Local chef and restaurateur Jonathan Klug died Tuesday, at the age of 51.
Klug was chef and co-owner of
Crawdaddy's Roadhouse and longtime chef and owner of the original Crawdaddy's, both in West Allis.
His wife, Lety Klug, shared the news Tuesday afternoon via Facebook.
She said Klug dedicated his life to family, his three sons Jose, Victor and Joshua, and had a "great passion for cooking." She described him as "a great father, husband, chef, wonderful human being."
Klug and his restaurant concepts have long been known for Cajun and Creole food. He opened the original Crawdaddy's in 1995 at South 64th Street and West Greenfield Avenue.
The restaurant relocated in 2018 to South 94th Street and West Greenfield Avenue, but closed shortly after. About a year later,
Klug opened Crawdaddy's Roadhouse at 9638 W. National Ave.
The 94th and Greenfield site is now home to an unaffiliated restaurant,
Crawdaddy's on Greenfield, owned Troy Meyer.
Klug graduated from the culinary program at Waukesha County Technical College, and was a member of the
American Culinary Federation Chefs of Milwaukee.
The organization memorialized Klug on Tuesday with a Facebook post: "We all learned about Cajun and Creole cooking from Chef and it seems like he won't let us forget Fat Tuesday anytime soon. Rest in Peace Chef," it reads.
Crawdaddy's Roadhouse is closed Wednesday and Thursday in honor of its late owner. The restaurant will reopen Friday.
