Wisconsin Foodie

Travel to Oak Creek, WI and join Chef David Swanson at Pinehold Gardens for a pig roast. Chef Swanson is preparing a dinner on the farm for 50 people. We also meet the farmers at Pinehold Gardens - Sandy Raduenz and David Kozlowski and get a tour of their land.

Follow farmer Tim Huth of LotFotl Farm in East Troy, WI as he prepares produce for his weekly CSA & restaurant deliveries. We also visit Beans & Barley restaurant and get a behind the scenes look at how they use local produce on their menu.

Visit the annual Kohler Food & Wine experience to meet up with several top chefs and tour the area with Chef Ulrich Koberstein.

Travel north to Bayfield, WI to visit the Wild Rice restaurant and meet with owner Mary Rice and Chef Jim Webster.

Visit Madison, WI and tour the Dane County Farmers Market with Chef Tory Miller. Chef Miller introduces us to some of his favorite vendors at the market.

Visit the West Allis Farmers Market with Chef/Owner of Sanford restaurant Sandy D'Amato and his Chef de Cuisine Justin Aprahamian. With the bounty purchased at the market we cook up lunch at the restaurant.

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.

Explore Milwaukee’s North Side and meet several individuals changing the course from a Food Desert to an Urban Ag epicenter. Visit with Young Kim of the Fondy Food Center as he celebrates the market's opening weekend with a BBQ competition. Then, travel to Alice’s Garden to meet Venice Williams. Finally, visit Milwaukee’s iconic Speed Queen BBQ and get a tour from owner Giovanni Gillespie.

Visit Madison, WI for the World Cheese Championship. With over 2500 cheeses from around the world, this group of esteemed and international judges must select the top 3 cheeses in the world. Meet some of the judges that happen to also be the biggest names in the cheese industry from buyers to writers and cheesemakers to mongers.

Over the past several decades we have strayed away from small farms raising and processing their own animals. Meet a couple farmers that are reversing that trend and bringing back small scale meat processing: Steven and Darlyne Pinnow of Pinn-Oak Ridge Farms and Bartlett Durand of Black Earth Meats. Finally, visit Burgers and Brew - an event put on by REAP food Groups at Capital Brewery.

Visit the award-winning New Glarus Brewing company in New Glarus, WI to meet Co-Owner and Brewmaster Dan Carey for a tour of the Brewery. Then meet James Altweis from Gorst Valley Hops as he and his team prepare to install the beginnings of a Hop farm. Finally, visit the Carey household for a look at how Dan tests different varieties of hops on his kitchen stove.

Travel to New York City to celebrate the man known as James Beard. First, visit the James Beard House in greenwich village for a "pop-up" dinner featuring chef Tory Miller of L'Etoile. Then, hit the red carpet for the James Beard Awards in which chef Miller and chef Justin Aprahamian are nominated for Best Chef Midwest.

In New York City, see the influence Wisconsin has on the worlds biggest culinary stages. First, meet Beloit native turned international celebrity and Michelin-awarded chef, Michael White at Osteria Morini. At Murray's Cheese, see where Wisconsin ranks among the world's best cheeses. And, meet Milwaukee native Julia Jaksic at Employees Only where she creates midwestern inspired dishes.

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.

Visit the award-winning New Glarus Brewing company in New Glarus, WI to meet Co-Owner and Brewmaster Dan Carey for a tour of the Brewery. Then meet James Altweis from Gorst Valley Hops as he and his team prepare to install the beginnings of a Hop farm. Finally, visit the Carey household for a look at how Dan tests different varieties of hops on his kitchen stove.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.

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.

In this episode, Kyle Cherek and Jessica Bell explore the fine culinary delicacies of the Wisconsin State Fair. From maple-glazed pork belly wrapped in bacon to the iconic cream puff, explore all the fair has to offer.

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. This episode also profiles 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.

