Cooking up a storm
Alum’s “Trad to Rad” sh Tyler Mader remembers the taste of his mom’s grilled cheese sandwiches. “It’s something that’s very special to me. My parents divorced when I was very young. The memories I had were my mom, my brother and I, sitting down by the fireplace, and we would have grilled cheese and tomato soup every Sunday,” he recalled. So, he recreated the dish, with a twist – a sandwich called “10,000 Leagues Under the Cheese” that he shared with all of Milwaukee on TMJ4’s “The Morning Blend.”
industry. Then, when it came time to further his education, he jumped from the Midwest to Napa Valley in California to attend the Culinary Institute of America. The school serves chefs and restauranteurs, who can take classes in everything from European wines to plating desserts to making soups to restaurant operations and layout. Mader dove in, relishing the opportunity to not only hone his industry skills but to experience Napa Valley’s world-class dining.
Mader is the host of “Trad to Rad with Tyler Mader,” a mini-cooking show segment that travels the country, having appeared on stations from New York to Florida to Wisconsin. The concept is simple: Mader takes traditional favorites – like grilled cheese, ribs, bratwurst, and mousse – and adds a radical twist to punch up the dish. “You can probably think back to one meal right now, and you can picture who was there. You can smell the food and the environment,” he said. “That’s what the ‘traditional’ part of Trad to Rad is all about. It’s about sharing those memories that you had as a child and tweaking them to fit today’s active lifestyle.” Food has always been an important part of Mader’s life. If you don’t know him from his television appearances, you might know his family name: He’s part of the Mader family of Mader’s Restaurant fame. The establishment has been serving German cuisine in Milwaukee for over 100 years. Mader spent his childhood inside the family business, but he spent his college years at UW-Milwaukee. He transferred to the university after a year at Carthage College, looking for a bigger school and more opportunities to study another love of his: Communication. He relished public speaking and especially enjoyed his classes with Nancy Burrell, now a professor emerita. After graduating in 1996, Mader did a stint at Westmoor Country Club in Brookfield, Wisconsin, working with a family friend to gain more experience in the restaurant 6 • IN FOCUS • January, 2020
Tyler Mader, the host of “Trad to Rad,” adds broth to a sauce pot during a live cooking segment on TMJ4 segment on Channel TMJ4’s “Morning Blend” show. Photo courtesy of Tyler Mader.
