When Sandy D'Amato returned to Milwaukee in 1980, he knew that coming home led him to the perfect place for finding fresh, quality and artisanal ingredients.
Chef D'Amato, a James Beard Award winner, is Milwaukee's best-known local chef and owner of Sanford, Coquette Cafe and Harlequin Bakery, a weekly contributor to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and a Wisconsin Cheese enthusiast.
"I would go on cheese tours in the 1980s, and cheesemakers would bring out amazing, small batch, artisan cheeses. These Wisconsin Cheeses were like pieces of art – small gems made with incredible variety and craftsmanship," said D'Amato. "I'm always looking for distinctive, world-class cheeses to include on my menus, and Wisconsin provides that."
The menu at Sanford's features a Wisconsin Cheese plate, including Pleasant Ridge Reserve, an alpine-style Wisconsin Original similar to the French Beaufort; Surchoix Grand Cru, a specially aged Gruyère; Irish Gem, a Wisconsin Original Cheddar that is surface treated with mold from authentic Irish aged cheeses; Black River Gorgonzola, a Gorgonzola that resembles the creamy sweet milk Gorgonzolas of Italy; and Hidden Springs Driftless, a fresh and creamy sheep milk cheese.
Chef D'Amato graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1974, and worked in several New York City restaurants through the 1970s. In 1980, he returned home to Milwaukee's John Byron's Restaurant where he received national attention in Food & Wine magazine as one of the top 25 "Hot New Chefs." In December of 1989, D'Amato and his wife, Angela, opened Sanford Restaurant at the former site of his father and grandfather's grocery store. It has since received accolades locally and nationally in Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Wine Spectator, Milwaukee Magazine, Chicago Tribune, New York Times and Esquire.
Chef D'Amato shared a favorite late-summer recipe with the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) using Wisconsin Asiago and Fresh Mozzarella to enhance the full flavor of Eggplant "Parmagiana" and give it a Wisconsin twist.