Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/106621
O n a chilly afternoon, the honey-colored walls of Harvest restaurant glow warmly in the sun. Throughout the dining room, crisp white tablecloths, high ceilings and brass fixtures create a mood of understated elegance, while Tami Lax can be found exactly where you���d expect: standing by the kitchen door, helping one of the restaurant���s two chefs taste and tweak a new dish. With the telltale hospitality of a long-time restaurateur, Lax, the founder and owner of Harvest and co-owner of The Old Fashioned, strides over and warmly offers a cup of tea before sitting down. It���s been nearly 13 years since Lax opened Harvest���s doors���an impressive age for any restaurant. And they are decorated years at that, with accolades for its chefs and locally sourced menu coming from near and far. But Lax carries no pretentions. In fact, when it comes to Lax and her restaurants, there���s almost no better description than ���down to earth,��� both for her personality, and her entire history with food. If you want to know the roots of Harvest, or its perpetually jampacked neighbor, The Old Fashioned, you won���t find them in a culinary school. Instead, Lax���s classroom has been, and continues to be, the rustic wilds of northeastern Wisconsin. And few in Madison have done as well as Lax at translating those tastes and traditions into bustling restaurants off the Capitol Square. So what has been her secret ingredient for success? Over the next two hours, as smooth jazz music floats in the air and distracting aromas waft from the kitchen, Lax opens up about her unexpected journey to becoming a chef and restaurant owner. From an early career in retail to her confident leap into the kitchen of the worldrenowned and innovative chef Odessa Piper at L���Etoile to the unexpected health scare that changed her entire perspective forever���Lax dishes up her story. 44 BRAVA Magazine February 2013 Let���s start from the beginning. After college you went from working in retail to becoming chef de cuisine at L���Etoile. What a big leap! How did you end up in this line of work? In college I studied a combo of business and art and wanted to own a gallery. Then I saw that The Exclusive Company was looking to expand its chain. As a music lover, it was my dream job. So I was there for just under 12 years. But eventually I was ready for a change. I enrolled at the Cooking Institute of America in New York and they said that before you can be accepted you have to work in a restaurant for two years. That���s how they weed people out. So I went to L���Etoile and saw Odessa Piper. I said, ���Here���s my background. Here are my plans. I���m wondering if I can do some kind of apprenticeship with you?��� I interviewed with her for two days and she took a chance on me. That seems like such a bold move���not just to move into a new industry, but to walk into one of the most revered places in that industry and say, ���You should hire me.��� Were you nervous? No, I was excited about a new beginning! You ended up working with Piper for five and a half years and never went to cooking school. How did the experience of working at L���Etoile influence you? I don���t feel that my life would be where it is right now without my time with her. She has influenced so many people, as far as understanding the importance of buying local. But she also influenced my attitude about what a restaurant should feel like when you walk in. I remember that first climb up the stairs to L���Etoile and to meet Odessa. She came walking out