Wisconsin Foodie

- Season 6

(2016)

Host Kyle Cherek and Jessica Bell explore the fine culinary delicacies of the Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee. From maple-glazed pork belly wrapped in bacon to the iconic cream puff, explore all the fair has to offer in food and drink while enjoying a sunny Wisconsin summer day.

Kyle visits the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in East Troy, touring the grounds and sitting down to a white-linen dinner prepared by Tyler Sailsbery of the Black Sheep. Also meet Dan O'Leary, who has been caring for the bees of Michael Fields for 15 years.

Kyle and Jessica travel to Door County to feature two successful food families making their mark in the region. At the Wild Tomato, Kyle tries his hand at making wood-fired pizza. In the second segment, Kyle and Jessica meet Bob and Yannique Purman, owners of Island Orchard Cider.

Gordon Edgar, famous Californian cheesemonger by day and cheese writer by night, has come to Wisconsin with his new book "Cheddar" and tours some of his favorite cheddar makers, Henning's and Widmer's. Kyle travels to L'Etoile in Madison where chefs Tory Miller, Justin Aprahamian and Justin Carlisle each prepare a course using a different aged cheddar.

The crew visits the Driftless area, home to one of the best food scenes in the Midwest. At Driftless Organics, meet the young farmers responsible for one of the most influential organic farms in the state. In the second segment, meet Dani Lind, owner of the Rooted Spoon pop-up.

Spend the day in New Glarus with Deb and Dan Carey of New Glarus Brewery for Oktoberfest. Jessica Bell meets up with Deb and Dan at their home as they prepare for Oktoberfest, lederhosen and all. In the second segment, meet an upstart brewer with big plans of his own.

Kyle visits Stoney Acres Farm to meet a young family that has decided to stay on the family farm but try something totally different: a pizza farm. To compliment their CSA program, every Friday night in season the family opens their farm to the public. From the crust to the veggies, everything comes from the farm.

Visit a festival that beats all festivals (for cheese): Cheesetopia. Cheesetopia is an event that showcases the best of the best in Midwest cheeses. Kyle meets some of our favorite Wisconsin cheese makers and tries some award-winning cheese. At the event Kyle meets one cheese maker in particular, Katie Furman of LaClare farms.

Travel to Spain with sisters Chef Karen Bell and Jessica Bell. Spain was very influential in the sisters' culinary lives, who both lived and worked in the country before settling in their hometown of Milwaukee. Tour from Madrid to San Sebastian, and try to eat and drink everything in between.

Explore Native cuisine from festival favorites like fry bread to the more traditional and historical like wild rice. In the first segment, Kyle stops by the Indian Summer Festival in Milwaukee to meet local characters and try some delicious Native staples. In the second segment, travel to a reservation to profile Greg Johnson of the Ojibwe tribe and learn how to harvest wild rice.

Kyle travels to a small dairy farm in Chaseburg to meet the Gretebeck family, whose farm produces milk that goes to Organic Valley for grass-fed milk and butter. Kyle follows the family's milk from their farm to a nearby butter plant and watches their grass-fed milk become butter. He then returns to the farm with some new butter to enjoy.

Visit the UWM School for Fresh Water Science in Milwaukee and hear what they are doing to help fish farmers breed sustainable perch. Travel to Fond Du Lac to visit Linda Wendt, owner of Wendt's on the Lake.

Bay View has always been thought of as a working class neighborhood with mom and pop restaurants, ethnic eateries and delis. Today, a group of young chefs and restaurateurs want not only to preserve that tradition but elevated it to a whole other level. We feature a small sample of restaurants leading the charge, Odd Duck, The Vanguard and Goodkind.