joe papach: chef & co-owner
A native of Whiting, Indiana, Joe Papach’s passion for cooking was first piqued by helping his grandmother prepare classic Mexican dishes from scratch. After graduating from Johnson & Wales, he cooked at a series of high-end establishments in Providence, Boston, and Chicago before spending several years as sous chef of New York’s Gramercy Tavern. Relocating to Northern California, Joe worked at three-Michelin-star landmarks, Quince and sister restaurant Cotogna, both in San Francisco; and Napa’s iconic French Laundry, where he spent six years as sous chef. He and Shaina settled down in her hometown of Madison in 2018, opening The Harvey House in 2021. In 2024, he opened his second restaurant in Madison, “Butterbird”.
shaina robbins papach: creative director & co-owner
A native Madisonian from a food-loving family, Shaina Robbins Papach is proud to be a part of her hometown’s vibrant restaurant scene. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and Teachers College, Columbia University, she has cooked at Chez Panisse in Berkeley and Gramercy Tavern in New York. Outside the kitchen, Shaina led teams working for Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard Project and the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture gaining firsthand experience in business development, educational programming and creating a dynamic organizational culture. In 2024, she opened her second restaurant in Madison, “Butterbird”.
kaitlin fischer: director of operations
Kaitlin began her restaurant career as a teenager bussing tables and working the salad station at Louisianne’s in Middleton, Wisconsin. She fell in love with the industry while attending UW-Madison and working every front of house position at Brocach Irish Pub on the Capitol Square. After graduation, she entered the manager-in-training program of Hillstone Restaurant Group in New York City learning the intricacies of systems based restaurant management in New York and Chicago. Seeking new challenges and an opportunity to learn, Kaitlin took a role as an opening server at Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf and quickly progressed through the ranks of Hogsalt Restaurant Group as Beverage Director, GM and Executive Service Director leading restaurant openings in Las Vegas, Chicago and New York City. As the opening General Manager of The Harvey House, Kaitlin loved getting back to the intimate, hands-on approach that inspired her love for hospitality. As Director of Operations, you will find her splitting her time between The Harvey House and sister restaurant “Butterbird”.