Editor’s note: This story contains spoilers for episode 3 of “Top Chef Wisconsin.”
If you’re at all clued in to Madison’s food scene, you know that season 21 of the cooking competition show “Top Chef” was filmed in Wisconsin last summer and began airing late last month.
Though only one cheftestant (the industry term for the cooking competitors) calls Wisconsin home — Milwaukee’s Dan Jacobs — the first few episodes have highlighted much of what makes the state’s food culture great: farm fresh produce, beer and most recently, cheese.
Luke Zahm, owner of Driftless Café and host of PBS Wisconsin’s “Wisconsin Foodie,” emceed the event, which took place at The Sylvee. To introduce the episode, Zahm spoke about his experiences explaining Wisconsin’s food culture to people from outside the Midwest. Many people, Zahm told the crowd, have referred to the state as “culinary flyover country” (which sparked boos from the audience).
“My entire career as a chef,” said Zahm, “I’ve been rallying around this idea that we can’t be flown over and disregarded.” With the national spotlight on Wisconsin cuisine thanks to the show, Zahm said, “I’m gonna have to find a new mantra.”
If you’ve been avoiding “Top Chef” for fear the show will descend into cliché or parody, now’s the time to catch up. From each episode’s opening scenes of rolling hills and verdant farmland interrupted by a record scratch, intense music and shots of some prominent Wisconsin landmarks — culinary and otherwise — it’s clear the “Top Chef” producers agree there’s more to the state’s food scene than just beer and curds.
So far, though cows and Miller Lite cans make their fair share of appearances, the show has paid homage to all that makes the state’s food great. That the competitors comprise chefs from across the country, and from so many culinary pedigrees — French, Spanish, Vietnamese and more — goes to show that Wisconsin cuisine can’t be boxed into a single style.
Chefs are encouraged to flex their cooking muscles and highlight Wisconsin-specific ingredients without sacrificing their personal style. The results are both heartwarming and mouthwatering.
In the Cheese Festival episode, cheftestants were assigned one of 13 Wisconsin cheeses and tasked with creating a dish to feed 100 people for the Cheese Festival. Several Wisconsin cheesemakers, including Pam Hodgson from Sartori Cheese and Uplands Cheese’s Andy Hatch, were featured in the episode.
Midway through the watch party, Zahm brought out more guests to discuss the show and how it came to shoot in Wisconsin. The panel included Michelle Wallace, a cheftestant based in Houston who specializes in barbecue, fellow competitor Jacobs, Sartori’s Hodgson and Mark Crave, a Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin member and the general manager of Crave Brothers Cheese.
Hodgson, who is one of only two female licensed master cheesemakers in the United States and appears on “Top Chef Wisconsin,” downplayed her television debut: “It’s always about the cheese and the farms.”
Crave described the process of pitching the show to the “Top Chef” producers, highlighting Wisconsin’s farm culture. “I think we were able to sell that to the producers,” Crave said.
“I don’t know that we sold it,” Hodgson added. “I think we were authentic.”
Back to the episode, though many of the cheftestants played it safe with their dishes (around half made croquettes — fried balls of potato and cheese) some took more creative approaches, albeit with mixed results.
Georgia chef Kenny Nguyen prepared a gorgonzola crab Rangoon that failed to impress either the judges or the festival-goers and resulted in him getting voted off. Wallace made a Pleasant Ridge Reserve saag paneer with collard greens that won her the week’s competition. Jacobs’ potato dumpling with Manchego landed him in the top three.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the episode was the use of cheese curds. Colorado chef Manny Barella made a valiant attempt at poutine with beer gravy, but the judges were disappointed that the curds weren’t the highlight of the dish.
At the end of the night, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin CEO Chad Vincent took the stage to express his gratitude to the state’s dairy community. “You know Sue [Fanning] and I talk a lot about, ‘How do we make a significant mark and help the dairy farmers?’” Vincent asked. “This is going to make a lasting impact on Wisconsin cheesemaking.”
“Top Chef” will continue for another 12 weeks — until only one chef remains. In next week’s episode, cheftestants will create dishes inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. You can watch “Top Chef” Wednesday nights on Bravo or Peacock, or check out some of the watch parties happening around town at the Wisconsin Union and Garver Feed Mill.
Jess Miller is an editorial intern at Madison Magazine.
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