A MOMENT IN MIDDLE AMERICA

There is a cold gray sky hovering over Milwaukee today. I have a nice warm bowl of chili in my hands. This is no ordinary bowl of chili however - there is spaghetti at the bottom of the bowl and a meaty chili layered on top. Alongside my chili sit two little ceramic bowls filled with onions and oyster crackers, allowing me to add them in as I wish.

You can find this "Cincinnati style" chili at Real Chili, a restaurant that opened in 1931. Real Chili has maintained an old fashioned sensibility – all of the counters are made of formica and the chairs match the counters. There are three “flavors” of chili you can order here – mild, medium and hot. In this case, the larger amount of meat you order is what determines the degree of heat (up the meat, increase the heat). This local restaurant has been a legend in Milwaukee for 75 years.

As I sit here eating my chili, I am also warmed inside by what I see going on outside of the restaurant. A Veteran’s Day parade is passing through the center of town and ending at the lakefront. School bands and American Legion Groups have passed by, and the International Guard has flown over for the locals who gathered together in honor of our veterans.

I'm in Milwaukee today because I am doing a dinner event for about 200 people. Interestingly enough, the Milwaukee area, and more specifically Wisconsin has been a large source of event bookings and business for me - something very unexpected. The dinner is at the University Club which I have worked at a number of times. Chef Doug Pallo and his staff always do a fantastic job.

Tonight's dinner is a fundraiser for Vince Lombardi Charitable Funds. This group raises funds for research against cancer and to help those who are fighting cancer. Doing this event is particularly important to me; my mother passed away because of cancer. Fundraisers such as this are just one way in which I can add to a glimmer of hope desperately needed for those fighting this terrible disease.