Chefs

Top Wisconsin Chef Lured To Art Institute By Tony Mantuano

Photo: courtesy Jason Gorman

The best-kept secret about midwest dining may be the Indian casinos in Wisconsin; as in Vegas, they’ve seen the value of luring in fine diners to gamble, and have the money to lure chefs who can deliver on that level. That’s how Chicago-born but Atlanta-trained Jason Gorman earned accolades at Dream Dance at Potawatomi Bingo Casino, winning four diamonds from AAA and being called “maybe the state’s best culinary artist” by The Capital Times in Madison. He went on to work at The Iron Horse Hotel and La Merenda in Walker’s Point while planning to open his own place. But the other thing about fine dining in Wisconsin is that major market looming just to the south, and now Jason Gorman has heard the siren call of Tony Mantuano, who was looking for someone to help upgrade food operations at the Art Institute to a level commensurate with his Terzo Piano restaurant there. Gorman will work with the Art Institute’s food contractor, California-based Bon Appetit, as executive chef overseeing everything except Terzo Piano, hoping to increase local sourcing for the first-floor dining and events. [Bobby Tanzilo]

Top Wisconsin Chef Lured To Art Institute By Tony Mantuano