Photo by Jeff Schear/Getty Images for The James Beard Foundation
James Beard award winners Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger of Fairchild.
Itaru Nagano, front, and Andrew Kroeger of Fairchild in the spotlight at the James Beard awards ceremony.
When reached by phone Tuesday, Fairchild chef Itaru Nagano had only one regret from Monday’s James Beard Awards ceremony at Chicago’s Civic Opera House.
“I wish I would’ve thanked my mentors,” Nagano said. “Chef James Tracey [of New York City’s Craft] and chef Tory Miller [of Madison’s L’Etoile].”
Otherwise, it was a perfect night for the understated Nagano and partner Andrew Kroeger, who claimed the Best Chef: Midwest award for the work they’ve done at their Monroe Street restaurant. After delivering brief remarks, the two exchanged a big hug, left the stage and bailed on the proceedings to celebrate over dinner elsewhere in Chicago.
Established in 1990 to recognize the country’s best restaurants, chefs and other food and drink professionals, the Beards are the most publicized and recognizable awards in the American restaurant industry. The Midwest region includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Nagano and Kroeger’s victory marks the third Beard win for a Madison restaurant. Chefs Odessa Piper and Miller each won for their work at L’Etoile, in 2001 and 2012 respectively. The pair met in 2013 as sous chefs in Miller’s kitchen at L’Etoile.
In Chicago, both chefs were surprised to be named winners of the first regional award presented Monday night. With an earnest grin, Nagano thanked the Fairchild team, business partners and farmers, as well as his wife Nancy “for understanding the hard work the kitchen takes.”
Kroeger thanked his partner, Marlee, and daughter, as well as the James Beard Foundation and Nagano, his “best friend, who I get to cook with every day.”
Fairchild opened at 2611 Monroe St. in 2020, just prior to the pandemic shutdown, and the chefs spent much of their first year in business preparing carryout orders. I wrote in December that there’s a strong L’Etoile influence at Fairchild — its seasonal menu features the bounty of nearby farms, along with fresh fish and handmade pasta — but with a more casual vibe. Service is purposeful and un-rushed. That has helped make it one of Madison’s toughest reservations since its dining room reopened.
Francesco Mangano, of Madison’s Osteria Papavero, was also nominated for the award, making this the first year two Madison kitchens were in the running for the region’s top chef. Gregory León of Milwaukee’s Amilinda was also nominated. Milwaukee chefs have won the award four times.
