Chef Kamal Shkoukani has a passion for art and food, so he decided to combine the best of those worlds into The Gallery Food Hall, 2335 N. Murray Ave. Open since July, the venue offers gallery space and six different food concepts: Secret Hot Chicken, Moon Burger, Callate La Boca, High Broke and Hungry, Gym Bae and Crooks Chicken and Waffles.

Shkoukani first launched The Gallery Food Hall with an art show featuring four different local artists. The kitchen opened soon after, and the venue operated as a carryout and delivery model. The dining area, with a capacity of 25, opened this month.

As an experienced chef in ghost kitchen and food hall concepts, Shkoukani had experimented with several different food businesses offering savory to sweet options. His first, and currently most popular, is Secret Hot Chicken. The menu features tenders, sliders and wings with a kick, served with sauces such as Hot Honey or Caribbean Jerk, and sides.

Shkoukani first experienced hot chicken while living in Los Angeles. “Hot chicken became very popular in L.A. I really enjoyed it,” he says. Hot chicken, a type of spicy fried chicken, traces back to Nashville’s Black neighborhoods and has grown in popularity in recent years.

After returning to his hometown of Milwaukee during the COVID-19 pandemic, Shkoukani had noticed how many businesses had shuttered. “But the only thing still operating were food businesses because everyone still had to eat. Even though a lot of restaurants closed during that time, the delivery and pickup side really took off.”

Flavor Combinations

Shkoukani, a photographer, was looking for something new to try. He grew up taking care of his siblings and frequently cooked for them. His parents were Puerto Rican and Palestinian descent. “There were different combinations of flavors at the house, and I got really good at making stuff quick and easy. I developed a passion for cooking,” he says.

He noticed a dearth of hot chicken options in Milwaukee at the time, so he created Secret Hot Chicken and started selling plates out of his house. He eventually opened the Secret Hot Chicken concept at Paper Table Food Co., a virtual food hall operated by CloudKitchens. Citing multiple challenges at Paper Table, Shkoukani took what was working well there and opened his own location.

Around that same time, Crossroads Collective approached him with a partnership offer. “It worked out perfectly because I had just come across this location for The Gallery. Once I secured a deal with the landlord, I had the ability to work with Crossroads at the same time while renovating this space.”

In addition to Secret Hot Chicken, The Gallery also includes Shkoukani’s other concepts: Moon Burger, with 100% Halal beef; Callate La Boca, with tacos, nachos and burritos; High Broke and Hungry, with wings, hot dogs and corn dogs, and munchies like crispy tater hashbrowns and nacho fries; Gym Bae, with healthy bowls and salads; and Crooks Chicken and Waffles.

Shkoukani emphasizes that he uses 100% Halal meats. Halal meat is from animals that have been raised humanely and slaughtered in a specific way according to Islamic dietary laws. “We have a strong Muslim following. It’s rare to find fast food made that way. Everything is made fresh—nothing is bought frozen. The way we prepare things gives it a home-cooked taste.”

When creating concepts, Shkoukani wants to give people what they’re asking for. The gallery is located in the former Mr. Senior’s location, and many people came in asking for tacos, which led to his Callate La Boca concept.

“Each menu stands on its own. I might bring out different concepts monthly or however we decide to rotate them. I want to partner with other chefs and businesses in the area that can fit within our space.” 

Since opening, Shkoukani says the neighborhood has been very supportive. He observes how Milwaukee’s art scene is “really picking up. There are more places opening, along with studios, events and art meetups. I want to combine the best of the food and art scenes.” 

Local artists can follow The Gallery Food Hall on social media to watch for calls for artists. For more information, visit instagram.com/thegalleryfoodhall. Whether one wants to dine in or take food to-go, Shkoukani highly recommends coming in to place orders; delivery orders via third party delivery services is available (order.toasttab.com/online/secret-hot-chicken-733-n-milwaukee-st) but he says most services add upcharges.