People can help officer in Third Ward shooting through fundraising by downtown restaurants and Public Market

Drake Bentley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read

Milwaukee chef Gino Fazzari announced that he will donate 50% of all proceeds from his downtown restaurants Thursday to the Milwaukee police detective who, police and prosecutors say, was shot while intervening in an attempted robbery in the Third Ward.

“Too often, people take for granted the men and women who are willing to put themselves in harm’s way every day so the rest of us can eat, drink, work, and play safely in our city,” Fazzari said.

On Jan. 13, Detective Andrew Wilkiewicz was a patron in a downtown restaurant when he was shot multiple times by someone attempting to rob another person, according to the criminal complaint. Wilkiewicz spent five days at Froedtert Hospital.

Calderone Club chef Robin Brown (left) and restaurant owner Gino Fazzari hold pizza slices at the restaurant-themed stand at Fiserv Forum. The stand opened this month.
Calderone Club chef Robin Brown (left) and restaurant owner Gino Fazzari hold pizza slices at the restaurant-themed stand at Fiserv Forum. The stand opened this month.

The proceeds that Fazzari is offering will come from his downtown restaurants, Calderone Club and San Giorgio Pizzeria Napoletana, on Thursday for both dine-in and take-out sales.

Fazzari is encouraging those who can't order from his restaurant on Thursday to donate to the Milwaukee Fallen Heroes Fund.

“The only reason restaurants like Calderone Club and San Giorgio Pizzeria Napoletana can remain in business is because heroes like Andrew Wilkiewicz provide a safe experience for downtown visitors,” Fazzari said.

“We are incredibly thankful he survived but know he’s got a long road with unexpected costs ahead of him as he recovers. The least we can do is take one day to give back and help cover some of those costs he will be facing in the wake of this incident.”

Both restaurants will be open Thursday for in-person and takeout dining from 4:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m..

Further, The Milwaukee Public Market and Joseph Property Development announced a combined $10,000 matching grant for donations to Milwaukee’s Fallen Heroes Fund.

Interested donors can contribute to the fund set up by the Milwaukee Police Association in the name of the detective. The matching grant timeline will run through January 31, 2022

Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 or DBentley1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: People can help officer in Third Ward shooting through fundraising by downtown restaurants and Public Market