The summer picking season has begun in the Great Lakes region for tart Montmorency cherries. Both Bing and Montmorency are grown extensively in Wisconsin and Michigan, thus the National Cherry Festival hosted in Traverse City, Michigan each year. On the festival website, they share this bit of history: French colonists from Normandy brought pits that [...]
The Blending of Lines – Defining Cuisine
One of the hallmarks of a definable cuisine is the ability to identify when it is being used as a highlight, a complement, to another approach. When a chef uses a slow roasted pork, glazed in hoisin, and served with an Asian Pear salsa as a taco appetizer, we can identify the elements of Latino [...]
Mini-Micro Brews, or the Return of Tavern Beer
The craft beer revolution keeps getting smaller...and stronger. As the demand for great craft brews continues to grow, mini-micro breweries are popping up all over the Great Lakes region. And as with so many innovations, nothing in this process is that new at all. Massive, global breweries have been a fixture in so many of [...]
In Praise of Sausage – Bavette, Milwaukee
A recent lunch at Bavette in Milwaukee, WI created a growing sense of wonder. On her site, Karen Bell talks about "honoring time old culinary traditions as well as providing a direct link from farmer to consumer" which are deeply held values of Great Lakes Cuisine, but the particular bit of wonder on this particular [...]
Spring Beer Tasting
A recent gathering dedicated to craft brews featured a set of beers from Wisconsin paired with artisan cheeses and small plate appetizers...ahhh, the joy. The variations of craft beers provide a great complement to so many foods and Great Lakes Cuisine takes full advantage of such pairings. The most difficult part was setting the drinking [...]
Great Lakes Cuisine 