Daniel Bonanno is a Kenosha Native and owner of the restaurant Pig in a Fur Coat in Madison, WI. Daniel was nominated in 2013 as the Rising Star Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation and was recently named a semifinalist for the 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest. For those less familiar, James Beard awards are like winning an Oscar for a chef.
Daniel is an alumni of Kenosha’s Bradford High School, the French Culinary School Le Cordon Bleu, and Apicius International School of Hospitality in Florence, Italy.
You may be asking yourself… well why is KCFB spotlighting Daniel? We chose to introduce Daniel Bonanno this month because he will be our guest chef for KCFB’s first Farm to Table fundraising event later this summer. We are honored to have Daniel dedicate his time and share his talent with us to raise awareness about food insecurity in our community and assist in KCFB fundraising.
When asked what skills or characteristics he believes enabled his success from his beginnings at Tenuta’s Deli to being a semi-finalist of the James Beard award, Daniel shared hardwork and listening to those around him as critical characteristics that have helped him throughout his career.
Daniel said he chose to come back to Kenosha because “it has a special place in my heart and it has a growing food scene.” On top of that, Daniel said he believes in KCFB because food insecurity is real. He sees first-hand the disconnect between how much food is thrown away in the restaurant industry and the needs within a community. He shared with us that based upon his experience in the restaurant sector as much as, “1/3 of the world’s food is thrown away or not properly used”.
When Daniel is not cooking, he can be found enjoying music, playing chess, and being around friends and family.
Three words Daniel uses to describe himself are thoughtful, aware, and kind.
KCFB extends our gratitude to Chef Daniel for his partnership in supporting the Kenosha County Food Bank. And make sure to visit A Pig in the Fur Coat for award winning food when you are in the Madison area!
