By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Mar 22, 2023 at 10:14 AM

The historic Ambassador Hotel, now part of the Trademark® Collection by Wyndham will be reopening its hotel restaurants: The Fitz, Gin Rickey and Deco Cafe.

The restaurants, which have been closed since the start of the pandemic, will reopen under the guidance of Juan Pablo Vallejo Martinez, who will take on the role of executive chef at the hotel.

The Deco Café and Gin Rickey have reopened as of this week, while The Fitz will be reopening for dinner service beginning Thursday, May 4.

May 4 has also been declared “Ambassador Hotel Day” by Mayor Cavalier Johnson in honor of the hotel’s 95th anniversary.

“We are so excited to be welcoming back Chef Juan and his wonderful team who worked with us for many years prior to the pandemic,” noted general manager, Jon Jossart. “His creations in our Envoy restaurant, which was later rebranded as The Fitz, received rave reviews and we will be bringing many of these favorites back.”

Guests at the hotel can also look forward to a new experience as rooms are upgraded with new flooring, draperies, furniture, mattresses and Apple TV, allowing guests to use their own home streaming services while staying at the hotel.

In tandem with the reopenings, the hotel has also added a catering division, which will allow The Ambassador to service off-premise events. Customers will be able to place their catering orders through the website at decocateringmke.com soon.

“A lot of exciting things are happening to our historic property,” said Jossart. “The Ambassador is a gem for the City of Milwaukee, our job is to continuously polish it and keep it sparkling well into the future.”

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

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 each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. 

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, 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.