Wisconsin is having a moment.
Top Chef — the Emmy-, James Beard- and Critics Choice award-winning series — returned to Bravo for its 21st season on March 20. The show travels to a new place each season, highlighting the food and dining experiences of the area. This season, it’s all about America’s Dairyland.
Those who have been paying attention know the state has been leaving its mark on the James Beard Awards lately and now Wisconsin’s food scene is being broadcast on a national stage. Season 10 winner and new host Kristen Kish is taking this season’s “cheftestants” and viewers on a tour that includes Madison, Milwaukee and Door County traditions.
Join Pour Another Round as we celebrate this moment and share places where you can experience Madison’s culinary and beverage scene — some of which you can catch on Top Chef Wisconsin.
FROM FARM TO TABLE
The largest producers-only farmers’ market in the country can be found in Madison. Dane County Farmers’ Market was where cheftestants were seen procuring ingredients during the filming of Top Chef Wisconsin in the summer of 2023. This iconic market is known for “Saturdays on the Square,” where from mid-April through early November you can find dozens of vendors set up on the Capitol Square in downtown Madison. Here are six ways you can shop like a local at the market.
One additional tip: Order the Dane County Farmers’ Market Cookbook ahead of your trip.
Just as Top Chef-hopefuls did, Madison-area chefs can often be found buying ingredients at the market. Perhaps no one is known more for this than James Beard winner Tory Miller, who owns L’Etoile and Graze, both of which are also found on the Capitol Square.
Local distilleries, State Line and J. Henry & Sons can’t be left out when talking about farm to table - or rather grain to glass. State Line Distillery is Madison’s first grain-to-glass distillery, sourcing grains from local fields and botanicals from local gardens. Located about 20 miles north of Madison, J. Henry & Sons Bourbon Tasting Room & Farm grows heirloom red corn developed by the University of Wisconsin in 1939 and is the only distillery utilizing it. It goes into the mash bill that results in this one-of-a-kind J. Henry & Sons Wisconsin Straight Bourbon.
SUPPER CLUB IS A MUST
It wouldn’t be a proper celebration of Wisconsin’s food and dining culture without including a supper club. Many great supper clubs are true time capsules, but just as you’ll see during a Quickfire Challenge in this season’s Top Chef, you can find new-age, elevated takes on the classic restaurant concept in the Madison area.
Driftless Social, Harvey House, Lola’s Hi-Lo Lounge and Tornado Steakhouse are all supper club-inspired destinations that marry tradition with contemporary flair. Read more about how they are putting their own twist on nostalgia here.
What to drink? We’re glad you asked! Classic cocktails are the popular play. To drink like a local, order the brandy old-fashioned, which was recently dubbed the cocktail of Wisconsin by state lawmakers. Here are more tips on “How to Supper Club.”
FROM TALIESIN TO MADISON
In addition to challenging cheftestants to put their spin on a supper club menu, they are also challenged to make dishes honoring Wisconsin native and renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Just a one-hour drive from Madison is Taliesin, Wright’s former estate designed to be a part of the rolling hills of the Driftless Region. Today, it is Wisconsin’s only public UNESCO World Heritage Site. Read about the mark Wright left on Madison here.
We recommend taking a day trip along the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail between Spring Green and Madison. Combine the architectural sites, such as Taliesin and Monona Terrace, with nearby spots from the Madison on Tap Craft Beverage Trail. Hidden Cave Cidery, Capital Brewery & Bier Garten, The Cider Farm, Vintage Brewing Co. Madison West, and Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company Hilldale are just some you can find not far off the trail and U.S. Route 14. Take a different route back to Madison and stop at the Grumpy Troll Brew Pub in Mt. Horeb as well as Hop Haus Brewing Co. and Lake Louie Brewing Company in Verona.
Head to pouranotherround.com or wherever you do your very best podcast listening and browse through our 100+ episodes where Derrick and Jonathan talk directly to the beverage makers and founders and understand what’s behind the drinks in our glasses. Send us a note on Facebook or Instagram and share with us your explorations on the Madison On Tap craft beverage trail to earn points and prizes, all while sipping on some delicious beers, ciders, wines and cocktails.
