For chef Nick Aprahamian, beer pairing dinner with Fermentorium at Mr. B’s is a family affair
Nick Aprahamian is no stranger to good food. His father was a chef who had him working in the kitchen from an early age. His grandma did most of the cooking for family gatherings, but food was at the heart of everything they did.
In fact, food and family provided the inspiration for an upcoming beer pairing dinner on March 14 at Mr. B’s - A Bartolotta Steakhouse, 18380 W. Capitol Drive, Brookfield. While the restaurant may be known for its wine list, with recognition from Wine Spectator's Restaurant Awards since 2002, this dinner taps into Milwaukee’s brewing history along with Aprahamian’s work and family ties.
Joining the pairing dinner on March 14 will be his cousins: brothers Matt Aprahamian, lead brewer at The Fermentorium in Cedarburg, and Justin Aprahamian, James Beard award-winning chef and owner of Sanford Restaurant, 1547 N. Jackson St.
The five courses will include a menu of wagyu steak, black tiger prawn ceviche, swordfish and smoked duck breast, paired with Fermentorium’s Juice Packets IPA, Crispy & The Bois lager, Divine Sanctuary Chardonnay barrel-aged Belgium style triple ale and Frülingsbock maibock. Tickets are $95. For reservations and details, go to bartolottas.com.
Following high school, Aprahamian attended Waukesha County Technical College for culinary management, then worked his way through various kitchens. Most recently, he was in Las Vegas cooking with James Beard award-winning chef Bradley Ogden before making his way back to Milwaukee and the Bartolotta Restaurant Group, where he is chef de cuisine at Mr. B’s.
Aprahamian recently talked about his background that the upcoming beer pairing dinner.
How family cooking inspired his future
I started off cooking with my father. He had a catering business he ran out of the house, doing festivals, Summerfest, State Fair. He also had a restaurant. ... When I was 18, after I graduated, he moved to Florida. I started cooking at Ward’s House of Prime, then I bounced around through the years to Parkside 23 (in Brookfield), Ferch’s Malt Shoppe (in Greendale) ... Then the pandemic hit. I moved to Las Vegas with my fiancee and three children. I got a job out there as a sous chef, a lot of volume. Then I got a job as an executive chef sous chef at Bradley Ogden’s restaurant (Marche Bacchus).
Eventually, I wanted to be closer to home. Wisconsin is a special place. I grew up across the street from Mr. B’s. Coming back and working at Bartolotta’s, it is a true coming home moment for me.
Cooking has always been his calling
I always wanted to be in the kitchen. My dad’s a chef, and I always gravitated toward it. Everyone else would say they wanted to be doctors and lawyers. I wanted to be a chef.
This brew crew has a long history
This beer dinner came about a month or two ago. I am chef de cuisine and chef Nick Wirth is the executive chef at Bacchus. He grew up with Justin and Matt. They went to the same high school (New Berlin Eisenhower).
Chef Nick Wirth and chef Justin, my cousin, they started at Steven Wade’s (in New Berlin) together. Then both worked at Sanford, where Justin is now, and had a strong background together. When I came along, we thought it would be a fun idea to do a dinner, and to tie (my cousin) Matt in with the beer made a lot of sense.
Why he sees this dinner as an opportunity to learn
I’m a Wisconsin boy. I’m good with a Spotted Cow, but I’m definitely learning. This opportunity to do this pairing dinner with Matt, Justin and the Bartolotta team will help me grow.
Our Aprahamian family is big on family and doing things together. We like to bounce ideas off each other. That’s how we were raised. It is alway a team. This is an opportunity to give the community something unique with Fermentorium and Mr. B’s while showcasing who we are as individuals. It all fits, and the awesome part is we all grew up in New Berlin or Brookfield, so this is our backyard.
How this beer dinner came together
We started with the beer. We went to the Fermentorium. We set up a tasting with me, our general manager, and chef Nick Wirth. We went to The Fermentorium at 10 a.m. on a Monday. We were trying all kinds of beers, a really cool experience...
That day they were also canning their flagship beer, Juice Packets, in front of us. That is part of this dinner. ... We’re pairing that with an olive oil-poached swordfish and sorghum roasted carrot. Sorghum is used in brewing and it gives a similarity between the brewing and the dish to create the pairing.
His favorite part of this pairing dinner
It’s hard to pick one, but the chocolate mint eclair with the chocolate milk stout, that’s going to be something delicious. I’m really excited about that. The chocolate milk stout tastes like Girl Scout cookies' Thin Mint cookies crushed into a beer. This dinner is also right around St. Patrick’s Day, so it is right in season and something people will definitely want to try.
The biggest influence on his cooking
My dad. It all starts with him. Instead of football games on the weekends, we’d cook. He’s done a lot in the community, and that’s my inspiration. He catered Doc Rivers’ wedding.
Something everyone should learn to make at home
We stick to the classics at home. It is as simple as grilled cheese and tomato soup or chili during the winter. My 4-year-old loves to make scrambled eggs, and I think everybody should know how to make scrambled eggs. That’s the first thing you should learn.
One thing that drives him
I want people to eat good food. When they go out to eat, they spend their hard-earned money. Mr. B’s is a special occasion restaurant for a lot of people, so for us it is all about making a memorable and worthwhile experience. We’re known for our steaks here, and they are the best in the area. You can never go wrong with a Mr. B’s steak. I personally like the New York strip, that with some bearnaise and potato puree.
His current ingredient obsession
Mushrooms and morels, definitely. We have a great distributor, Mushroom Mike. He’s got a lot of cool stuff. I also just got back from Chicago, where we went to Supreme Lobster, one of our seafood distributors. We toured the facility with Aaron Bickham and Nick Wirth and two of the new chefs at The Commodore (slated to open later this year on Nagawicka Lake in Hartland). Halibut is coming up and that’s definitely something I’m looking forward to as well. Right now we have a black cod on the menu for Lent and fish fry season.
Fish Fries: 6 reader-favorites in the Milwaukee area that had our dining critic hooked
Where you’ll find him when he’s not working
Out to eat at other restaurants, trying to learn and see what others are doing, and expanding my palate. I have children, so when I have the opportunity to go out, I visit local restaurants in Milwaukee. Last week I went to Bacchus and Lake Park Bistro. Lupi and Iris was pretty good on a recent visit. I also go to Sanford, of course.
What he wants others to know about his hometown food scene
There’s something special going on here in Milwaukee. There is definitely competition; well, not so much competition, as a lot of options. Coming from Vegas, where I was, there was a collaborative scene. I hope in Milwaukee we can continue to grow that up and be more interactive with other restaurants in the city. That’s something I look forward to seeing.
Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email clewis@journalsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: March beer pairing dinner at Mr. B’s is a family affair
