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Donnie Madia

@donniemadia

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One Off Hospitality Restaurateur - Husband - Father

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67 seats. A location nobody believed in. One restaurant built to be the best of its kind in Chicago.⁠
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That singular focus is how @donniemadia of @oneoffhospitality built Blackbird into one of the most celebrated restaurants in the country. And nearly 30 years later, with multiple locations of @avecchicago, @publicanchicago, @bigstarchicago, and now avec Highwood opening next week, he says he would not change a single thing.⁠
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The same partners. The same designer. The same space. The same hospitality. The same service. He’d do it all again. ⁠
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The best builders are not the ones doing the most at once. They are the ones who stay laser-focused on making one thing the best it can be before they ever think about what comes next.⁠
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New episode of The Perfect Bite is live. Link in bio.

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Fun night at @publicanchicago to ring in @dhmeyer’s book release… legendary all around!

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A night we’ll never forget! We feel incredibly fortunate and humbled to have welcomed @dhmeyer to The Publican for such a special evening. His approach to hospitality has inspired so much of what we do, and it was truly an honor to share our table and have Chef @rob_levitt and his team cook for someone who has made such a lasting impact on our industry. ❤️

Our deepest thanks to @samkassdc for helping bring this evening to life, to everyone who chose The Publican as the place to gather, and to each person who joined us and made the night so meaningful. We’re reminded that hospitality is about so much more than food. It’s about the people, human connections, and the moments we get to share. We’re beyond grateful to everyone who made this evening possible - The entire Publican team

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Thank you to @publicanchicago and @donniemadia for putting on this wonderful event, and allowing me to meet one of the people whose words inspired me to make this whole restaurant thing my career. Can’t wait to dig into these words. Thank you for the endless inspiration @dhmeyer.
And special thanks to @rob_levitt and @danmasonchicago for an incredible dinner 📚🍷

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Cheers to @samkassdc, the 12th annual Julia Child Award recipient, partner in Acre Ventures, and former White House Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition! Sam, a Chicago native, came home to receive this special recognition at the Obama Presidential Center last weekend - the first time the award ceremony has taken place in Chicago. Sam was recognized for his career-long commitment to building more equitable food systems and creating a healthier planet. We are honored to continue our work with the Julia Child Award, and help champion and amplify Sam’s timely, critical work 🤍

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Thank You To Our Good Friends @teamstersjc25 x #MikeDigrazia x @avantigroupchicago x @pasqualedgianni x @jccia.il x @rononesti x @carmineschicago x @thebellevuechicago x @tavernonrush x @gibsonssteakhouse For Having The #LandanTwins x @askmyselfie #VIP Style At The 🇮🇹 Parade & After-Party On Monday ❤️! Here Are Our Favorite x #LandanTwinSelfies x Who ❤️ #Selfies 💯! Come Find Us This Week Our @chicago x @illinoisrestaurants FAM & Take A Selfie With US 🤳👑👸🏼🥳! - @landantwin x @landantwin2 x @howardtullman x @1871tech x @tonydanza x @ryanchiaverini ❤️!

P.S. The Landan Twins New Company Is A Social Media Platform To Create Your “Digital Twin” Called “Selfie”! Check It Out Now & Download The App: www.selfie.com 🌎!

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Years ago, when @samkassdc was a young cook in Chicago working at avec, my business partner @paulkahan took him on a walk through Green City Market. Paul asked Sam “What do you want to do with yourself?” Sam’s response was pretty profound. He said: “I want to change the world with food.” He wasn’t kidding.

Sam went on to become the White House chef for the Obama family, Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition in the Obama administration, Executive Director of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign, and is now a Partner in Acre Venture Partners, a firm built around the powerful idea that innovation can help create a healthier, more sustainable and successful food system.

On Friday night at the Obama Presidential Center the @juliachildfoundation honored Sam as the 12th recipient of the Julia Child Award, given each year to one person who has changed the way America cooks, eats and thinks about food and nutrition. I was humbled and grateful to be a part of the ceremony. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else in the world. This is a huge honor for my dear friend Sam, and for everyone who grew up with him along the way.

The night was a beautiful tribute to his family, his dad, and his roots here in Hyde Park, Chicago. Sam has always surrounded himself with people who love him, and on this special night, he was able give back to them too. Thank you to the Julia Child Foundation, Koren Grieveson, Tina Tchen, Deb Eschmeyer, Lucas Mann, Eric Spivey, Julia Child’s family…and many more who attended, and of course President and Mrs. Obama for their beautiful, heartfelt letter.

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It’s been a year since @tonyfitzpatrick9 left us and not a day goes by that I don’t think about him. To say that Tony was an incredible human being would be an understatement. His generosity was downright overwhelming at times. He brought people together like no one I’ve ever met. He was fiercely loyal to those closest to him and went out of his way to support those around him always. Tony would have loved knowing that his family and friends got together tonight to laugh, cry and tell hilarious stories in his honor. There’ll never be another Tony Fitzpatrick.
(Not pictured but present, our great friends @donniemadia @joemetro40 @lisashames @jessica_joslin @jared_joslin ) #peanutparktrattoria #tonyfitzpatrick

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What a night we had honoring 2026 Julia Child Award recipient Sam Kass at the recently opened Obama Presidential Center, alongside special guests Tina Tchien, Donnie Madia, Debra Eschmeyer, Lucas Mann and Koren Grieveson. (Photos: Noah Gelfman)

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Mentorship matters. Doors matter. And having people in your corner who recognize what you’re building? That matters, too. 🤎

@donniemadia from @oneoffhospitality is someone I look to as a mentor and visionary. When I shared what we’re building with Wynn The Day alongside @chefaz, his response was: “You know this is big. Proud of you.”

That stayed with me. 🥰

Because this has never been just about a show. It’s about creating access, opening doors, and giving the next generation of culinary talent a chance to be seen.

That’s the movement. And we’re just getting started. 🔥

#TheBear #WynnTheDay #ChicagoFood #CulinaryCommunity #Chef

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Honored to attend and celebrate Sam Kass chef, author, former White House Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition, Executive Director of First Lady Michelle Obama’s *Let’s Move!* campaign, and Partner at Acre Venture Partners—as the recipient of the prestigious Julia Child Award

Hosted at the @Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, the evening was a deeply moving celebration not just of Sam’s extraordinary career, but of his profound empathy and unwavering fight for an inclusive, equitable food system centered on good health policy and food for all.

In true alignment with his life’s work, Sam selected three transformative organizations to split the Julia Child Foundation grant:

🥗 Urban Growers Collective (UGC): operating urban farms across 8 Chicago sites to build economic opportunity for BIPOC growers, advance food sovereignty, and tackle urban food insecurity.

🌾American Farmland Trust (AFT): protecting agricultural land, supporting sustainable farming practices, and keeping farmers on the land.

❤️ God’s Love We Deliver: preparing and home-delivering medically tailored meals to individuals living with severe illnesses.

The room was filled with love, gratitude, and powerful reflections from an incredible lineup of mentors, policy partners, and culinary icons:

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@kyle.huff and I will be in NYC on 10/24 cooking out ‘Midwest #oktoberfest’ dinner at @platformbyjbf! Come try some of this delicious #Leberkäse en Croûte along with lots of other midwestern butcher interpretations of Oktoberfest classics. Ticket link in bio!

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