CEDAR AND SAGE GRILL HOUSE Chef Fabian Martinez’s greatest pleasure is bridging different cultures through fine dining in the restaurant located in the Oneida Casino Hotel in Oneida.

“It’s definitely been busy, a lot of hard work but it’s been fun,” Fabian says about his journey from south Texas to Green Bay. “I grew up in San Antonio and that’s where I got into cooking,” he continued.

“I started as a dishwasher at a seafood diner, shucking oysters and cranking out food. I worked my way up in that restaurant and fell in love with the vibes of the kitchen. After stints at chain restaurants when he was in his mid-20s he decided to go back to college. After the death of his father, which he said was a wake-up call, he moved to Austin and enrolled at the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school while working at a restaurant named Olivia which was his introduction to fine cooking. Olivia’s was known for its brunch and he recalls learning how to poach eggs for 300 people during a busy shift!

Fabian also worked for a restaurant called ATX Cocina where he says he learned how to be an effective manager. “Working in a restaurant is a fast-paced, stressful job,” he said. “You can go into a place that has high standards but it doesn’t feel that way because everyone bought into what is being done and everyone is held accountable. I learned the importance of saying ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ to everyone every day from Chef Kevin Taylor, who’s been one of my biggest mentors.”

Fabian’s roommate in Texas was a Green Bay native and he had joined his roommate on several visits to the area. He liked the feel of the region and it soon became a good match. After stints at restaurants Tenet and Rivers Bend he took the chef’s job at the
Oneida Casino Hotel’s Cedar and Sage Grill House in 2021 where he’s striving to show the spirit of the Oneida through fresh local and indigenous food.

The Oneida Tribe cultivates a white corn whose roots trace back to New York State where the Oneidas and Tuscarora tribes helped feed George Washington’s troops during the bitter cold winter of 1777. That corn, along with beans and squash are called “The Three Sisters.” The corn grows tall and serves as a pole for the beans to climb. The beans put nitrogen back into the soil. The squash spreads on the ground to prevent weeds from growing and to keep moisture in the soil. Fabian said he relates well to corn as a staple from his years in the southwest where ground corn is a staple in many dishes. Cedar and Sage utilizes several products produced by the tribe on its reservation just southwest of Green Bay, including corn, beans, apples and buffalo meat.

“This corn is a little different,” he said. “It has its own unique flavor and textures. Working with the tribe we get corn in different varieties. At first, we just used it for our walleye and cheese curds as a breading then we started doing white corn soup just a bit different.

You’ve got the beans and the pork but I wanted to make it more like a native wedding soup with some venison sausage, some beans, kale and a lot of veggies. Our most recent thing is white corn ice cream. I’ll steep some white corn and cinnamon in my cream mixture and make the custard out of it.” That ice cream is then served on apple crisp made from the tribe’s apple orchard.

Menu items include: Oneida White Corn Bread, Oneida White Corn crusted cheese curds and walleye, Sister Dip with Frybread, Bison Chili, Bison Filet and Pot Roast, Mushrooms and Squash and a 3 Sisters omelet.

Fabian said many guests tell him they didn’t expect this type of fine dining in a hotel. Another unique aspect at Cedar and Sage is food prepared on a Josper oven, a charcoal fired oven with roots in Basque, Spain. Fabian said it brings a charcoal flavor in a restaurant setting. “I think the next closest Josper oven is in Chicago. You’ll see them in Europe.” Diners can watch the process in an open kitchen. “We offer a different dining experience,” he said. Fabian is excited about his job. “It’s great because I get to smoke things and play with knives and fire” he said. I’m a Texas guy so smoke and fire is right up my alley.”

• For more information visit cedarandsagegrill.com