Wisconsin Foodie - Season 12

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.

Meet upstart farmers Martice and Amy Kroll-Scales of Scales Family Farm, a two-acre farm plot within Fondy Farm at Mequon Nature Preserve. Follow Scales Farm to one of Milwaukee’s premier farmers markets, the Deer District Farmers Market. Host Luke Zahm stops by to meet Martice and Amy and taste his way through the offerings at the market.

Travel to the Green Bay area to meet Laura Manthe and Rebecca Webster, cousins and members of the Oneida Nation. They are working to revitalize White Corn, an ancient heirloom food, within the Oneida Nation. White Corn soup is a traditional dish that takes multiple days to prepare. Luke gets a personal tutorial on how to prepare White Corn Soup.

Head to Amherst Junction’s Ruby Coffee Roastery for a tasting of coffees from around the world! Co-founder Jared Linzmeier shares his philosophy on sourcing, roasting and brewing the perfect cup. Next, visit The Del-Bar, the legendary steakhouse or supper club, depending who you ask. Meet owner Amy Wimmer who shares her plans for the restaurant.

Travel to Ogdensburg to explore Wagyu beef cattle at Drath Family Farm. In 2013, the Drath family turned their third-generation dairy farm into a Wagyu beef operation. After spending time on the farm, host Luke Zahm meets chef Todd Leech of Rare Steakhouse for a lesson on the proper way to prepare Wagyu steak.

Visit Appleton to meet with The Cozzy Corner owners Phillip and Heidi Bennett. The Cozzy Corner is a Southern-inspired restaurant serving soul and comfort food. Host Luke Zahm joins Philip in the kitchen to prepare The Cozzy Corner’s famous chicken wings.

Journey to Big Bend to visit Two Girls and a Farm, run by Polly Muradas Harrington and Kris Harrington. Learn what inspired Polly, a Brazilian and graduate of Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, and her partner, Kris, to get back to the land. Host Luke Zahm invites Polly to the Driftless Region to prepare a Paella dish outdoors over an open flame.

Detour to Detroit, Michigan, in search of the best Detroit-style pizza, which is made with Wisconsin Brick cheese. Loui’s is famous for their pies, and watch as host Luke Zahm tries making Detroit-style pizza with Loui’s owner. Travel back to Wisconsin and tour Widmer’s, learning the Brick cheesemaking process and origin story.