The Corner Table: Top Chef Wisconsin

Restaurant Wars is an iconic "Top Chef" challenge. Chefs must create a whole restaurant with a coherent concept, smooth service and good food in 24 hours, all on TV.  Everyone on the episode this week, including me, dined at Restaurant Wars during "Top Chef Wisconsin." Up top, we've got guest judges Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger, the chefs and co-owners of Fairchild restaurant on Monroe Street. The pair won a James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest in 2023.  Chelsea Mamerow, art director for Milwaukee Magazine, dined at Channel, the seafood-themed restaurant, and took note of the decor as well as the flavors. I dined at Dos by Deul, which attempted a Latin/Korean fusion concept.  Spoilers follow for Episode 8 of "Top Chef Wisconsin," the Restaurant Wars episode. 

This week on the podcast, we're talking ballpark food.  Loren B. Rue grew up loving baseball, and now has his dream job — executive chef at American Family Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers. Rue manages everything from the concession stands to the on-site brewery, J. Leinenkugel's Barrel Yard, and a new market hall serving arepas, smoked brisket nachos, tortas and sushi.  Then I'm talking with Kyle Nabilcy, my friend and fellow food writer. Kyle writes restaurant reviews for Isthmus and freelances for Eater Chicago, and he's been posting video "Top Chef" recaps on TikTok (@kylenabilcy) and YouTube.  Spoilers ahead for Episode 7 (the flambe/sausage fest episode) of "Top Chef Wisconsin," and Last Chance Kitchen. 

Chef Paul Bartolotta, the Milwaukee restaurateur and two-time James Beard winner, was bemused by a recent challenge on "Top Chef Wisconsin."  "When I heard 'chaos cuisine' I was like, what the hell does that mean?" Bartolotta said on this week's podcast. Bartolotta spent years working to bring "Top Chef" to Wisconsin. Here, he shares judging perspective and reflects on how the show has evolved.  To open the episode, I (food editor Lindsay Christians) talk with Milwaukee-based food writer Nicole Haase, who has a degree in pastry and a background as an artisan baker. The dairy desserts Quickfire baffled her, namely how little dairy the chefs used in it.  Spoilers ahead for Episode 6 (the dairy desserts/ "chaos cuisine" episode) of "Top Chef," Season 21, with side notes about finding the "yum" and what was going on with Manny's soggy churro. 

No drone shot of Madison would be complete without a view of the Memorial Union Terrace and its iconic sunburst chairs. That, in fact, is where "Top Chef" producers first got the idea for a challenge featuring historic Black chef and TV host Carson Gulley, whose cookbook inspired a saucy farmers market Quickfire on Episode 5 of "Top Chef Wisconsin."  This week on the podcast we're talking with a "Top Chef" fan from UW-Madison, Pete Buscaino, who was delighted to see a chef grab Stella's spicy cheese bread at the market. Then we have an extended interview with Tory Miller, chef/owner of L'Etoile and Graze, who takes us into the judges' conversations about Creole sauce, undercooked beef and that very tight budget for the supper club challenge.  Spoilers ahead for Episode 5 (the farmers' market/ Harvey House supper club episode) of "Top Chef" Season 21. With side chats about tartar sauce, why two-plate dishes are a bad choice and what happens when Tom Colicchio puts his foot down. 

This week on our "Top Chef Wisconsin" companion podcast, we have a full Madison episode! First, host Lindsay Christians takes a deeper dive into the Taliesin challenge with food and arts writer Gwen Rice, who was also a docent for two seasons in Spring Green. Turns out Frank Lloyd Wright excelled under pressure, but was a terrible collaborator.  Then Harvey House owner Shaina Robbins Papach talks about what it was like to host "Top Chef" crews at her restaurant, as well as her experience at the judges' table during a Wisconsin supper club challenge.  Also this week: the story behind the design of Falling Water, the worst cheese to draw for a cheese challenge, and thoughts about Kristen Kish as the new host.  

The architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright inspired the challenges this week, on episode 4 of Top Chef Wisconsin. Host Lindsay Christians talks with Taliesin executive director Carrie Rodamaker, who hosted film crews at Frank Lloyd Wright's historic school in Spring Green.  Then chef Lauren Montelbano, the Madison caterer and meal kit maker behind The Vibrant Veg, shares what it was like to serve judge Gail Simmons with a team of friends at Taliesin. Did her hands shake? Did she get to try any of the food? With tangents about what's next at the Riverview Cafe, the challenges of pouring wine with your non-dominant hand, and the view from the Top Chef dishpit. 

