Fried Chicken is my kryptonite.   For whatever reason, the crispy-salty-peppery-richness of fried chicken gets me every single time.    My Grandmother prepared fried chicken for me as a kid and for the majority of my cooking career, it's been my quiet ace.   Whenever I need a dish that I can prepare with my eyes closed and half-conscious, Imogene’s fried chicken has always been there for me.  As I age, I often wonder if I’m somehow channeling my Grandmother's love for me (and my countless cousins) whenever I prepare it.   It's that good.   It’s THAT tied into ..read more

Ogdensburg, Wisconsin.   Population 185. Not the most likely place to discover a culinary treasure that literally leaves diners shaken by the experience of something so delicious, so uniquely different that sometimes they can’t even comprehend what is happening on their palates.    I’ve been a professional chef for over 20 years and somehow had never had the experience of trying Wagyu beef.    Of course, I’ve heard about the amazing flavor, marbling, and experience that is Wagyu, but I hadn’t had the experience for myself.   Honestly, I would chalk this omi ..read more

I live for the moment when you grace my lips I can feel the electricity you send-  Up and down my body Drawing me in closer.  I look for your notes on my tongue Your shades dance on my palate I am suddenly and fully alert- My day begins with you. Begging me to drink you up. I love you coffee.    (written with my first cup, Ruby Aguacate) I may have a problem.   I think I could write sensuous sonnets all day long to my steaming cup of miracles- that glorious proof that we are indeed LOVED and put on this planet to experience the delights of the universe, COFFEE ..read more

When the heat of the summer descends on us like a blanket, it never ceases to amaze me that we fluctuate between -20 degrees Fahrenheit in our winters and 90 degrees Fahrenheit in our summers. How can we live in such a uniquely vacillating environment with relative ease and comfort? I’ve often asserted that one of the core components that make Midwesterners so darn resilient is our ability to survive such wild fluctuations, and more aptly, thrive. We possess all sorts of adaptive skills that allow us to enjoy each season to its fullest capacity, pushing us to truly focus ourselves on the “here ..read more

“Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty. It expands through successive stages of the beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language.” -Aldo Leopold, “A Sand County Almanac” It’s not often that you will find me speechless. I will, on occasion, find myself emotionally overwhelmed to the point of being physically unable to form words and sentences that describe what I’m experiencing in detail. My ability to use words to describe the animated world around me is one of my superpowers; I have the ability to perform emotional alchemy, transforming sentiment in ..read more

Silas Zahm and Ilija Ircink Imagine this: You’re navigating Milwaukee traffic late in the day with two nine-year-old boys who have eaten their weight in gelato and custard. You’re trying to deliver a monologue before the sunlight fades into the night, but can’t shut them up long enough in the back seat to get a word in. You remember the W.C. Fields quote: “Never work with children or animals.” They kind of seem one and the same at this moment, and you now fully understand his rationale. And so begins the episode… When you talk about Wisconsin being the Dairy State, most people can tell you th ..read more

Wisconsin Foodie airs 7 p.m. Thursdays on PBS Wisconsin. Waking up in a field in rural Green County in the middle of the summer may be one of the best memories of the entire season for me. I was alone at this Hipcamp, after a break in filming for one day to travel from northern Wisconsin to the rolling, lush hills of southern Wisconsin. The sun was warm and the quiet of the previous day left my heart full, ready to jump in the Foodie van and make my way into Monroe, home of Emmi Roth Cheese. Emmi Roth has always been home to some of the best cheese on the planet and one cheese i ..read more

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