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PrintChef of the Year
"I let the food speak for itself."
A Racine native, L’Etoile chef/co-proprietor Tory Miller says growing up he knew nothing about the restaurant scene in Madison.
It was while working in New York City that our city’s reputation revealed itself in the name of Odessa Piper, who founded L’Etoile in the 1970s and pioneered the farm-to-table movement so entrenched here today.
How has L’Etoile’s local, seasonal food philosophy evolved under Miller?
“I think establishing relationships with younger, second-generation farmers was one of things we’ve been able to do. Expanding our locally raised meats was a big thing for me. Making sure all of our meats, poultry and fish are sustainably raised, organic when possible and grass-fed when possible. It’s a general philosophy of celebrating the ingredients when they’re in season and when they’re at their best.”
Lucky for us, Miller is here in Madison, and at his best as well.
Reader Comments:
Chef Tory Miller is by far the best around. Our son has food allergies and Chef Tory Miller personally whipped up something special for him. It is that personal touch, and that locally home grown food, that makes this man and this restaurant truly special. Great job Madison Magazine in recognizing this chef who is a true talent!
We have only been to L'Etoile once since Tory Miller took over and were very disappointed. The food was good, but not better than you can find elsewhere in Madison for a lot less money. L'Etoile with chef Odessa Piper was my favorite restaurant in the world. I didn't find that chef Tory was worthy of a second visit. :(
We're long time patrons of L'Etoile and think that Chef Miller is doing a great job carrying on the legacy of Chef Piper. We've found L'Etoile to be consistently top quality and appreciate that they shine a spotlight on local farmers and food purveyors. We recently traveled to the east coast and ate at several notable restaurants and found the L'Etoile was better than quite a few of them. Congratulations to Chef Miller and all of the hard working staff at L'Etoile.