Chef Tim Mills has devoted 31 years of his life to the culinary arts, and from his experience she is a demanding, unforgiving mistress. Stick with her through thick and thin and she will take you to new places and show you veneration worthy of an old world monarch.
Tim’s culinary life began at a restaurant in Jackson, TN. Later, he was offered an ACF (American Culinary Federation) apprenticeship under acclaimed Chef Frans Hedriks of Brennan’s in New Orleans. Chef Hendricks provided much inspiration to Chef Mills, who then further honed his talents at culinary school in New York. Mills then traveled to our nation’s capital where he became the Executive Banquet Chef for the Washington D.C. Sheraton at the age of 21.
“We did dinners seating up to 7,000 people. I [also] did Jacques Cousteau’s 75th birthday,” says Chef Mills, recounting his D.C. experience. During his time there he cooked for the third president of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, as well as for former presidents George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.
After 13 years in Washington D.C. he was recruited by Casino Aztar to be Executive Chef. “I stayed with them for two years and then I left. Soon after my wife and I got into historical restoration in Evansville and purchased the building that Madeleine’s is in now [and] then started the restaurant which is named after our daughter,” says Mills. Chef Mills is head chef and owner of Madeleine’s, a fusion restaurant downtown that offers an extensive menu of ornate international dishes. It also boasts one of the most extensive premium liquor bars in the state.
When asked what his favorite cuisine to prepare is Mills said, “I feel pretty comfortable with all cuisines, which enables Madeleine’s to do what it does being a multi-cultural restaurant; but if I had to choose one I would say my expertise would be wild game.” Chef Mills has been hardened by the food industry, personally comparing his experience to Hell’s Kitchen, but he remains a true culinary philanthropist, making it clear that all that matters is making the diner happy.
To those who dream of becoming a seasoned chef Mills says, “You’ve got to be dedicated to it, you’ve got to live it, and you have to breathe it. From the day you start to the day you stop it’s not about you – it is about the customer. Also, be expected to work long days for many years and get paid very little for it.” Chef Mills also makes it very clear that being respected in the culinary community does not usually come with the velvet sheen of cooks and chefs on television but rather with real passion and rolling with the punches. “You are your destiny in this business,” says Mills.
A self-professed member of the “old school” of cooking Chef Mills says, “I believe in simplicity in cooking. I think if you make the food taste good, make it look good, and you prepare it the way it is supposed to be prepared, with quality ingredients; that is the key to cooking.”
