Justin Carlisle grew up on a small beef farm in rural Wisconsin and food has always played a large part of his life. Starting in small restaurants the passion for cooking grew and help developed a love of  food and hard work ethic.  

His restaurant Ardent - opened in October of 2013, has been named one of the 15 best new  restaurants by Condé Nast Traveler; Best Restaurant in the State of Wisconsin by the Business  Insider; and was named semifinalist for Best New Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation  in 2014. Justin is a James Beard Awards nominee for Best Chef Midwest for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 ; and he has been named nominee again this year on the same category. As Plate  Magazine names him one of the top 30 chefs to watch in 2016.  

During his time as a Chef, Justin has continued to support the local food movement and use a  modern technical approach to it.