James Beard-winning chef Adam Siegel to open fine dining restaurant in downtown Milwaukee
Jordyn Noennig
The newest fine dining restaurant by James Beard Award-winning chef Adam Siegel is coming to downtown Milwaukee's 7Seventy7 building in spring 2022.
The restaurant, Lupi & Iris, will feature Mediterranean cuisine found along the French and Italian Riviera.
Siegel partnered with architect and commercial real estate developer Michael DeMichele to create the space.
"Michael and I are excited to bring a completely new restaurant to Milwaukee. We both have a passion for food and dining excellence and want the city to have another signature restaurant it can be proud of," Siegel said in a news release.
Siegel and DeMichele met years ago when their children both attended the same grade school. The pair connected over their passion for food.
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“Adam and I both come from families where well-made, flavorful food is extremely important. For each of our families, it was a point of pride,” DeMichele said in a news release.
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The restaurant name, Lupi & Iris, honors family members who remind both the chef and developer of cherished times in the the kitchen.
Lupi is the name of Siegel's late father-in-law, who would spend hours talking with Siegel as he cooked. Iris is the name of DeMichele's Italian grandmother, who immigrated to the U.S. and cooked family meals.
The Lupi & Iris space, at 777 N. Van Buren St., is 10,500 square feet.
The restaurant will feature six dining and drinking areas, including a large outdoor patio, U-shaped bar, elevated lounge, spacious dining room, chef’s counter and private dining room for banquets and special events.
Siegel was a longtime chef with the Bartolotta Restaurants, overseeing Lake Park Bistro and Bacchus. He was with the company for 21 years and won a James Beard Award for best chef in the Midwest in 2008.
Prior to moving to Milwaukee, Siegel worked at the Spiaggia in Chicago, Masa’s in San Francisco, the Michelin two-star San Domenico in Imola, Italy, and Olives in Washington D.C.
DeMichele moved to Milwaukee in 1995 and has helped develop the Milwaukee Ballet's headquarters, school and performance space, WANTABLE.com's headquarters and cafe, and the headquarters for Dohmen Life Science Services.
The 7Seventy7 building is a 35-story tower with 310 high-end apartments. The $100 million project, developed by Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co., was completed in 2018.
The restaurant will take the space of Urban Market grocery store, which closed in July 2020.
Jordyn Noennig covers Wisconsin culture and lifestyle. Follow her on Instagram @JordynTaylor_n. Find her on Twitter @JordynTNoennig. Call her at 262-446-6601 or email Jordyn.Noennig@jrn.com.