Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/235251
MelindA dorn PAstRY cHef At l'etoile ANd gRAze eliZABeTh dAhl Nominated for Food & Wine's Best New Pastry Chef of the Midwest 2013, it's no wonder chef Tory Miller took Melinda Dorn along to cook at the James Beard House last fall. She's the culinary artist behind every pastry and bread at L'Etoile, Graze and the pop-up bakery that sells 1,000 fresh-baked creations on Saturdays. Even an innovator of divine allergen-friendly desserts, she's working tirelessly to ensure the dining environment is "as inclusive as it can be." More, please! –K.B. Th MiriAM grunes eXecUtive diRectoR, ReAP food gRoUP For the last decade, Miriam Grunes has been linking farmers, food service providers, chefs and eaters. Her commitment has raised $3 million, placed salad bars in 22 Madison public schools and garnered more than $100,000 in USDA funding to grow that program. Through REAP's efforts, last fall every MMSD student—all 27,000 of them— had the opportunity to eat locally grown produce at school. Her continued efforts will help cultivate a more healthful world, one meal at a time. –K.B. s odiehe TABle: e fo T iT To es ging Avor Brin loc efs & eNs ch kitcH gRA PHoto 48 PHed bY Pete bobbi RseN bRAvA mAgAziNe | JANUARY 2014 eA At dR m PAstRY cHef, co-oWNeR of NostRANo Though a 2013 James Beard semi-finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef, Elizabeth Dahl doesn't rest upon past acknowledgments. Keenly committed to the details of a dining experience, from the careful arrangements of flavors in her desserts to fresh flowers on every table, she's always pushing for excellence. She's even teamed up with other Madison chefs, saying with hopeful promise, "Together we will be a greater voice in this city." It's a statement she'll continue to make on our plates.–K.B.