Wisconsin Foodie

Calderone Club owner and chef Gino Fazzari has cornered the market on pizza in Milwaukee. His family can lay claim to the original pizza recipe in Milwaukee. Fazzari also owns San Giorgio, a certified Neapolitan wood-fired pizza restaurant. Host Luke Zahm stops by the restaurant to determine his favorite style of pizza.

Chef Yia Vang runs Union Hmong Kitchen in Graze Provisions + Libations food hall in Minneapolis. Vang’s goal is to make Hmong food more approachable for American diners while also paying homage to his family and their history. Host Luke Zahm joins Chef Vang at his new concept, Vinai, and hopes to bring Vang back to Wisconsin to cook at Owl Farm.

Each spring, Tiernan Paine of Tree-Ripe Fruit Co. makes the journey from Milwaukee to Fort Valley, Georgia, to source millions of peaches straight from the branch making their way back to your kitchen table. Host Luke Zahm tags along for the cross-country trek to find out why and how the Pearson Farm produces the best peaches in the world.

The Alice in Dairyland program promotes all things Wisconsin agriculture, and current Alice in Dairyland Julia Nunes is only days away from passing the torch. We go on a multi-day adventure with the top Alice candidates, culminating at a giant event in Madison, where the 75th Alice in Dairyland will be crowned.

Travel to Fort Atkinson, home of Hoard’s Dairyman, to learn about the heavily decorated St. Saviour cheese. Hoard’s Dairyman is a beloved publication that was started in 1885. Hoard’s also runs a cheesemaking operation with Willow Creek Cheese and a dairy farm. Host Luke Zahm samples the famous cheese at The Union House restaurant.

Travel to Beloit to meet the farmers and owners of Bushel and Peck’s, a market and restaurant that sources a majority of the produce for their meals, pickled goods and hot sauces directly from their own farm. Luke follows Bushel and Peck’s hot sauce to Janesville’s Lark Market, part of a larger good food movement taking over the city.

Host Luke Zahm and chef Mary Kastman are on the hunt to remake their tea program at the Driftless Cafe, so they visit Tony DiMaggio of Sacred Blossom Farm in Mondovi. Tony grows a variety of herbs and botanicals to make the highest quality tea on the market.

Travel to Keewaydin Farms in Viola to learn about its evolution from dairy farm to organic CSA. Keewaydin hosts Driftless Curiosity, which invites guests to explore, interact and learn about the land with classes like maple syrup making and fly fishing. Host Luke Zahm travels to the farm for a dinner to highlight its amazing produce.

Host Luke Zahm visits Little Blue Ridge Farm in Kendall, where owner Kim Zuhlke has transformed a dairy farm into one promoting native plants, food and wildlife. Kim also works with the Department of Natural Resources to harvest venison for food pantries. Kim and Luke head into the woods to hunt deer, which Luke then uses to make venison confit.

Host Luke Zahm visits Fairchild restaurant in Madison, owned and operated by Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger. They focus on local sourcing, classic techniques and fantastic hospitality. Follow the story of one of those ingredients: cheese from Dreamfarm in Cross Plains. The chefs meet Dreamfarm’s owners, and taste cheeses for the restaurant.

Host Luke Zahm travels to the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek. In 2012, seven members of the Sikh temple were killed in a mass shooting. Luke learns more about the Sihk community's connection to food. He helps make 2,000 samosas for the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy, and sits down to enjoy the Langar experience with the Kaleka family.

Host Luke Zahm travels to Milwaukee to meet TrueMan McGee, owner of Funky Fresh Spring Rolls, at the Sherman Phoenix Marketplace. TrueMan and Luke taste a variety of unique dishes offered at the food hall, and discuss its importance to the Sherman Park community.

Host Luke Zahm heads north to Bayfield’s Apple Festival, attended annually by 50,000 people for apples, seasonal foods and cultural dishes. Luke visits Hauser's Superior View Farm to talk about a one-of-a-kind apple they produce, and Red Cliff Fish Co. to learn how the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa are creating a sustainable local food economy.