Bartolotta withdrew from Beard Awards
Chef opens probe into issues in accusation
In the aftermath of last week’s surprising news that the prestigious James Beard Awards wouldn’t be awarded in September to chefs and restaurants after all, it emerged that Milwaukee’s sole finalist, Paul Bartolotta, had withdrawn himself from consideration for the outstanding restaurateur award.
The reason: An unspecified accusation against him lodged with the James Beard Foundation.
In a prepared statement, Bartolotta wrote: “I was surprised to learn of anonymous accusations directed toward myself and The Bartolotta Restaurants organization that have been sent to the James Beard Foundation. We have received no detailed information and have not had a chance to review these claims or determine their validity. Further, to our knowledge, no complaints have been filed either internally or with any outside agencies.”
Bartolotta was among several chefs who fell off the list of nominees, according to online news organization Eater, which apparently was first to report on chefs missing from the finalists.
It noted that the foundation’s website had been updated to reflect the missing names; the website now says, “Several nominees have withdrawn or were removed for personal reasons or because they were no longer eligible for this year’s awards.”
Bartolotta, who declined to be interviewed for this report, also said in his prepared statement: “I take this matter very seriously, and I have authorized and launched an internal investigation by an independent third-party expert that will promptly and appropriately address any issues that may be discovered as a result.”
Previously, brothers Joe and Paul Bartolotta were named semifinalists for the award of outstanding restaurateur, in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Joe Bartolotta, who founded the restaurant group with his brother, died in April 2019; Paul now is its sole owner.
The Beard Foundation in recent years has been a proponent for restaurant-industry reform and has said it would disqualify chefs for reasons ranging from allegations of criminal or unethical behavior to “behavior determined to be detrimental or contrary to the integrity and fair perception of the awards.”
A report by The New York Times this week on the awards cancellation said the foundation also learned that none of the winners to be announced Sept. 25 were Black. The foundation, which did not corroborate the report, in recent years made a commitment toward equality and sought to increase the diversity of its nominees.
Officially, the foundation’s reason for canceling chef awards this year and in 2021 was the difficult climate for restaurants because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach said in a prepared statement that “considering anyone to have won or lost within the current tumultuous hospitality ecosystem does not in fact feel like the right thing to do.”
The foundation also said it will “address any bias and align the awards with the foundation’s mission of promoting sustainability, equity and diversity in the restaurant industry.”
Bartolotta restaurants include Ristorante Bartolotta in Wauwatosa, which reopened in July, and Harbor House at the lakefront, which reopened last week. Mr. B’s steakhouse in Brookfield is set to reopen Sept. 2; the group’s other restaurants, including Bacchus downtown, Lake Park Bistro on the east side and Mr. B’s in Mequon, remain closed for now, after shutting down during the state’s pandemic lockdown.
Paul Bartolotta is the recipient of two previous James Beard Awards — for best chef: Midwest and best chef: Southwest, for his work at Spiaggia in Chicago and Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare in Las Vegas. He previously was a member of the foundation’s awards committee.
In his statement, Bartolotta also said, “Throughout my 40-year career as a chef and 27 years as owner and co-founder of the Bartolotta Restaurants, I have held myself and the members of my organization to the highest ethical standards and worked — professionally and personally — to foster a company culture founded in the tenets of honesty, equality and accountability.”