Wisconsin Foodie

Travel from the ground to the cup and learn the story behind a cup of coffee. Meet coffee roasters around the state and hear their philosophies on roasting, fair trade and the importance of community. Then, travel with Alterra Coffee to visit farmers and see firsthand how coffee is grown and selected. Finally, we get a lesson on making the perfect Espresso with award winning barista Scott Lucey.

Follow Chef Tory Miller of L'Etoile as he and his crew travel to Willi Lehner's Bleu Mont Dairy to cook a meal for 250 hosted by Outstanding in the Field. Join Madison's Underground Food Collective as they take over the L'Etoile kitchen to put on a 100 person dinner. Finally, Myrica Von Haselberg of the food blog Horno Magico puts on a secret Valentines Day dinner at Milwaukee's Best Place.

Meet farmer Jonathan Stich of One Guerrilla Farmer. Jonathan is a new breed of farmer that not only grows heirloom products of his own, but sources from the best farmers in his community and brings it directly to restaurants like Alinea and Next in Chicago and La Reve and Cafe at the Plaza in Milwaukee. Follow Jon on one of his routes to Chicago and back - meeting his chefs along the way.

Celebrate the "Old World" and the "New School" tradition of craft sausage making. European Homemade Sausage has been a staple on Milwaukee's southside since the 1970's. In 2010, master sausage maker Frank Jakubczak tried to retire only to have his customers demand he return. Then, meet up with the Underground Food Collective and see what a new generation of sausage makers are up to.

Travel to Sheboygan to visit with Chef Stefano Viglietti and tour three of his restaurants. After traveling to Italy, he and his wife Whitney returned to their roots and opened Trattoria Stefano 19 years ago. Visit his newest restaurants Field to Fork, Il Ritrovo and also the original Trattoria Stefano where Chef Stefano prepares us a southern Italian dish using mostly local ingredients.

Travel to Washington Island to meet with Ken Koyen, a 5th generation farmer/fisherman who supplies wheat to companies like Capital Brewery and Death's Door Spirits. Spend the day with Ken and his brother Tom fishing for White Fish, harvesting wheat and preparing a traditional boneless fish boil. See how to make the perfect Manhattan and visit Nelsen's Hall to join the Bitter's Club.

Travel to central Wisconsin to visit with Tony and Sue Renger, owners of Willow Creek Farms. Willow Creek produces some of the best award winning Berkshire pork in the state and they process and smoke all of their own meats. Tour their charcuterie facility, smokehouse and the pastures where the happy pigs roam free. Then, visit the Madison Club for the first SlowPig event put on by chef Dan Fox.

Meet Wisconsin native and award winning chef Tony Mantuano. Regarded internationally as an influential culinary force, Mantuano is the chef/partner at the only four-star Italian restaurant in Chicago. Mantuano worked in several Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy before opening Spiaggia in 1984. Visit Mantuano at his Kenosha restaurant Mangia as he hosts the 19th annual Masters of the Grill.

Kirby Nelson gives us a tour of Capital Brewery and a glimpse into beer making. Then, meet Ed Janus, author of "Creating Dairyland." He is joined by cheesemakers Sid Cook of Carr Valley Cheese and Jerry and Elise Klessig Heimerl of Saxon Creamery. Finally, a clip from the documentary by William Wroblewski titled "The Wheat Movie," where we meet craft baker Dave Bauer of Farm and Sparrow Bakery.

Get a behind the scenes look into the art of cheese making with award-winning cheesemaker Andy Hatch of Uplands Cheese. Then visit La Merenda restaurant in Milwaukee where Chef Peter Sandroni is hosting a dinner to celebrate Wisconsin cheese. Finally, catch up with writer Gordon Edgar of Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in San Francisco for a reading of his book, "Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge."

Visit Bacchus restaurant in Milwaukee with double James Beard Award-winning chef Paul Bartolotta as he hosts their annual Truffle Dinner. The Bartolottas get together all of their chefs and put on a multi-course dinner using the rare white truffle. Then, visit the Hamilton Bar, where Nick and Ira of Bittercube Bitters are hosting an event that pays tribute to forgotten cocktails and rare .45s.

Visit Kettle Moraine with chef David Swanson from Braise Restaurant and Culinary School to hunt for spring morels. Also meet publisher and editor-in-chief of Fungi Magazine, Britt Bunyard. Britt serves as our foraging guide, maneuvering us through the forest and pointing out what is edible and what is not. Later, chef Swanson uses only foraged items to cook a completely local and seasonal meal.

