THE INTERVIEW – Dane Baldwin of The Diplomat

the Interview Dane Baldwin Chef and owner LAST MONTH, Dane Baldwin became one of only five Milwaukee chefs to earn The Diplomat what’s considered among the most prestigious national recognitions of culinary talent: 815 E. Brady St., Milwaukee a James Beard Award. The 40-year-old chef and owner of The Diplomat, a neighborhood thediplomatmke.com restaurant serving modern-American cuisine on East Brady Street in Milwaukee, was named “Best Chef: Midwest,” putting him in a category with the likes of notable local chefs Sanford D’Amato, Adam Siegel, Paul Bartolotta and Justin Aprahamian, who was Milwaukee’s most recent Best Chef: Midwest awardee in 2014. BizTimes associate editor Maredithe Meyer caught up with Baldwin to discuss his latest achievement. it makes you realize that to be recognized for something like this is such an honor, and you know how much work goes into it, there have been What does winning a James Beard Award mean to you and for The Diplomat? early mornings and late nights. And I don’t want that to be confused for

“It means a great deal to me, and I know, (my wife) Anna, it means a sense of burden at all because we’re entrepreneurs, so it takes a little a great deal to her. My kids are walking around tall these days, as they bit of extra gumption to do anything we do anyway. But to know that it’s usually do, but as to say they’re very proud. So, it’s fantastic to know – being recognized and well received by so many is such a great feeling, it not in an effort to toot my own horn at all – that a lot of people who I’ve really is. worked with have said, ‘You are one of the hardest-working guys that I’ve “We’re seeing a lot of new faces in the restaurant – it’s so nice to have worked with.’ I do have a certain drive to just keep pushing forward, and that kind of exposure. Obviously, we’re in the business of return visits,

so hopefully people will learn something new or find a new spot – that’s something we’ve experienced over time anyway, but maybe just a little bit more these days.”

How do you expect the James Beard title to impact business long term?

“There’s no doubt that it’s going to open doors to other opportunities, whether that means collaborations within the city or outside the city. What it means for The Diplomat is it shines a light on the things that obviously got us to this point, and we’ll look to continue to do those things. We’ve been improving since we opened the doors, and I suppose that this (award) would be a sign of that.

“I don’t necessarily set an expectation on ‘what does this mean?’ or ‘how can I use it to achieve X, Y or Z,’ but I think honestly, we’re just going to appreciate it and try to do our best to do it justice. It’s definitely something that is going to carry with us our whole career long. That’s how it works. It is such an honor, and we’ll see where the spotlight takes us.”

What’s kept you in Milwaukee your whole career?

“Well, at one point I had a plan to move to Chicago. But I had gotten a promotion at Carnevor, and it seemed like the right thing to do to stick it out. It was an opportunity for me to kind of see what I got, so to speak. You know, my family is here. Chicago is not that far, but it felt right to stick around. I’ve really been able to be immersed in a career here in a city that has changed tremendously from the hospitality environment to the art world. I’m very happy that I made the decision to stay. I think I still got the curriculum that I needed here in the city, and everyone always says you get out of it what you put into it, and I think that’s true no matter where you are. Seattle, Chicago, San Fransisco or New York – those places are still there. We can go visit, we can still appreciate what they have to offer, but there’s something to be said for staying at home.”

How have you seen Milwaukee’s dining scene evolve?

“There are more owner-operated restaurants now, and I think that the personality of a space is felt a bit more through that. … I think that that’s a big thing: the personality that a diner feels when they walk into the space is more aligned with the owner-operator. … I feel like there’s such a drive for concept, you know, ‘What’s your concept?’ That’s important because you want to be able to clearly express who you are. … I think that the personality behind the plate or what’s in the glass, people have more access to, it’s more closely related now than it was when I first started (my career).”

Tell me more about the concept behind The Diplomat and how it’s reflected in the menu.

“When we’re putting together dishes, first and foremost, it has to be something that we enjoy. There’s this thought that you cook what you like to eat, and I think that’s naturally true, but there have been times where I’ve had an idea, we’re going through the process and we put it on the plate, and we’re just like, ‘That’s not right.’ I think it’s really important to draw that line and say, ‘You know what? This is still in the works. We should definitely continue to work on this before we put it on the menu.’

“There’s a lot of wood shedding that goes on before you would see (the dish), and I think it’s really important that that be one of your (business) tenants – that what you’re presenting you’re very proud of. And that’s being honest with oneself and saying, ‘I didn’t hit a home run this time, and I should probably wait.’ And by doing that, by having that check point, what makes it through is represented as good, honest cooking. And that’s really what we do well.” n

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*Among the UnitedHealthcare Level Funded plan sponsors who were MMAC members, 28.7% received a surplus refund in 2021, the average of which was $9,300. UnitedHealthcare internal reconciliation analysis, Jan. 1, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2021. Please consult a tax and/or legal advisor to determine if, by receiving this refund, there are any restrictions or obligations. Surplus refund available only where allowed by law. Administrative services provided by United HealthCare Services, Inc. or their affiliates, and UnitedHealthcare Service LLC in NY. Stop-loss insurance is underwritten by All Savers Insurance Company (except CA, MA, MN, NJ and NY), UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company in MA and MN, UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance Company in NJ, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of New York in NY, and All Savers Life Insurance Company of California in CA. B2B EI221554556.0 5/22 © 2022 United HealthCare Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 22-1424434-B