Graduate Madison has named Chef Shanna Pacifico as Executive Chef at the hotel, where she will oversee all food and beverage operations, including the hotel’s two restaurants, The Madison Blind and Portage Pi.
Ms Pacifico was raised in Brazilian-American household and her palate is influenced by her cultural roots.ÊAfter studying at New York’s French Culinary Institute, she began her culinary career as a line cook at Peter Hoffman’s SoHo restaurant Savoy, where she was imbued with a passion for local and sustainable ingredients.ÊÊ
After stints as a cook at Geoffrey Zakarian’s restaurant Town and restaurants in Spain and Portugal, she reunited with Peter Hoffman in 2007 to open his East Village restaurant Back Forty as Chef de Cuisine. Under her direction, the restaurant received acclaim for its whole animal butchering program, commitment to sustainability, and it’s full-flavored American regional food.Ê
Following on the success of Back Forty, in 2011 Shanna moved to Prince Street in SoHo to become the Chef at Back Forty West in the former Savoy space, which received wide acclaim under her tenure.
Ms Pacifico left Back Forty West in the beginning of 2014 to make headway in the next steps of her career. That spring Shanna became chef-partner of Ms Pacifico’s Fine Foods in Crown Heights Brooklyn, a small neighborhood restaurant where Shanna’s menu was a mix of her cultural roots, her personal exploration of foods from Spain and Portugal all while holding true to her beliefs of supporting local farms and keeping up with a sustainable and seasonal menu.Ê
Ms Pacifico recently relocated to Madison Wisconsin where she will bring a wealth of culinary experience, while broadening her culinary knowledge further discovering the midwest cuisine and infusing her own flavors with the midwest culture.
Graduate Madison, the 72-room hotel just steps away from University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus, is ideally located alongside Lake Mendota on historic Langdon Street, around the way from Memorial Union and adjacent to the bustling shops and dining on State Street and the majestic Capitol Square.
For guests and students on the go, Portage ¹, the hotel’s caf, features a selection of beverage and bites including their signature sweet and savory hand pies. When it’s time to unwind, guests and locals alike can head to The Madison Blind, Graduate Madison’s rooftop bar and restaurant which offers a full-service food menu along with local craft beer and specialty handcrafted cocktails and features sweeping views of the campus, the Capitol and Lake Mendota.
