Cookbook Author Plans Milwaukee Pop-Up
Joshua McFadden to host Espresso & Carbonara brunch in Brewers Hill.
Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern
Peanut butter and jelly, chips and dip, spaghetti and meatballs—classic pairings are deeply entwined with dining culture. Could coffee and carbonara be next?
Joshua McFadden hopes so.
The cookbook author is in the midst of a national tour promoting his latest release, Six Seasons of Pasta, along with his favored breakfast combination: espresso and carbonara. On Dec. 22, he’ll partner with La Marzocco to bring the pairing to Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern, located in Brewers Hill at 234 E. Vine St.
The event will take place during regular brunch hours, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., pairing silky carbonara with freshly brewed espresso, the coffee’s bitterness cutting through the rich, creamy pasta.
Though usually confined to lunch and dinner menus, carbonara covers all the bases of a traditional breakfast spread: eggs, bacon or pancetta, cheese and a touch of salt and pepper. Here, pasta stands in for bagels, tortillas or toast as a starchy foundation.
“It’s basically bacon and eggs, so it already feels like breakfast,” McFadden told La Marzocco in November. The upcoming tour stops are “meant to be fun,” he added. “Nothing fussy, nothing overthought. Just good pasta, good espresso and good people. It’s a chance to share this pairing in real life, to cook for folks, and to have those real food conversations I love.”
Carbonara also appears in McFadden’s new book, which pairs the pasta with English peas for a fresh, springtime take on the dish. The full volume features more than 125 recipes, using store-bought pasta as a base for seasonal produce and simple, skillet-made sauces.
Six Seasons of Pasta follows McFadden’s earlier works, including the James Beard Award-winning Grains for Every Season and James Beard Award-nominated Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables. Martha Holmberg co-authored all three.
Other stops on McFadden’s tour include Pal’s in Portland, Lynette in Minneapolis and Mint Mark in Madison.
Copies of Six Seasons of Pasta will be for sale during the Dec. 22 event, and McFadden will be on hand for signings. Uncle Wolfie’s is first-come, first-served, so guests are encouraged to arrive early.
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