Maria Bartolotta, director of catering and general manager for The Bartolotta Restaurants, began her career in hospitality as a young adult in New York City. She worked at several well-respected establishments, including the famed Rainbow Room.
After moving back to Milwaukee, she worked with her brothers, restaurateurs Paul Bartolotta and the late Joe Bartolotta, at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro, Bacchus – A Bartolotta Restaurant and Ristorante Bartolotta dal 1993. She also led the human resources effort and the onboarding of the food and beverage team at Potawatomi Casino Hotel as part of a Bartolotta management consulting arrangement, before launching Bartolotta Catering & Events.
Bartolotta went on to run the operations at the Grain Exchange as both the general manager and the director of catering, additionally establishing catering services at the Italian Community Center and Discovery World. She also plays a lead role in the charitable arm of The Bartolotta Restaurants, Care-a-lotta. She has been active with the company for 28 years.
