A tall guy, grill and little white lie led to catering firm
When Dan Nowak found himself looking forward to waiting tables more than anything else, that should’ve been a sign that food was his calling.
He started out small, beginning Tall Guy and a Grill Catering, doing what he knew best: picnics and tailgating. Less than a decade later, the 37-year-old and his wife, Amanda, gave up their day jobs and bought a building at 6735 W. Lincoln Ave. They now have 23 employees and cater corporate events and 75 weddings a year. This year, they’ll host their first farm dinner July 14 at Andrew Maple Hill Farms in Janesville.
Food roots
We were always cooking in our family. My great-grandparents came to this country from Sicily on my mom’s side. There were the cliché things … tomato sauce, meatballs and pasta.
Then, like a lot of people, my dad was the grill master outside. He did nothing in the kitchen, but everything on the grill. He’s Polish and taught me there. When I started the business in 2009, I thought OK, I know how to grill and I know Italian food. Let’s do tailgates and picnics.
Growing a business
It was 2010, it was super slow, and I was in back grilling up some food. Two friends were helping and talking up my food to a couple. They said, “We told them you do weddings.” I had no plans to do weddings. What? We did their wedding a year and a half later.
My wife and I got married in 2011. We bought a house in 2012. My wife quit her job like a week later to help me. In July of 2013, I quit my job…
In the beginning, it was just my wife and I. We call the that the “Wild West Days.” In 2014 we did 24 weddings. Last year we did 75 weddings.
From finance to food
I had an internship at a CPA firm downtown, but my last year of college I was working and had a job at a restaurant downtown. That was my first job waiting tables, at Turner Hall. Some days at my internship, I was almost counting down the hours to go work at the restaurant. That’s counterintuitive.
Why West Allis
We ended up in West Allis because we needed more space, the price was right and the city has been very probusiness. They’re putting their money where their mouth is, with the development by the farmers market and the National Avenue corridor. My wife and I actually have a house in West Allis, too.
Scratch cooking
A reason for making everything from scratch is my wife. When we were first dating, she went to a doctor and had itchiness. He said you have to use this lotion for the rest of your life. She said no, saw another doctor who said it is what you’re eating.
So we started paying attention to what we’re eating. We pick up a can of beans and there are 12 ingredients? Shouldn’t this be beans and water and salt?
Eating and environment
We have a composting program and work with Compost Crusaders. From day one, all of the disposable products we use are recyclable and can be thrown into a compost bin.
All the napkins and plates can go in the compost, but also the silverware, which is all made from palm leaf or sugar cane.
We bring compost bins to all our offsite events, like weddings. We come back and dump it in our compost. Our garbage is collected once a week, and that thing is never full.
Local love
I’m the president of a local nonprofit, Local First Milwaukee. We have over 200 independent businesses. Roughly half of our membership has less than five employees.
Self-taught start
Five years ago it was just me, teaching myself. There’s no cookbook that tells you how to cater. Well there are, but you can’t just multiply and it will turn out. It won’t.
What’s in a name
Not much magic, just my one creative stroke of genius in life. People always call me tall, I’m 6-5 (6 feet 5 inches) and I’m always the guy who brought the grill.
Vegetable love
People are paying more attention to vegetables. We’re not reinventing the wheel. We use Oro di Oliva from Wauwatosa village, Penzey’s cracked black pepper and fresh garlic. That’s it. If it’s cooked right, it is going to taste great.
First farm dinner
We’re holding a farm dinner in July. We’re working with a friend of ours. Her parents have a farm, Andrew Maple Hill Farms. Even if the weather isn’t great, they have a building where they’ve hosted events. We’re capping it at around 70 people. Tickets are $75 for dinner. For an extra $50 you get transportation and we’ll add a cocktail and a little something to eat.
Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email nstohs@journalsentinel.com.