Hacienda Taproom chef brings a touch of Texas to new menu
Ashley Turner’s approach to cooking will always encompass a nod to her Texas roots, yet she’s continually exploring new things.
That’s what brought her to the role as culinary director and executive chef for Hacienda Taproom and Kitchen, 2018 E. North Ave., and Door County Brewing Co.. She joined the team in early 2022.
She and her husband, John, moved their family to his native Wisconsin. She’s worked as executive chef at East Troy Brewery and created Sporkie award-winning dishes at the Miller Lite Sportsbar and Pavilion during the past two years at Wisconsin State Fair.
Moving to Milwaukee
I married a boy born and raised in the Milwaukee area. He lived in Texas for 10 years, where we had a catering company and two brick and mortar restaurants. The economy where we were was heavy oil and gas dependent. The area went through a bust period. We had to reduce a lot of things and tighten up.
It is either time to double down, or if we are going to move now is the time. We have kids, so we looked at whether we wanted to stay in Texas or give Milwaukee a go. His family is up here. I have always liked Milwaukee, and it is such an interesting place right now. For me as a creative person, restaurants create community and add to the color of our areas. It was more exciting for me than Texas. … The opportunity for us to contribute felt stronger here.
Cooking connections
When I got here, I took a position temporarily that wasn't a good fit. OK, I want something that employs what I do. So much of what I had been focused on had been building businesses. How do I implement this? The president of ACF was like I know a guy. He introduced me to Joe (and Angie) Sorge. They’ve built a lot of successful businesses. They had just taken on East Troy Brewery as a consulting space. …
I spent almost three years out in East Troy. … I stayed in contact with Joe and Angie, they were working on this (Hacienda Beer Co.) project.
Making the menu
Working with the executive team it was what rounds out the beer, which had always been well established. It wasn't having any identity issues. You’ve got a large space here, and a lot of possibility. How do we make the food equal everything else?. …
Cheese curds and pretzels are what I think of in taprooms in Wisconsin, but this space is designed different. You know what I think might connect, it comes from my background. I'm third generation in restaurants. We've always done barbecue in my restaurant life.
In Texas there's been a movement, an overlap of barbecue, Latin food, Tex Mex and southern coalescing and coming together as one food style. That to me, was something that is super comfortable and exciting. It is my authentic home food, how I cook anyway. Maybe this style of things could really set the menu and food apart and equal the strength and the rest of the branding.
Her smokin’ style
I had a smoker I brought up from Texas, and it is here (at Hacienda) doing the work. The fun thing is, it is not traditional barbecue, not trays and butcher paper and components you sit and share. We were looking for something with more nuance. We're taking smoked food and still doing composed plates.
Her food roots
Growing up in restaurants, literally my sisters and I were shuffled around Texas as my father operated restaurants for corporate guys. Eventually my parents dove into their own. My grandmother was in restaurants. My family has always been a food family, on both sides. My mother's family never did this for a career, but all excellent cooks. I feel a little spoiled that way. I never had to get anything out of a can. I always had people who were serious about making real, good food. …
We opened a barbecue restaurant when I was in high school, and a catering truck. We were in north Texas, and we had big drum smokers in the back of our house.
Her approach
I always seek the next thing. I want to know more. Show me. There is an infinite amount to learn in food. I don’t care where you are. Thomas Keller will still have to learn. Dominique Crenn is constantly looking for the next thing. Her menus are almost written like poems and arranged around visual images.
I think those things are fascinating and beautiful, but my own approach is to cook for regular people, not just those that are interested in the artisan parts. You want to share those principles in a way that everyday folks can approach them.
Beer here (and seltzer, too)
Our chili always has beer. I do a borracho style lentil with our brisket plate, and there’s beer in that. Our mushrooms are beer braised. Our fajita and fundido vegetables all get beer as part of the process.
We do use beer consistently in a handful of things on the menu. One of the things I’m conscious of is gluten intolerance, so any of those things is compromised. That’s one of the things that is nice about the seltzer program we just started. Now we have a whole list of drinks for you if you’re gluten intolerant, where we didn’t before. We don't have a liquor license here. So we treat it the same way we would treat a cocktail.
Three Sheeps arrived at this neutral, high gravity seltzer, and we’ve chosen to do cocktails that would have one of your clear liquors in it. We can do things that are citrus based, and it makes sense with the menu. The passionfruit smash is delicious, yummy and sneaky. So the way we have put things together right now, we have an alternative for non beer drinking folks, and it is quality, fun and exciting, not just a throwaway. We can now also make NA (non-alcoholic) beverages that are fun to drink, and no one would be the wiser. We’re excited.
Her menu staples
Poultry is always, always brined. A lot of my pork is brined as well. I believe in brining. Pickling as well. Smoked food and pickles, those two things are standard. In terms of ingredients, it is poblano, allspice and Worcestershire (sauce), always. I use tamarind a lot, which I think flavorwise makes sense with the Worcestershire and allspice, and against smoked foods.
I have to have the smoker. I sneak smoky elements into a lot of things, always have. I don't care what anyone says, liquid smoke will not do the job. It is a poor substitution.
We do all our sauces from scratch. I would have loved to do some heirloom corns and nixtamalization in house (for tortillas), you have more control. I lacked the space and equipment. If I’m not doing my own, let's find some outstanding products. We get flour tortillas from Texas. Our corn tortillas are coming from the south side. It is such a great product I didn't think I was losing by not doing it in house. People will say, “I ordered corn.” These are corn, it is just not the leathery hard option. This is soft.
Texas at the table
In Texas, making tamales is something everyone is going to do. That’s a big holiday thing, everyone sits around a table making tamales. Here, I'm doing a tamal on our menu as a rotating item. Right now it is charred cauliflower, corn, and jalapeno with a mole verde on top.
Sporkie style
Texas also has a strong state fair culture. I had done a lot of cooking for rodeos in west Texas. Sporkies and Wisconsin State Fair is fun. Understanding the assignment was the approach. We were working with Grebe’s and Miller Lite Sports Bar to rework that menu (at State Fair). … It was appropriate to celebrate the work they do and how long they'd been in that space, to highlight the Grebe’s products in a fun way. This is indulgent, not something you’ll go eat every day …
This year, it was what do you love about Wisconsin? What do you think of when you think of Milwaukee and Wisconsin staple food? For me, it was pulling in cheese curds and bratwurst, but how do you put it all in one dish? And things on a stick and doughnuts. Pulling in all the Milwaukee influences. That was the ingredient list. We did a cruller battered option. We ended up with the Sconnie Slugger, with cheese curds and bratwurst in a cornmeal cruller batter … in one bite you got it all and it tasted good.
More:Here's the winner of the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair Sporkies food competition
Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables (within the food community and without) have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email psullivan@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Hacienda Taproom chef brings a touch of Texas to new menu in Milwaukee
