ABOUT US

The Idea

We are incredibly excited to join the Madison community. At our core, we are a small plates restaurant inspired by wine and the bounty of ingredients that we find all over the Midwest. We use all of those ingredients intentionally, to create amazing hospitality experiences and bring people together.

The Food

For us, food is about connection. We work tirelessly to cultivate relationships with farmers, growers and producers, and to build positive long-term partnerships. The success of these partnerships is evident in the memorable dishes that you will share with your friends when you visit us.

The People

As a business, we are focused on creating a truly sustainable organization. We measure success in financial terms, as well as in terms of the growth and development of our staff and our community partners. We are committed to building real careers in hospitality for everyone on our team, and to helping our partners accomplish their goals along with us.

CHEF RODRIGUEZ

Hello, my name is Phillip Rodriguez and I am the Executive Chef of Graft Madison. I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas and it was there, in my grandmother’s kitchen, that my interest in food began. Inspired by the traditional Mexican cuisine prepared by my grandmother, and hoping to spend more time with my mother, I joined Mom in the restaurant where she worked. Her example opened my eyes to the power of real hospitality, and before long I had graduated from rolling silverware and bussing tables to working on the line in the kitchen.

Since those early days at IHOP, my life has been an invigorating journey through the world of food and cooking. After culinary school in El Paso, I spent the two most impactful years of my career in the kitchen of Chef Emmett Fox at Fino in Austin. Chef Fox turned me into a cook. He gave me insight into how a professional kitchen works, and challenged me to broaden my horizons beyond a position on the line. I learned to study ingredients and technique, and to approach my craft as an artisan as well as a technician. My time with Chef Fox was the springboard for my move to Chicago, where I had the opportunity to be a true student of food and restaurants. Working in the kitchens of Rick Tramonto (Tru), Laurent Gras (L2O), Giuseppi Tentori (GT Fish and Oyster) and Marcus Samuelsson (C-House), I was immersed in the world of top-flight cooking, and several fun and amazing months traveling around Spain and staging in great kitchens has informed my style today. My latest stop at Senza, the world’s first and only Michelin-starred, gluten-free restaurant gave me a tremendous appreciation for attention to detail and care for each and every diner.

At Graft Madison, I am focused on bringing the most incredible ingredients in the Midwest to your table every night. I am truly inspired by this new opportunity to grow amazing relationships with our guests, as well as local farmers and producers, and I can’t wait to share my passion with all of you. See you soon!