ABOUT US

Andrew's aspirations to work in the food industry began at an early age. While growing up, he was fortunate to travel with his mother’s meeting and event planning company where he was exposed to a diverse array of cuisines and food operations. Andrew toured a culinary school at the age of 10 and landed his first kitchen job at 14 flipping burgers at Kopps. 

During high school Andrew took a job at a local sushi restaurant where he worked on perfecting his knife skills and learning Japanese cuisine. Eager to start his professional career after high school graduation, Andrew moved from Brookfield, Wisconsin to Chicago, Illinois. He enrolled in the Le Cordon Bleu program at The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago while working full-time at the Aria restaurant in the Fairmont hotel. 

In 2007, Andrew moved back to Milwaukee to work at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro where he was quickly trained on every station in the kitchen. However, his desire to travel soon beckoned him to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he was immediately hired to work at Alan Wong’s Restaurant on the island of Oahu. He spent nearly 5 years in Hawaii exploring an uncharted variety of ethnic food styles and (of course) enjoyed life under the sun.

In 2013, Andrew decided it was time to move back to his roots in Wisconsin. He returned to the Bartolotta restaurants as Sous Chef at Harbor House. He then transferred to Joey Gerard’s – Mequon as a Sous Chef, and was quickly promoted to Chef de Cuisine. In 2016, Andrew moved to The Rumpus Room as Executive Chef where he honed his craft by pairing his culinary offerings with the extensive craft beer, whiskies and cocktails of the gastropub.

In 2020 when COVID-19 forced restaurants to close the doors to indoor dining, Andrew saw the desire that families had to bring the restaurant experience to the safety of their homes. This led him to start A to Z Dinners.

Andrew currently lives in Waukesha with his wife Kristine and his daughters Aubrey and Elsie. When he isn’t cooking, Andrew loves to travel, ski, golf, ride his bike, and relax at the lake.

Lauren grew up appreciating great cuisine along with her foodie family, who have strong roots in cooking and restaurant ownership. Her first restaurant job was tossing pizzas at Door County’s Pasta Vino, and working the front of the house. After high school, Lauren completed two years at UW-Milwaukee. Realizing her true passion was always within the food industry, Lauren enrolled in the Culinary Arts Program at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC).

In 2013, she was hired by the Bartolotta Restaurant Group at Lake Park Bistro and quickly progressed to lead line cook. She trained there for three years before transitioning to Ristorante Bartolotta, where she focused on Italian cuisine and the art of pasta making. One year later she moved to Bacchus as lead line cook, where she orchestrated upscale tasting menus.

Lauren then accepted a promotion to sous chef at the popular Mr. B’s Steakhouse. There, she refined her skills in kitchen leadership, working with vendors, and employee management. She was honored to receive an invitation to be one of the featured chefs at the annual “Wonder Women: A Bartolotta Chef Event”. While working fulltime, Lauren decided to return to MATC to receive a second degree - in Nutrition and Dietetics. She was with Mr. B’s until early 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily closed their doors.

During her years working at fine restaurants, Lauren further cultivated her appreciation of the importance of great recipes and quality ingredients available from local distributors, meat and seafood suppliers, farm-to-table produce growers and specialty vineyards. Some of her favorite experiences have been participating in over 25 wine dinners and events featuring world renowned chefs and wine makers. Lauren is now excited to use her culinary skills and nutritional knowledge with A to Z Dinners creating fine restaurant-quality meals delivered to guests in the comfort of their own homes. 

Originally from Mequon, Lauren currently lives in Fox Point with her husband Steve and their four-legged fur children. When she isn’t cooking, Lauren enjoys working out, outdoor sports, traveling, and spending time with her family.