Jamie Nelson Named as New Executive Chef at Milwaukee Art Museum

Jamie Nelson. Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Milwaukee, Wis. – November 1, 2018 – The Milwaukee Art Museum announced that Jamie Nelson has been promoted to the role of Executive Chef for the institution.

She has served as the Museum’s sous chef since 2013, often leading special events menus and rallying staff across multiple food venues in the organization. Nelson has more than ten years of professional culinary experience, including eight years at the Milwaukee Art Museum. She began her career at the Museum in 2010 as the garde-manger and advanced to kitchen manager of Café Calatrava in 2011.

“Chef Jamie has a wide interest in different food cultures and the ability to adapt to different cuisines,” said Mark Zimmerman, Deputy Director of Operations, Milwaukee Art Museum. “Her creative flexibility is a fantastic asset to the Museum, as is her demonstrated ability to lead the team.”

Nelson has worked directly for a variety of executive chefs at the Museum and assisted in the addition of the East End café with the Museum’s major renovation, in 2016.

The executive chef is responsible for creating and managing the menus at all three Museum cafes; the upscale lunch and brunch outlet Café Calatrava, the casual Windhover Coffee and the East End, the newest outlet with light lunch and Thursday night happy hour options along the lake. Nelson will also oversee the menus and offerings at signature events hosted by the Museum and continue to manage the key relationships with regional vendors and farmers that she has established through her years at the Museum.

“My culinary career has come into its own at the Museum, and it has become my home,” said Executive Chef Jamie Nelson. “I take great pride in how creative and talented our staff is, and we ultimately take our inspiration from the art. I look forward to surprising and delighting guests with the connections between what is on the menu and what is on view in the galleries.”

Nelson was officially promoted into her new role as Executive Chef at the Milwaukee Art Museum October 15, 2018.

About the Milwaukee Art Museum

Home to a rich collection of more than 30,000 works of art, the Milwaukee Art Museum is located on the shores of Lake Michigan. Its campus includes the Santiago Calatrava–designed Quadracci Pavilion, annually showcasing three feature exhibitions, and the Eero Saarinen–designed Milwaukee County War Memorial Center and David Kahler‒designed addition. In 2016, after a yearlong renovation, the Museum reopened its Collection Galleries, debuting nearly 2,500 world-class works of art within dramatically transformed galleries and a new lakefront addition. This reimagined space also allows for the presentation of additional changing exhibitions. For more information, please visit: mam.org.

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