Elena Terry is named Executive Chef of MMoCA’s new restaurant, Tall Grass.
The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) is excited to announce Tall Grass, a new dining experience coming to the Museum’s street level storefront. Led by renowned Chef Elena Terry, the restaurant will feature a menu rooted in local flavors, bridging contemporary art and culinary traditions.
“MMoCA exists to inspire both individuals and our broader community to see the world differently—to make connections between art, culture, and everyday life, and to experience the transformative power of creative expression,” says Paul Baker Prindle, the Gabriele Haberland Director. “Elena’s work as a chef, butcher, and steward of Indigenous culinary traditions embodies that spirit. Her practice doesn’t just nourish the body; it opens space for memory, dialogue, and belonging—values that sit at the heart of our mission.”
Chef Elena Terry is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and the founder of Wild Bearies, a community-based nonprofit dedicated to educational outreach and the preservation of ancestral foodways. With over a decade of experience in the restaurant industry, she has transitioned her focus toward community building and “seed-to-table” advocacy. A butcher and wild game specialist, she regularly incorporates traditional open-fire techniques into her cooking.
A prominent figure in the Indigenous food sovereignty movement, Chef Terry has collaborated with prestigious organizations such as the Smithsonian, the James Beard Foundation, and the United Nations. Her work centers on reclaiming traditional ingredients and mentorship. Chef Terry has also shared her culinary expertise on a national stage through appearances on Top Chef, Chopped, and BBQ Brawl.
For years, Chef Terry has shared her work through a series of limited engagement events and pop-ups. This partnership with MMoCA provides Terry with a permanent home to showcase the long-term vision and broad scope of her work. Situated between the State Capitol and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Tall Grass occupies a unique civic corridor, serving as a welcoming gathering place where diverse communities can meet, exchange ideas, and experience food as a form of cultural connection.
“It has long been a dream of mine to have a brick and mortar space that truly supports Culinary Arts, community, sustainability, inclusive gathering, and artistic mentorship,” said Chef Elena Terry. “Now I get to live my dream, with my community, on my ancestral homeland. I’m involved with the development of every part of Tall Grass. I’ve never felt so seen, supported, and valued as I do at MMoCA.”
Taking its name from the native tallgrass prairies that once covered most of southern Wisconsin and mirroring a soon to be planted micro-prairie on the Museum’s rooftop, Tall Grass will occupy the storefront location of the former Museum Store, with entrances from State Street, the Overture Center, and MMoCA’s State Street Gallery. Along one of downtown’s most active pedestrian corridors, floor-to-ceiling windows open the space to the street to invite passersby into a warm, visible, and welcoming gathering place.
To accommodate the restaurant, the space will undergo a comprehensive build-out designed by Jacob Morrison of Potter Lawson, Inc. to support both daily service and public gathering. Chef Terry will be documenting the process, including menu development, through a dedicated TikTok account. For a personal look into the process, follow along at @chefelenaterry.
“We are still in the early stages of this work, with much ahead of us,” adds Baker Prindle, “but we are committed to creating a space that belongs to the community—and we look forward to gathering around the table together.”
ABOUT MMoCA
The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is always admission-free. Its vision is to be an organization that fosters the exchange of ideas and creates experiences that will inspire a wide audience; be a nexus for the work of emerging and established regional, national, and international artists; serve as a catalyst for the continued development of a vigorous community of artists; and provide a forum that will encourage people to be challenged by, reflect on, and make connections between art and the world around them.