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Chef

Executive Chef
Paul Schramkowski

From washing dishes at a restaurant in a small town in Wisconsin to overseeing culinary operations for hundreds of restaurants nation-wide, when it comes to kitchens, Executive Chef Paul Schramkowski has done it all.  A native of Grafton, Wisconsin, Paul’s love of food and cooking began in his godmother’s kitchen when he was 10 years old.  After working through high school as a bus boy and a dishwasher, he scraped together enough money to attend culinary school at MATC in Milwaukee.  There he earned his degree in a program that has produced several noted chefs, including James Beard award-winner Chef Paul Bartolotta.  Upon graduation, Paul traveled extensively throughout Spain, Italy, France, and Mexico, learning regional methods of preparation and flavor. 

After his travels, Paul came back to the States and worked for a number of independent restaurants in the Wisconsin area.  In the early-90s, Paul made a jump to the corporate restaurant world, overseeing menu development and kitchen operations for companies as large as Houston’s Restaurants and Rio Bravo Mexican Cantina.  While he was with Houston’s, Paul moved to the South and he developed a now 20+year love for the region and its culinary traditions.  In 2006, Paul decided it was time to get back into the independent restaurant world and joined Amerigo and Char Restaurants as Executive Chef.  In 2009, along with David Conn, Doug Hogrefe, and Ben Brock, Paul became owner of the company where he still resides as Chef.

Paul's culinary philosophy is basic:  simple, fresh, rustic dishes well-prepared and executed.  He is a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance, the Chef’s Advisory Board for the US Pork Council, and Chaine des Rotisseurs.