'In Germanic culture we pair food with beer': Chefs at Mader's celebrate authentic German cuisine

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- There are many ways to describe German cuisine. The folks at Mader's Restaurant in Milwaukee know how things are done the German way in the kitchen. Kristin Mader, works in management at the restaurant and is a fourth generation Mader.

"This is just my second home, really. I could walk through here blind folded. I know exactly where everything is," said Kristin Mader. "I know where every chair is, every table, where all the light switches are. I know the sound that the floor is going to make under my feet. It's just second nature.

From a young age, she's seen family before her in the kitchen. The Mader's recipes have not change for decades and have been passed down.

It's going to be roulade. It's going to be wienerschnitzel, which is basically a thin pounded meat like a veal or a pork that’s then sautéed, and served with spaetzle which is a German variation of pasta.

Kristin Mader says some of the spices that help build that German flavor include parsley, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

Alongside a talented cooking staff is Auben Mader. He's a 5th generation Mader and prep cook at the restaurant. He's learning the ropes and family recipes written generations before him.

"It’s a beautiful thing. Again, I feel so blessed to be able to try my hand at it," said Auben Mader. "And when you get it right, and everybody in the kitchen taste it, and you get the check mark from everybody and you get to walk out, peak your head around the corner and see somebody at the table enjoying it, and you think, oh my god I did that. I accomplished that.

An important cornerstone item commonly served in a glass is beer.

"That’s another thing that’s really opened my eyes," said Auben Mader. "I walk through life being like you pair meals with wine. But no, in Germanic culture we pair food with beer.

Auben Mader says, last year the restaurant had a beer tasting and went along with the menu and descriptions of why.

"Learning about that and some of the heritage there, we've got beers on tap that have been brewing and evolving over a 1,000 years," Auben Mader.

"From the celebrities on the wall, to regulars, food enthusiast and those trying German cuisine for the first time, all are welcomed at Mader's for a taste of Germany".

"For us it's not just another meal. It's not just another ticket. It’s a chance to share history and culture with people," said Auben Mader.

"There's is a word that maybe a lot of Milwaukeeans know. It's called 'gemütlichkeit.' It's difficult to translate but it's essentially a feeling of you are welcomed. Where you are at home. Where you are accepted and where we take care of you," said Kristin Mader.

"And I would say that has been kind a cornerstone of our principle and how we do things. Is we like to create that feeling of gemütlichkeit for our customers who come in," said Kristin Mader.