Graduating three years ago from the Culinary Arts Program, Patrick Sepe came back to tell his story and give us his three phase philosophy to a successful culinary career. The first step, he says, is that you need to get it from childhood. That could be anywhere from watching your mother cook or helping prepare dishes with your grandmother.Second, is to attend school and learn the basics. Finally, one would need to get into the industry to come up with their own style.

Sepe goes on to say that, prior to signing up for classes, “I did my research and chose MATC because of the hands-on experience and the instructors who know their stuff.”

While at MATC, Sepe had many accomplishments. He was part of the team that went to the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Nationals where they represented Wisconsin and took the bronze. He also wrote articles, recipes, and reviews for a section of the Times called Culinary Kitchen.

Currently, Sepe is part owner of Balistreri Brothers Pizza and Catering located on Milwaukee’s south side on 2952 S.13th Street, with another MATC graduate, Pietro Balistreri. Their goal is to add a revitalizing feel to the restaurant for the new generation. They incorporated a wholesale bakery with new artisan breads along with tweaking some of the menu items. For Sepe, this should be a good fit for him considering his specialty is in Italian/American continental fusion.

They are also adding event catering and looking into the frozen pizza business as well.

Sepe’s advice for students is to, “make the most out of your education. It’s gonna be tough but you can’t let it get to you. A lot of hard work pays off in the end.”

For a list of the menu items from Balistreri Brothers Pizza and Catering go to:

www.balistreribrothers.com