The wagyu bavette steak sizzles on the charcoal grill, its juices and fat – infused with the perfume of rosemary and time – dripping onto the briquettes and combusting into plumes of flavorful smoke that vaporize and rise back up into the meat. Glossy asparagus cooks alongside, basted with rich beef fat. Both rest atop a bed of luxuriously silky pommes purée—stretchy, creamy, and rich with Gruyère.
This is just one of the new dishes that Chef Adam Kemmler will officially debut this week on the menu at The Edison, 322 N. Broadway. And it’s among a cadre of creations that connect with guests through a sense of familiarity and nostalgia while incorporating an elevated spin that takes their culinary experience to a new level.
“Our goal is to provide great hospitality and great food,” says Kemmler. “We want this to be a place where folks can come as they are, have a nice night out and enjoy something that they may never have experienced before.”
From Pittsburgh to NOMA
Kemmler’s culinary journey began in Pittsburgh, where he took on his first job at a neighborhood deli while balancing a passion for competitive diving. While completing a vocational culinary program in high school, he moved from slicing sandwiches to the fast-paced world of a high-volume Italian kitchen and subsequently a more refined Italian eatery.
At Il Burloni, he deepened his skills while also diving into the food truck scene, working the late shift on a local hot dog truck. “I wouldn’t say I was good at cooking,” Kemmler admits. “But I got creative and I learned versatility and flexibility.”
By 2018, he’d worked his way up to a sous chef position at Burgh Bites, where he stayed, assisting them in getting through the first year of the pandemic.
“By then, I knew I needed to take the next leap,” he says. “I originally looked at moving to Chicago, but ultimately ended up moving to Milwaukee, where I got a job working with Chef Andrew Schneider at Le Reve Pâtisserie & Café. He’s an amazing teacher, and I learned so much about team-building and how to treat people.”
A few months in, Schneider found him an opportunity to intern at Noma in Denmark. Kemmler spent every dime to get there and, over four months, worked his way up to section lead.
“We worked 16-hour days,” Kemmler recalls. “But I found my groove and I learned to be professional to the very highest degree. While I was there, I learned that I could be in the room, take charge of the situation and get the job done.”
During his time there, he also experienced René Redzepi’s “Masterclass in Leadership,” a practice during which Redzepi intentionally gets to know his staff on a personal level, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, promoting bonding, creating community and fostering a more cohesive and connected team.
“He came over every day and talked to each one of us,” Kemmler says, “But it was never about work.”
Kemmler planned to stay in Denmark until he got notice that his grandfather had contracted COVID-19.
“I was very close to him, and he had helped me to fund NOMA,” he says. “Unfortunately, things progressed really quickly and he passed away while I was on my plane ride home. I stayed in Pittsburgh for five days, and then I went back to Le Reve.”
Months later, he read about Lupi & Iris, which every local publication predicted to be the biggest opening of the year. He applied for a position as a line cook, working his way up to the role of sous chef.
“I was so grateful for the opportunity,” he says. “Chef Siegel was a mentor and a sounding board, and I learned so much. But as the months wore on, I found myself needing to take a breath. I was away from home, emotionally stressed and I needed to rethink things.”
After taking some time off, and working for a bit at Third Coast Provisions, he applied for a position at 1033, the hot new wine bar and small plates restaurant in Walker’s Point. “It was such a unique experience,” he says. “I loved the chance to talk to customers. And I took the opportunity to explore and create. It really brought all of my culinary experiences together in one place.”
When 1033 closed, Kemmler went back to Lupi & Iris where he ultimately fell into the opportunity to work with Don Young of Duck Sel, a secretive and adventurous fine dining pop-up concept in Chicago. It was a one-of-a-kind experience, but Kemmler says he knew he wanted to stay in Milwaukee. So, he applied for the executive chef position with Benson’s Restaurant Group at the end of 2024.
“I love it here. It’s a great place to raise a family,” says Kemmler. “And ultimately, I’m glad my plot to go to Chicago didn’t go through.”