In this episode we celebrate cheddar! Gordon Edgar, famous Californian cheesemonger by day and cheese writer by night, has come to Wis. 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.

In this episode, 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 pop­up.

In this episode, 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.

Visit three innovative Viroqua businesses. Eric Weninger and Bree Breckle of B&E’s Trees show how they craft Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup, the crew at Wisco Pop explains how they make soda with natural ingredients, and Scott Lucey from Kickapoo Coffee Roasters serves up latte art.

Visit Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. in Chilton to learn about the age-old, hands-on process of making barley into malt. Then travel to Amherst to get a behind-the-scenes tour of Central Waters Brewing Co. and sample unreleased stouts.

Visit the award-winning, energy-supplying, cheese-making facility Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese to see how the facility is a shining example of “big dairy” done right. George Crave offers a tour of the facility and explains how their methane energy is distributed to the community.

Go from berry to bottle and see how Gin is produced at Death’s Doors Spirits. Learn about the history of Death’s Door from founder Brian Ellison. Then, travel to Washington Island with a national bartender and mixologist group called Lush Life to see where the juniper berries are harvested.

Travel to Osseo to learn how Norske Nook baker Kim Hanson makes sour cream-and-raisin pies with foot-high meringue, and learn about Norske Nook’s history. Continue the pie-themed tour with Jonathan Dye of Mr. Dye's Pies, who shows how he makes some of the best pies in Milwaukee.

Join outdoor guide Keith Warnke to explore the edible outdoors of Muscoda. Start by harvesting roadside asparagus, then head to the hills to hunt for morels, and finally jump into the streams and try fly fishing for trout. Driftless Café chef Luke Zahm brings the bounty together.

Explore some of Door County’s newest culinary destinations! Meet owners Ryan and Chris of Discourse Coffee’s “liquid workshop” for the ultimate tasting of coffee in the most unique forms. Then, owner Sarah Holmes tours through the exquisitely crafted menu at Trixie’s, sister restaurant to the Wickman House.

Go behind the scenes at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee to get a rare peek into a rock star kitchen. Each night, Chef Kevin Sloan and his crew cook for a new band. Join Chef Sloan and Cole Ersel as they pick up ingredients and prepare dinner for tonight's musical guests: Lake Street Dive.

See how local chefs and farmers work with Milwaukee Public Schools to teach students about cooking. Jennifer Bartolotta and Chef Dan Jacobs from DanDan take a group of students to Turtle Creek Gardens in Delavan. Later, the students use veggies from the farm in a class cooking competition.

Travel the Mississippi to see the effects of farm runoff on Bayou fisheries. Margaret Krome of the Michael Fields Institute rallies Wisconsin farmers to rethink practices and be more conscious of runoff. The goal is to bring Louisiana fishermen together with Wisconsin farmers over food.

Explore Milwaukee's beer garden culture with Hans Weissgerber, operator of the Estabrook Beer Garden. Hans collaborated with the county parks system to revive beer gardens in Milwaukee. Later, we find ourselves abroad in Munich, to tour the iconic Hofbrauhaus and more.

From farm to plate, Eau Claire is reinventing itself through food. At nearby Together Farms, Andy and Stephanie Schneider share their pasture-raising philosophy, restaurant links and epic Burger Night. The Informalist’s Chef Amy Huo uses their meat in her innovative, locally focused menu.

In this episode, we meet up with award-winning Chef Tory Miller at Sujeo, his Korean inspired restaurant. Host Kyle Cherek and Chef Miller head to the woods with hunting guide Keith Warnke and friends to learn about hunting a turkey for their dinner. The group heads back to Sujeo, and Tory prepares a fresh turkey in multiple ways while utilizing the whole bird.

Host Kyle Cherek meets chef Joe Muench, co-owner of Milwaukee’s popular restaurants Blue’s Egg, Maxie’s and Story Hill BKC. Muench offers a tour through all three restaurants, sampling dishes along the way. Each restaurant not only focuses on comfort foods but also on sourcing quality ingredients while transforming and expanding Milwaukee's palate.