Theater artist and educator Erica Halverson has seen every episode of "Top Chef" from Season 1 to now. This week, the UW-Madison professor and host of the podcast Arts Educators Save the World shares thoughts on the Miller Caves beer snacks challenge, why she considers chefs to be artists, and which "Top Chef" challenge is her favorite. (It involves a blindfold.)Then I'm talking with Andy Hatch, maker of Pleasant Ridge Reserve at Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville. Andy was a featured guest at the Top Chef Cheese Festival, highlighted on this week's "Top Chef" episode (Ep. 3). We talk about what makes a cheese challenging to cook with and how it felt to represent Wisconsin dairy. For the spoiler-averse, we don't share any names of winners and losers (yet).  With side quests about pretzel cake with mustard icing, where "Manitowoc Minute" host Charlie Berens is really from, and the difference between reality TV and playing in a band. 

We walked the red carpet in Milwaukee, and all the stars were there.  This week, Destination Madison's Sarah Warner and I, Cap Times food editor Lindsay Christians, got gussied up for our first Wisconsin television premiere, held at Discovery World in Milwaukee. We met the judges, we drank the wine, and we're perfecting our Wisconsin culinary elevator pitches. Then I talk with James Beard Award-winning chef Adam Siegel of Lupi & Iris, host to the first "Top Chef" challenge of Season 21. Chef Adam describes the difference between working a line and on-camera cooking, plus what it was like to watch 80-some people make a television show inside his Milwaukee restaurant.  With side notes about relish trays and camera angles. Cheers! 

This week, Corner Table co-host Chris Lay joins to talk about the first episode (mild spoilers, with ample warning!) and reflect on whether one chef has gotten the "villain edit."  Then we hear from Travel Wisconsin's communications director Craig Trost about taking 'Top Chef' crews around Wisconsin, why the series matters to all Wisconsinities and who he's rooting for in Season 21.  With tangents about culinary astrological signs, Mr. Milwaukee and Tom Colicchio's hat game. 

Lindsay Christians, food editor at the Cap Times, resurrects The Corner Table podcast for a special, limited series all about Top Chef Wisconsin. It took 21 seasons, but the reality cooking show Top Chef has finally come to Wisconsin. On March 20, Bravo and Magical Elves drop the first episode of a fast-paced 14-week showcase of the state’s best chefs and brightest culinary lights. The winner takes home $250,000, while viewers get to see chefs make magic under extraordinary pressure.  Starting March 21, each week will feature a brief recap of the show as well as interviews with chefs, restaurateurs, cheesemakers and more. We'll go behind the scenes, dish on the winners and share insight into challenges.  Pack your knives, and join us.

