Wisconsin Foodie

- Season 5

(2015)

Travel to Door County to visit Waseda Farms and the Wickman House. Meet with Tom Lutsey, owner and farmer at Waseda Farms, to get his philosophy on farming and a tour of his land. Then, we travel with some Waseda chickens to the Wickman House to follow our meal from ground to plate. There, we meet owners Joe Fahrenkrug and Mike Holmes, and wrap up the day with dinner with the Lutsey family.

Meet chef Patrick DePula, owner of Salvatore's Tomato Pies in Sun Prairie and Madison. Patrick brings us to Vitruvian Farms in McFarland to meet the upstart twenty somethings who are changing the world one tomato at a time. Then we check out the first Yum Yum Fest celebrating the Madison Area Chefs Network and featuring chefs Jonny Hunter, Tory Miller and Daniel Bonanno to name a few.

Meet Milwaukee's Gretchen Mead and discover her Victory Garden Initiative, a program in which volunteers create raised bed gardens throughout the city to promote food growth in urban spaces. Host Kyle Cherek helps build gardens and meets the lucky folks receiving them. We catch up with Gretchen four months later to see the progress at the Victory Garden's own urban farm, Concordia Gardens.

In Sister Bay, meet with Jesse and Rachael Johnson, owners of Door County Creamery. Get a tour of the farm, meet their goats and then make your way back to the creamery to make fresh chevre. After a day of goat wrestling and cheesemaking, pay a visit to Door County Brewing Company co-founder John McMahon and discuss why he decided to open a brewery and what we can expect from their brews.

At Fondy Farm in Port Washington, meet up with Young Kim and a roster of Milwaukee's best chefs for a 6-course meal that features food from the farm and celebrates the farmers. Then travel to Primrose Valley Farm CSA farm were Edible Madison is hosting a dinner prepared by Madison chef Tory Miller and chef Naomi Pomeroy of Portland Ore. restaurant Beast.

Travel to Monroe to celebrate 100 years of Green County Cheese Days. Start off with Limburger and Braunschweiger sandwiches at Baumgartner's Cheese Store and Tavern, and talk with several area master cheesemakers. Discuss the fine art of yodeling with Kerry Christensen, learn how to make the perfect fried cheese curd and end the day with a tour of the town square with Mayor William Ross.

Visit one of Wisconsin's original apple orchards, where more than 120 apple varieties, some on the verge of extinction, are treated as art. Tour the orchard with owner Kenneth Weston and his daughter Genevieve, and make cider with Ethan Keller. Follow the cider the New Glarus Brewery, and then visit Apple Sauced, an event hosted by Edible Milwaukee and MKEfoodies.

Join Kyle Cherek and crew on a visit to Rushing Waters Fisheries in Palmyra, Wisconsin. Meet Rushing Waters president Peter Fritsch, get a tour of the fishery and watch Kyle make a noble attempt at catching his own dinner. Follow the fish from the pond to the kitchen and learn about one of chef Zachary Combs' favorite recipes, trout almondine.

Chef Justin Carlisle of Ardent restaurant in Milwaukee offers a tour of his family's farm in Sparta, where he gets many of the products for his restaurant. At Ardent, enjoy a small tasting menu and the restaurant's late-night ramen. Also, Craig's Meats and Catering owner Gary Craig talks about the relationship between butcher and chef.

David Boucher and Stephanie Shipley, co-owners and founders of Amaranth Bakery and Cafe in Milwaukee, use fresh food to build community. At Madison Sourdough, get a taste for naturally leavened breads and French pastries with head baker and co-owner Andrew Hutchinson, who aims to bring nutrition back to bread.

Travel to Shullsburg and meet with Chris Roelli of Roelli Cheese Haus. Get a behind the scenes look at how to make one of Wisconsin's most unique and innovative cheeses, Dunbarton Blue. Then, travel to Viroqua where Luke Zahm, owner and chef at the Driftless Café, prepares two incredible dishes that incorporate Roelli Cheese.

Go deer hunting near Port Washington with DNR hunting and shooting sports coordinator Keith Warnke. Before the hunt host Kyle Cherek gets some tips on shooting and hunter safety at a range in Eagle. Then at Milwaukee Area Technical College, culinary instructor Jack Kaestner demonstrates proper techniques for venison butchery and cookery.

Travel to the great Schreiner's Restaurant in Fond du Lac where owner Paul Cunningham shares the secret to their success that is four generations strong. Watch as host Kyle Cherek gets a lesson in packing pork hocks from Bay View Packing Company's oldest employee. End your journey with a stop at Wolski's Tavern in Milwaukee.