Travel to Wausau and meet Will Hsu of Hsu Ginseng. Wausau is known for its abundance of American Ginseng, both wild and farmed. Take a behind-the-scenes look at the world of ginseng and learn what makes it so popular, how it’s cultivated, and the different ways to incorporate it into your recipes.

Visit Algoma, where two hot spots are making a name for themselves. First, host Kyle Cherek stops in at Skaliwags tavern, where chef Marshall Wiltfang is bringing down-home tastes up north. Next, host Jessica Bell visits Von Stiehl Winery, which uses Door County fruits and grapes aged with the unique Wisconsin terroir found in Von Stiehl's cellars.

Celebrate the art of mobile cookery. First, meet TrueMan McGee, owner and operator of Funky Fresh Spring Rolls, who is feeding the community healthy fast-food alternatives. Next, host Jessica Bell heads to a food truck festival at the Blind Horse Restaurant & Winery in Kohler and samples everything from cowboy fries to gelato.

Dip into the coastal waters of Lake Michigan and search for the freshest whitefish with Henriksen's Fisheries. Then visit Hidden Acres Farm for a tour; meet with chef Matt Chambas and his partner Jamie Mead of Door County Underground; and join Ryan Castelaz of Discourse as he mixes up unique cocktails.

Host Luke Zahm travels to Sheboygan — home to world-class brats and hard rolls. Luke visits Miesfeld’s Meat Market to try his hand at making — and eventually eating — their Grand Champion Bratwurst. He also meets third-generation owner Chuck Miesfeld.

Luke Zahm heads to Milwaukee to take part in a charity dinner to help fight Kennedy’s disease. Along the way, Luke picks up ingredients from The Conscious Carnivore in Madison. He also stops at the Fauntleroy in Milwaukee, where he talks with co-owner and chef Dan Jacobs.

Host Luke Zahm stops by the Cameron Park Farmers Market in La Crosse and chats with Bao Xiong, a Hmong immigrant whose family has been farming in the area for almost two decades. Next, chef Adrian Lipscombe invites Luke to the Uptowne Cafe & Bakery for a southern-style breakfast.

For more than 60 years, the Milwaukee restaurant Three Brothers has been serving up award-winning Serbian food. Co-owner and chef Milunka Radicevic invites host Luke Zahm to cook with her. Later, Luke continues his exploration of Serbian cuisine by stopping by Serbian Fest in Racine where a small, but devoted group of churchgoers proudly keep their heritage alive.

Join host Luke Zahm in Sheboygan to learn what makes Sheboygan’s hard rolls so special. First, visit City Bakery to meet with Owner Rick Navis and help with his daily bake. Then, head to West Side Bakery to explore the history of hard rolls. Finally, Luke puts the product to the test, using local Miesfeld’s brats!

Host Luke Zahm travels to Lombardino’s in Madison to catch up with an old friend, Chef Patrick O’Halloran. Luke and Patrick jump into the kitchen to work on a dish for an upcoming event at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin in Spring Green. Afterwards, Luke hits the road to visit Taliesin, where chef O’Halloran will be hosting a dinner on the property for 100 guests.

Meet Jessica and Erika Jones of Giant Jones Brewery in Madison. This independent woman-owned brewery uses 100% organic methods to create “big” beers. Next, catch up with Chef Dave Heide, owner of Liliana’s Restaurant. During the pandemic, he repurposed his shuttered Madison space to create weekly Nom Nom Nom Boxes — meal kits utilizing ingredients from local farmers.

The Tandem in Milwaukee is known for world class fried chicken and its connection to community. Owner Caitlin Cullen handled COVID-19 closures by serving free meals to those in need. In Lancaster, Kevin Jahnke is a 4th generation dairy farmer. Taking over from his dad, he transitioned to 100% organic. The hard knocks dairy industry has him diversifying by growing organic hemp for CBD products.

