Pizza Man has announced the hiring of Zachary S. Baker as Executive Chef for the restaurant, which is scheduled to reopen in June at the corner of Downer and Belleview on Milwaukee’s East side.
Baker, who hails from Door County, spent the last ten years working with the Bartolotta Restaurant Group, six years at Ristorante Bartolotta in Wauwatosa and most recently as Chef de Cuisine at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro.
"I’m excited about getting back into Italian cuisine, my favorite food," Baker says. "The challenge for Pizza Man will be expanding to a larger restaurant and duplicating the food everybody came to love over the years. I think there will also be room for growth and some new items on the culinary side as Milwaukee has experienced a definite uptick in ‘foodie’ culture the last couple of years."
Pizza Man plans to bring back approximately 85% of its original menu, including classics like artichoke a la mode pizza, when it reopens.
Baker, whose love for Italian food plays a large role in his cooking philosophy, says that procuring good ingredients and treating them "simply" is the key to success.
"I try to stay out of the way of the food’s natural flavors. I approach food like a folk songwriter; I’m not looking to break new ground, I just want to sing you a song that might be new to you but somehow feels familiar and grounding at the same time."
Watch OnMilwaukee.com for more news as the Pizza Man reopening approaches.
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.