Fancy, but still fun
After six months establishing his stride and running specials to determine what dishes would resonate with guests at The Edison, Kemmler has introduced numerous new dishes to the menu, with a few more dropping this week. His philosophy is simple.
“We’re really starting to focus more on seasonality,” says Kemmler. “But, beyond that, I want to give my staff fun stuff to make and offer the guests fun things to eat.”
His playfulness and creativity are evident in dishes like Mussels steamed in a vegetable stock made with kitchen scraps, beer reduction and cream and served with candied pine nuts and crostini ($14, dinner menu).
The creamy beer stock combined with the beer-nut-like pine nuts give the dish a profile that’s casual and comfortably Midwestern.
Kemmler designed these Ham & Cheese Croquettes to resemble “the ham and cheese sandwich of your dreams”, showcasing 6-year Carr Valley Cheddar, Berkshire ham, panko breading and the lightest whipped honey mustard you’ve ever tasted for dipping ($14). They’re debuting on the appetizer side of things this week.
He also reimagined The Edison’s signature burger as a butter burger topped with American Cheese, housemade beef fat mayo, precisely three pickles and a topping of bone marrow butter on a Rocket Baby brioche bun ($18, lunch and dinner menus). You can also get them as sliders for $10 during The Edison’s Happy Hour.
On his Instagram profile @ChefSnacksMKE, Kemmler posted a photo of the burger with the description: “Think Culver’s except that burger grew up, moved out of state, got an awesome gig, started a family…. Wait? That sounds vaguely familiar?”
He enhanced the lunch menu with this Hanger Steak featuring grilled shio koji marinated steak, caramelized onions, blue cheese and arugula on Rocket Baby ciabatta ($18, lunch menu).
The steak is complex and flavorful accompanied by the sweetness of the onions, the funkiness of the blue cheese and the slightly peppery vegetal notes of the arugula.
For those who appreciate fish, there are two new dishes. Coal-fired steelhead trout has been on the menu for a bit, while a new dish featuring butterflied dorade (sea bream) will debut this week.
Steelhead trout is treated to a koji marinade that offers up flavor and ensures a crisp exterior when the filets are grilled. It’s served with the crispiest duck fat hashbrowns flavored with thyme and rosemary over a pool of chilled vichyssoise with a salad of what Kemmler calls “not so fines herbs”, a mix of chives, chervil and parsley ($28, dinner menu).
The dish brings together crispness and rich flavor while still offering up a delicate freshness from the vichyssois and herbs.
The Dorade, on the other hand, debuted in early June, but will officially be a fixture on the menu starting this week. It’s butterflied and served with a fume beurre blanc made from crab shells and the heads of the dorade. It will be served alongside a citrus salad featuring Cara Cara oranges and fennel ($39).
Kemmler admits that pastry is not his forte, but he’s still passionate and determined to create desserts that pique an interest and make guests smile.
Such is the case with the Cosmic Brownie, which doesn’t taste like a cosmic brownie but offers the appropriate nostalgia in the form of both its appearance and texture ($8).
In the end, it’s a tasty chocolate sheet cake that’s been compressed to give it the appropriately fudgy consistency. It’s finished with a dense layer of frosting and a cheerful scatter of multi-colored sprinkles.
“It’s a throwback to childhood when you would leave a Cosmic Brownie in your pocket all day, and then it would be all melted and mashed when you need it most,” says Kemmler with a whimsical grin.
His butterscotch pot de creme with pecan pie crumble is – on the other hand – more for the adults. But it solidly offers a buttery, creamy butterscotch flavor with a sweet, salty and nutty topping. Simple, but satisfying ($12).
“I’m excited for the future and the things that we can introduce to Milwaukee,” says Kemmler. “We have a lot of really fun stuff coming up and I’m very excited to move forward."
The Edison is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Enjoy happy hour Monday through Friday from 3 to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 3 to 4 p.m.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
.jpeg)