Visit chef Dave Swanson and get a tour of his freshly opened restaurant - Braise. David Swanson has been running a traveling cooking school for the past several years, cooking in barns and out in open fields. Then, meet the author of "Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge," Gordon Edgar. Gordon also runs one of the best cheese shops in the country, Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in San Fransisco.

Meet a young entrepreneurial couple that makes small batch preserves, Quince and Apple. Explore their newest recipe, Tart Cherry and White Tea, and follow the cherries back to Seaquist Orchard to meet farmer and owner Dale Seaquist. Finally, take a trip to the heart of cherry country for the annual Door County Cherry Fest.

Meet three up and coming Wisconsin culinary stars that collaborate on a special dinner: Brewer George Bregar, Chef Tory Miller of L’Etoile and Chef Justin Aprahamian, owner of Sanford Restaurant.

First we visit the Ditter family at their 4th generation dairy farm, Smilaire Family Farms in Plymouth, WI. We then follow a shipment of their milk to the Sartori Cheese company where they are making their award winning cheeses, SarVecchio Parmesan and Bellavitano. Take a tour of the process with Master Cheesemaker Mike Matucheski and meet Owner Jim Sartori.

In this episode of Wisconsin Foodie we profile Breadmaker Shawn Rediske of Water House Foods and Miller Gilbert Williams of Lonesome Stone Milling. We follow native Wisconsin heritage wheat from the field through the milling process at Lonesome Stone Milling and then baked into a delicious loaf of local love at Water House Bistro!

Travel to Madison, WI to visit The Underground Food Collective's newest ventures. Forequarter is a restaurant that prides itself on inventive American cuisine utilizing local ingredients and products. Then, visit Underground Butcher and get a behind the scenes look at the lost art of whole animal butchery while getting a lesson on everything from sourcing local meats to butchering philosophy.

Meet Chef Karen Bell, Owner of Bavette Le Boucherie in Milwaukee, WI and get her philosophy on the old world style of new school butchery. Follow Karen to Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville, WI to meet Cheesemaker Andy Hatch. Andy tours us through his facility and farm introducing us to his whey fed pigs. Finally, catch up weeks later for an event at Bavette that will celebrate Andy’s pigs and cheese.

We start off by visiting Wienkes Market in Door County, WI. There, the Wienke family gives us a tour of their farm and market, as well as a demo of their pickling process. Next, travel to Reedsburg, WI to visit the annual fermentation fest. Donna Neuwirth, Fermentation Fest organizer, takes us on the 50 mile loop tour of art and food that is Fermentation Fest.

Travel to Mineral Point, WI to visit with one of Wisconsin's true cheesemaking treasures, Tony Hook of Hook's Cheese Company. Hook's is known for their variety of high quality specialty cheeses, with one of our favorites being the 15 year old aged cheddar. Take a tour of their cheesemaking facility and get a little insight on aging cheddars, making blue's and most importantly, the curd.

Meet Lorin Toepper, creator of the WI Grilled Cheese Championship in Mineral Point. The state's very best grilled cheese chefs compete to win the annual title of best grilled cheese in the state, take home a trophy and a WI shaped cast iron pan. Then travel to Madison to meet Alisa Toninato of FeLion Studios for a first hand look at how she creates cast iron pans in the shape of Wisconsin.

Explore some of the less traditional aspects of Milwaukee's Beer and Sausage traditional past. First, visit Glorious Malone's Fine Sausage and get a behind the scenes look at the process of making Headcheese with Daphne Jones. Then head to Cathedral Square in Milwaukee for the annual Firkin Beer Fest and some insight into what a Firkin is.

Visit the annual WMSE Rockabilly Chili Fundraiser in Milwaukee, WI. Each year, the independent college radio station holds a massive chili competition between local restaurants as a fundraiser. Follow Fire Lieutenant Schuyler Belott as he prepares his special batch of chili for the competition. Then follow 6-time Veggie chili winner Riverwest co-op as they prepare their Bloody Bean chili.

Join us as we head out to the fields to hunt for lunch. Travel to Johnson Creek, WI and visit Millford Hills to hunt Pheasant. Hunting with expert Keith Warnke, we discuss hunting as original local food and paying homage to the land. We wrap up the day by dining on pheasant prepared by chef Jason Zellner of Millford Hills.

Visit the Ishnala Supper Club in Wisconsin Dells and meet author and filmmaker Ron Faiola. Learn some of the history behind Wisconsin Supper Clubs and experience the ultimate summer supper club feast. Then travel to Praire Du Sac, WI with Ira Koplowitz of Bitterbube to visit Wollersheim WInery and talk to Winemaker Philippe Coquard about their recent venture into the world of distillation.