee Chef Paul Funk has joined the team at the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel where he will oversee culinary operations, including Tre Rivali and The Outsider.
He brings two decades of experience to the proverbial table, including his passion for bold Mediterranean flavors. In fact, under his purview, he plans to expand the menu at Tre Rivali to include a larger swath of the Mediterranean region, including dishes from Turkey, Syria and Morocco.
“We’ll always have an Italian base,” Funk notes. “But I’m excited to branch out and introduce bold, communal flavors from across the Mediterranean. These cuisines really focus on the joy of sharing dishes with friends and loved ones and I want to incorporate more of that spirit into our menu. I’m planning on introducing a large-format dish that will be on the menu year-round and that is perfect for special occasions.”
Funk’s passion for food was ignited early on by the classic folk tale “Stone Soup,” and he learned the foundations of cooking from his grandmother before he could reach the stovetop without a stool.
His approach to cuisine has been shaped by work at restaurants as varied as Toscani da Sempre in Florence Italy – where he mastered Italian techniques including crafting sheep’s milk ricotta, butchering meats and crafting salumi – and Hinterland Milwaukee, where he headed up the restaurant’s charcuterie program. Most recently, he lent his skills to the culinary outlets at Grand Geneva Resort and the St. Kate - The Arts Hotel, where he explored nostalgia and communal dining through the recreation of beloved regional dishes.
As Chef Funk takes the helm at the Kimpton Journeyman, he is eager to enhance the guest experience and continue the hotel’s tradition of hospitality through his leadership of the property’s culinary offerings, including banquet and catering services.
“There’s something special about this place,” said Funk. “Tre Rivali and The Outsider are unique spaces that bring together a community of talented people, and I’m excited to be part of it.”
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 each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “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 recording the FoodCrush podcast, 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.
