Carole Nicksin, editor-in-chief and publisher of Milwaukee Magazine, journeyed from being an aspiring actress to magazine journalist, and eventually became the editor-in-chief of MilMag in 2016 and publisher in 2018. Over a batch of her grandmother’s French pancakes, Nicksin shared her story with Cooking with Community Leaders host Charlie DeSando in the episode “Grandma’s French Pancakes & Carole Nicksin Interview,” which went live May 16 on DeSando’s YouTube channel and podcast-streaming platforms.
The cooking show features prominent leaders in the Milwaukee community. “We have community leaders and people who make a difference [on the show], and we talk about their work and their background,” DeSando says. “It’s pretty benign, I don’t ask any hard questions, I just try to give the person a platform to talk about [themselves].”
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
DeSando says he jumped at the chance to interview Nicksin because of his admiration for local magazines. “Her love for the city is palpable,” he says. “She’s an ambassador for the city. She speaks eloquently about how the city is a wonderful place. … She’s one of those people who just talks about how great it is to be here.”
Nicksin enjoyed DeSando’s show and seized the opportunity to share her grandmother’s recipe with his followers, a recipe she holds close to her heart. “It makes me very happy to share my grandmother’s recipe with the world,” Nicksin says. “In my family we don’t have a ton of traditions. … So it’s nice that we have this one. It’s so simple, and it’s really a pleasure to share with other people.”
In her interview with DeSando, Nicksin shares that after being born and raised in South Bend, Indiana, she aspired to move to a bigger, more eventful city. She describes her journey as an actress-turned-journalist, taking her from Indiana to New York, and then eventually Milwaukee. After 30 years in New York City, Nicksin says she appreciated the size and livability of Milwaukee’s Downtown.
“I always knew there was life in smaller cities,” Nicksin said on the show.
After her former magazine All You by Time Inc. folded, Nicksin looked outside of New York for opportunity, and applied for the editor-in-chief post at Milwaukee Magazine shortly after the job was advertised. Since then, she has found a home in Milwaukee.
“It’s worked out beyond anything I could have imagined,” Nicksin said on the show. “I have such great friends here, and it’s such a wonderful community, but it’s also in a community of the size you feel you can really make an impact.”
After discussing Nicksin’s journey to Milwaukee, the two got to work on preparing Nicksin’s grandmother’s recipe for rustic French pancakes, a recipe which Nicksin recalled from memory. At the close of the episode, Nicksin and DeSando enjoyed the meal. “Wow,” DeSando said, laughing through a mouthfull of pancake, “it’s really good.”
