Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s ‘Top Chef’ pays it forward, helps young chef follow her dreams
MILWAUKEE — Chef Dan Jacobs has been busy since earning a top-three spot on season 21 of “Top Chef,” which featured many locations across Wisconsin.
He said being on the Bravo network cooking show was one of his longtime dreams. Jacobs credited all the people who supported him in his career with helping him fulfill it.
Now, he’s returning the favor by helping other chefs fulfill their dreams.
(Spectrum News 1/Wendy Strong)
Jacobs invited Kitty Storey, 17, from Wauwatosa to come cook with him at one of his Milwaukee restaurants, EsterEv. Together, they filmed the 204th episode of Kitty Storey’s show, “Cooking with Kitty.”
Kitty Storey, who has Down syndrome and autism, has earned quite a following on YouTube with her show.
“This is an inspiring thing to be able to do,” said Jacobs. “I have a lot of requests for my time, but this is one of the things I really wanted, because to me, this is what it’s all about. This is why I went on ‘Top Chef.’ This is why I do the things I do, because I want to be able to show that anybody can do anything.”
Kitty’s mom, Kim Storey, helps her daughter put the show together. She shoots and edits every episode. Kim Storey said having her daughter was the best thing that ever happened to her.
(Spectrum News 1/Wendy Strong)
“How thankful I am that I get to be her mom, and that she was born to us,” she said.
Kim Storey said that her daughter was born prematurely, weighing only two pounds. She said the first time Kitty’s grandmother held her, she remembered her saying, “she’s just a baby kitty.” After that moment, the name stuck.
Kim and Kitty Storey started cooking together during the pandemic as part of a school assignment. It was a challenging time, as Kitty Storey’s school went entirely virtual. Kim Storey said she soon realized it was an opportunity to inspire and educate others by sharing the cooking segments.
“We’re doing it to give representation to people in the disability community, and a lot of people don’t realize that people with Down syndrome can also have autism,” she said.
(Spectrum News 1/Wendy Strong)
Jacobs has a similar mission. He was diagnosed with the neuro-muscular disorder, Kennedy’s disease, eight years ago. Among the many challenges it presents, it affects the use of his arms and legs. It’s something he talked about on “Top Chef.”
“I love the idea of being a spokesperson, or somebody who inspires people who are differently abled,” he said. “It’s hard. None of this stuff is easy, like I wake up and I want to go back to bed. At the same time, you got to get up. You got to do what you got to do, because I do love this, and I love the fact that I’m inspiring other people.”
In his quest to inspire, Jacobs said he gets inspiration from Kitty Storey.
“Just her willingness to jump in and do anything, like I had her rolling out gnocchi. She takes instruction really well,” said Jacobs.
(Spectrum News 1/Wendy Strong)
While filming the latest episode of “Cooking with Kitty,” Jacobs shared some advice with Kitty Storey and her mom.
“Don’t let anybody ever tell her no, that she can’t do something. Also, do what you love. Don’t do it just because you have to do it. Do it because you love it,” he said.
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
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