By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Aug 18, 2014 at 10:03 AM

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.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

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. 

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.