Fab Dad: Paul Bartolotta
Chef Paul Bartolotta is the co-founder and owner of Bartolotta Restaurants. This proud pops heads up the premier culinary brand in the Greater Milwaukee region, offering first-class service and cuisine across a portfolio of 17 one-of-a-kind restaurants and catering facilities.
Dad to: Giulia, 20
Hometown: Wauwatosa, WI
Favorite ways to spend family time in WI: Family time happens around the table, and there is no better way to spend it than cooking at home in the winter or enjoying time outside at a backyard barbecue.
Your most rewarding fatherhood moment: The most rewarding thing as a father is the way my daughter expresses her feelings and communicates with me. Giulia has an excellent command and she knows that words do matter, whether expressing herself verbally and or in notes, letters or cards, she does a great job. I am very proud of her ability to be expressive and open with her feelings to both my wife and I.
Biggest challenge as a dad: The biggest challenge I have as a parent is giving enough space to let my daughter grow and make mistakes, and yet always being there in the background and having a safety net ready to catch her if I need to. The challenge is the balance between being too involved or not involved enough, especially when your child is 20 years old.
A father who inspires you and why: I have had a lot of mentors in my life, both professionally and personally, but I think that my own father had an enormous influence on who I am. I didn’t realize how much he influenced me and inspired me until I grew up and was confronted by life’s challenges. I noticed how I rely on my beliefs and value systems that I grew up with, which define who you are in the end and it is something that my father instilled in me.
Best piece of advice for a new dad: Make sure that your child senses and knows that they are your biggest priority and that they know that they are your everything.
Your biggest hope for your children: My hopes for Giulia are that she keeps her faith before all else, that she is self-reliant and self-assured, which is a key to happiness, that she becomes a citizen of the world, and that she then finds true, authentic love in her life.
How are you celebrating Father’s Day: That is going to be up to my girls!