"Cooking is a community to me, it’s connecting you with the people you work with."
“I always want people to leave full of the knowledge that they ate at a restaurant that cares about their food and the ingredients around them.”
Tory Miller
Chef
Tory Miller isn’t your typical Midwestern chef. His Madison restaurants, L’Etoile, Graze, and Estrellón, each boast completely different flavors and inspirations—but are bound by Tory’s passion for locally grown food. He’s received multiple James Beard nods, including winning Best Chef: Midwest, being twice nominated for Outstanding Chef in America and winning Iron Chef Showdown against Bobby Flay. He’s a chef who’s at the top of his game and ready to put a slice of the world on his plates.
Tory grew up working in his grandparents’ Racine, Wisconsin, diner. After working through some of New York’s finest kitchens, Tory moved back to his home state to work with his mentor, Odessa Piper at L’Etoile. He eventually took over this 40-year-old capital city staple and set out to open his second restaurant—followed by a third and a fourth. And people love each one for different reasons. “Every opportunity I have now is to help put Madison on the map,” he says. “All I want to do is work hard so people come to Madison.”