The Tornado Room is one of the last standing classic supper clubs in the Madison area. Owner Henry Doane discusses his concept of the perfect supper club and shares their famous ribeye steak dinner. Next, head out west to Elmaro Winery in Trempealeau to visit owners Laura Roessler and her mother Lynita Docken to see first hand how they produce award winning wines with Wisconsin grown grapes.

Did you know that Sturgeon Caviar is one of the most sought after luxury food items in the world? We visit Fond du Lac, WI during sturgeon spearing season to see if we can get our hands on some caviar for ourselves. What makes this product so treasured is that the sale of it is illegal in Wisconsin and only a handful of people know how to take the Sturgeon eggs and turn them into caviar. We meet up with the owner of Wendt’s on the Lake Shawn Wendt as he tours us around and introduces us to Zach and Norb, a team of Caviar makers in Fond du Lac, maybe the last of their kind. Luke also prepares classic Wisconsin Deviled Eggs utilizing Sturgeon Caviar.

Decatur Dairy in Brodhead is home to Wisconsin’s only cheese curd Master Cheesemaker, Steve Stettler. He works in many styles, but his most storied is curds. Stettler takes Luke through the plant, showing how Decatur makes their curds. He enjoys product innovation, and he’s partnering with Pine River, maker of cheese spreads, to create a signature Wisconsin spread from his Colby Swiss.

Drive-in burger stands are a throwback to our foodie past, but in Kenosha they’re still going strong. We visit Big Star and The Spot to see first hand what the burgers are all about. Next, we visit Chef Dane Baldwin, owner of The Diplomat in Milwaukee, a recent James Beard Award semi-finalist. Try the Diplomac burger — a play on the Big Mac with quality ingredients and superior flavor.

Head to Stevens Point to visit Siren Shrub Company, home of the Door County Cherry Shrub. Siren gets ingredients for their shrubs — nonalcoholic drinks that incorporate apple cider vinegar, sugar and a fruit, root or herb — from local farms, like Whitefeather Organics. Tony and Laura Whitefeather invite everyone to their farm for a pizza night.

Travel to the “Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA,” – Monroe, Wisconsin – to meet Madeline Kuhn, a cheesemaker at Emmi Roth. There, host Luke Zahm tours one of the largest cheese caves in the state. Then head to Richland Center’s Anaway Place cabins where Zahm puts on a multi-course dinner influenced by the property and its natural surroundings.

In this special episode, host Luke Zahm is joined by his son Silas and executive producer Arthur Ircink’s son, Ilija. The trio zigzag across Wisconsin to find the best representation of gelato, ice cream and custard in the state. They stop at Baron’s Gelato in Sheboygan, Pearl Ice Cream in La Crosse and Leon’s Frozen Custard in Milwaukee.

Line up to get Pączki, a Polish donut! Every Fat Tuesday, hordes of people flock to Milwaukee’s National Bakery & Deli for one of these sweet treats. Host Luke Zahm tours the bakery and gets his hands sticky helping make donuts. Next, head to Door County to meet the Prince of Pierogi, Christoph Delonge, and make an item off his restaurant’s menu.

Host Luke Zahm heads to Wisconsin Dells’ Mirror Lake with his trusty canoe to try and pull some monster perch. Paddling down the Wisconsin River, Zahm lands at The Shack, a retreat of Aldo Leopold – one of Wisconsin’s most influential conservationists. Zahm cooks a Leopold family cornbread recipe, which he pairs with lake-caught perch.

Travel to the Eau Claire Downtown Farmers Market to meet cheesemaker Inga Witscher, host of PBS Wisconsin’s Around the Farm Table. Her micro-dairy, St. Isidore’s Dairy, uses its cows’ milk to produce small-batch aged cheddar. Host Luke Zahm learns about the process and makes a pasta dish using ingredients from the market and St. Isadore’s.