Farm-to-table is a cliché, but its roots among the farmers and chefs of south-central Wisconsin are deep, vibrant and resilient. From brats and burgers to bibimbap, Madison’s food scene looks substantially different than it did just a decade ago.  Cap Times food editor Lindsay Christians reported her new book, "Madison Chefs: Stories of Food, Farms and People" starting in fall 2017. It was published by UW Press on Dec. 21. Lindsay and Corner Table co-host Chris Lay celebrated the release at Leopold's Books Bar Caffé with a short discussion. This week, we have audio from that chat. Relevant links: University of Wisconsin Press: https://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/5768.htm Cap Times cover story: ‘Madison Chefs’ tells stories of culinary change in Wisconsin's capital" Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madisonchefsbook/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madisonchefsbook The Corner Table is a podcast about food and drink in Madison, produced by the Capital Times.Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAASSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the final episode of Reopening Sardine, a limited series from The Corner Table podcast. This week, hosts Lindsay Christians and Chris Lay expand their scope to restaurants around Madison.  Some, like Bar Corallini on Atwood Avenue (shown here), reopened for dine-in service more than a year ago. Others, like Ha Long Bay, have been seating diners inside for a few weeks. At Mint Mark, staff has noticed new regulars who joined for takeout during the pandemic. Chris spoke with Jennifer DeBolt at The Old Fashioned. Lindsay caught up with the new owners of Marigold Kitchen. And of course we went back to Gates & Brovi, Sardine’s sister restaurant, to hear how things have changed there.Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAASSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few things have changed since we last checked in with the folks at Sardine on opening day, May 19. For one, Dane County mask mandates have changed. Staffers are navigating a variety of diner comfort levels with regard to COVID-19 safety, and how many people feels like too many. Brunch is back, and Mondays and Tuesdays are busier than they have ever been.  Now a month in, we're catching up with co-owners Phillip Hurley and John Gadau about what it's been like to be back in the restaurant nearly every single day. We chat with general manager Susan Schueller too, about what she's noticed. Everyone is reading every customer comment, and they're already thinking about what 100% capacity could look like, somewhere down the line.  Reopening Sardine is a five-episode series of The Corner Table, a podcast about food and drink in Madison. The Corner Table is produced and hosted by Cap Times food editor Lindsay Christians and Chris Lay.Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAASSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, friends, we’re finally here. After more than a year of uncertainty, fear and frustration, on May 19, Sardine was ready to open its doors to the public again. We start this episode a few days before that, as the behind the scenes crew gets ready.  We hear from pastry chef Jeff Doyle-Horney, and chefs de cuisine Jason Taylor and Tim Smith. Lindsay talks with maitre’d McKayla Kratowicz and Kelsey Burkett right before the doors opened.  And as the doors reopen, Chris chats up the very first diners through the door -- Sardine superfans, so happy to be back. Welcome to opening day!Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAASSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sardine, a French-inspired restaurant in downtown Madison, had 70 employees when it closed in 2020. As staff prepared to reopen in mid-May at half capacity, they were a tight team of 38.  Reopening Sardine is a five-episode series of The Corner Table, a podcast about food and drink in Madison. Produced and hosted by Cap Times food editor Lindsay Christians and Chris Lay, this five-part series goes behind the scenes at the reopening of one of Madison's most beloved restaurants.  This week we're talking with staff as they adjust to changes in tipping processes, new menu items, fresh cocktails and different ways of working with diners. The staff is fully vaccinated, but the ways of service have changed.  We'll hear from general manager Susan Schueller as well as bartenders and servers about their pandemic year, and what it takes to reopen a restaurant as ambitious and beloved as this one.Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAASSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When quarantine kicked in last spring, we refocused The Corner Table to examine and document effects the pandemic was having across so many facets of food service, cocktails, grocery stores, and local farmers markets. Now as we emerge, we’re getting ready to close the book on that dismal chapter.  We decided to take a deep dive into what it means to reopen a restaurant that’s been closed for over a year, and to illustrate that process we decided to focus on one of our shared favorite places in town: Sardine. For this first episode, we interviewed Sardine's co-owners John Gadau and Phillip Hurley about what it was like to shut down for over a year, their discussions with employees and the factors they weighed during the summer and fall. How were they feeling? What was the financial impact? Where are they now? In future episodes we’ll sit in on staff meetings and check in with kitchen staff and servers to find out what their COVID year was like. We’ll take you to Sardine on opening day, and we’ll be looking forward to what dining could look like as we emerge, slowly and as safely as we can, from this dining drought. We are extremely excited about this, so make sure you’re subscribed for all the future installments that will be coming out over the next several weeks.Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAASSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This bonus episode is adapted from a live (virtual) conversation and cooking demonstration Lindsay hosted on Tuesday, featuring Cortney Burns — a chef, award-winning cookbook author and UW-Madison grad. As Burns prepared root vegetable fritters, sauerkraut and a sauce made of farmer's cheese, she explained why she's such a fan of fermentation and why she believes home cooks should customize recipes to fit their palates and pantries. The conversation was broadcast live for Cap Times members. For more information about membership including contributions, visit membership.captimes.com. To find the recipes Burns demonstrates in this podcast, click here. If you want to get a copy of Nourish Me Home by Cortney Burns, place an order at Arcadia Books, a wonderful little bookstore in Spring Green, and they will take 15% off when you enter CT15CB at check out. Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAASSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we reach the end of 2020 and COVID-19 continues to stomp on our dreams, it’s pretty clear not all the restaurants we love are gonna make it through the winter. When a restaurant like Manna Cafe, Sunroom, Captain Bill’s or Charlie’s on Main closes, what does it leave behind? What do we remember, and where do those stories live? This week on the podcast, Chris and Lindsay talk with JonMichael Rasmus and Nichole Fromm, founders of the blog Eating in Madison A to Z and authors of the 2015 book Madison Food: A History of Capital Cuisine, about the menus and memories left behind when restaurants go away, and what their research taught them about Madison's changing restaurant scene. Also, a note to our listeners: As podcast editor Natalie Yahr moves to a new role in the Cap Times newsroom, The Corner Table will be going on hiatus. Chris and Lindsay have already begun talking about opportunities for future short-run series and events, and we will let you know when those come about. For now, stay safe and happy new year.  Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAASSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chef Molly Maciejewski has made hundreds of gingerbread houses. As the executive chef and general manager at Madison Sourdough on Madison's east side, Maciejewski hosted yearly workshops, all about making a beautiful, (technically) edible gingerbread home. This week on The Corner Table, Lindsay and Chris chat with Maciejewski about how the gingerbread you build with is different than the gingerbread you eat. We talk candy selection, how to make your icing like spackle, and reflect on why people love making edible constructions like this. And, as a bonus at the end of the episode, we also hear from some of Cap Times' very own in-house gingerbread constructors. (Thanks Quincy and Sawyer! You're champs.) Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAASSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of our favorite things about the holiday season is all the snacks. Between the traditional meals, it's more than acceptable to absentmindedly nibble on candy, cheese, fruit and nuts. Nutkrack, candied, lightly salted pecans created by chef Eric Rupert, are made for exactly these moments. Rupert is also the executive chef at Epic Systems and has been making candied pecans for friends for over a decade. Now they're available to anyone, toasted and packaged at his little shop on Atwood Avenue. This week on podcast, Lindsay and Chris talk with Rupert about how the pandemic has affected his business, where those petite pecans come from and why they're so compulsively snackable. Give a listen! Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAASSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.