Sponsored Post: Donnie Madia, Restaurateur, JBF Award Winner, and Mariano’s Tastemaker

When Donnie Madia took to the podium to accept the 2015 James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur, he spoke of 1999, when he was about to open Blackbird and was one of four young guys who just wanted to “open 67 seats and do something special in Chicago.”

Many years later, Madia now oversees the eight concepts (including a James Beard Award–winning cocktail bar) that comprise One Off Hospitality. Even with all of that growth and success, we have a hunch that Donnie still knows the exact number of seats he’s managing.

Donnie’s leadership skills, eye for style, and instincts for Chicagoans’ tastes have helped him clinch his status as one of the most respected restaurateurs in the country. He also gets an assist from Mariano’s, the Chicago-area market whose convenient, healthy, and locally sourced options provide his family with many meals at home. Whether it’s snacks from Mariano’s popular olive bar, beans from local roaster Intelligentsia Coffee, or some of his guilty-pleasure pretzel rolls, the offerings at Mariano’s help Donnie stay ahead of the game.

Visit marianos.com/madia to learn more about what fills Donnie’s cart at Mariano’s. You can also watch videos starring more Chicago culinary talent and Mariano’s customers, including Andrew Zimmerman, Stephanie Izard, and Giuseppe Tentori. 

Mariano's is a proud sponsor of the 2015 James Beard Awards.