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 visits Bootleggers Lodge in Tomahawk, which has a long culinary history in Wisconsin dating back to prohibition. During Luke’s visit, Bootleggers owner Brian Hollnagel and chef Maja Holcomb have invited Michelin-Starred Swedish chef Håkan Thörnström to cook a dinner incorporating Wisconsin ingredients with a Swedish twist.

Host Luke Zahm heads to Lone Rock to meet up with Heidi and Julian Zepeda of Tortilleria Zepeda, purveyors of authentic Mexican corn tortillas. Julian walks Luke through the process called “nixtamalization,” from dried kernel to steaming fresh tortilla. Back at The Owl Farm, Luke prepares carne asada with fresh tortillas from Tortilleria Zepeda.

Host Luke Zahm visits ZimKnives in Milwaukee to meet knife maker Nate Zimmerman, who specializes in hand forging knives for some of the best chefs in the Midwest. Together, Luke and Nate craft a custom chef’s knife for Luke, which is later used to create the ultimate seasonal recipe, beef bourguignon.

Host Luke Zahm meets Orphee Paillotin and Paula Heimerl, of Alpinage Cheese in Oak Creek. Alpinage Cheese produces raclette, a Swiss-style melting cheese. Paula and Orphee demonstrate the cheesemaking process. Then, Luke visits Birch Restaurant in Milwaukee for insights on how chef Kyle Knall prepares the Alpinage raclette at his restaurant.

Host Luke Zahm visits one of his chef mentors, Eric Rupert of Fortune Favors in Madison, makers of special candied pecans. Fortune Favors also partners with Mayana Chocolate to produce the Magic Bar, a decadent candy bar with layers of pecans, caramel and nougat. Luke then travels to Spooner to meet Mayana Chocolate co-owner Daniel Herskovic.

Host Luke Zahm sets out to find some of the best bagels in Wisconsin. His first stop is to Allie Boys in Milwaukee to meet chef and co-owner Ben Nerenhausen for an inside view on their process and philosophy. Next, Luke goes to Madison to meet with bagel legend Mr. Joey Bagels, of Gotham Bagels.

Luke Zahm journeys along the Mississippi River to Chef Shack in Bay City, Wisconsin, where co-owners Carrie Summer and Lisa Carlson craft world-class cuisine with local ingredients. From food trucks to seasonal tasting menus, Luke discovers the passion, creativity and dedication that makes Chef Shack a culinary gem.

Luke Zahm visits Three Brothers Farm in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, where Michael and Courtney Gutschenritter balance sustainable farming with family life. Luke follows the eggs to Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern in Milwaukee, where owners Wolfgang Schaefer and Whitney McAllister explain how these exceptional ingredients elevate their dishes.

Luke Zahm explores the magic of Kwik Trip’s iconic Glazers, touring the La Crosse bakery where 47 million donuts are made annually. At the Owl Farm, Luke turns Glazers into a decadent bread pudding using only Kwik Trip ingredients, proving these beloved donuts are as versatile as they are delicious!

Host Luke Zahm visits Middleton, Wisconsin, for National Mustard Day at the National Mustard Museum, home to over 6,900 mustards! With founder Barry Levenson, Luke dives into mustard ice cream, glazed treats and cooks a juicy pork shoulder with Stormin' Gorman mustard sauce, showcasing mustard’s magic as the ultimate secret ingredient.

Explore Wisconsin's potato legacy with host Luke Zahm, from sustainable farming at Sterling Farms near Grand Marsh to innovations at Alsum Farms & Produce in Cambria. At the Milwaukee Chef Collaboration Dinner, he joins top chefs to craft a gourmet dish celebrating the humble potato’s versatility, local flavors and sustainability.

Uncover the link between dairy and spirits with host Luke Zahm in Knowlton, Wisconsin. At Mullins Cheese, learn about cheesemaking and the creative uses of whey, a cheesemaking byproduct. Then, travel to Knowlton House Distillery to see how whey is turned into vodka and gin.