(NAPSA)—For manytravelers, cuisine is just as important as the destination. They may be glad to know Wisconsin boasts top-notch culinary schools and shops that seamlessly blend food with travel, allowing foodies to brush up on cooking skills while watching and working alongside Wisconsin’s top chefs. Culinary and Cooking Schools The Marcel Biro Culinary School in Sheboygan is the gold standard with its own nationally syndicated PBS cooking series, “The Kitchens of Biro.” It’s a fullimmersion cooking school dedicated to teaching classic European techniques as well as providing individualized attention. For $350, visitors can be “Chef for a Day’— g a ; i am ; Wisconsin culinary and cooking schools allow visitors to learn by experience. restored historic farmhouse, Chef Wisconsin’s Top Chefs and Restaurants Milwaukee’s celebrity chef Sanford “Sandy” D’Amato teaches at his Historic Third Ward District restaurant, Coquette Caf. The $59 price includes a three-hour evening class and tasting of a four-course meal that includes inspired dishes such as Fennel-Seared Tuna on Vegetable Spaghetti with Fig Onion Relish or Marsala Poached Pear with Vin Santo Zabaglione. Madison’s L’Etoile Restaurant has been a fixture in the fine din- ton (Island) Hotel, Restaurant & Culinary School can relax, hike, ownerand chef Tory Miller shares the techniques behind L’Etoile’s seasonal menus, putting the spotlight on local farmers and producers. Dinner classes include a an apprentice at either Biro Restaurant or O. Topics range from advanced pastry to sushi. Terri Milligan, executive chef and owner of The Inn at Kristofer’s in Sister Bay, has been instructing for 20 years. Featured on the Food Channel’s “Best of Holiday Cooking,” Milligan offers demonstration-theme dinners plus participation classes. Another cooking school located in Door County is the Savory Spoon Cooking School. In her Janice Thomas opens up her kitchen to the home cook looking to learn by experience. Visitors to the historic Washing- boat—and cook. Executive Chef Leah Caplan oversees a variety of classes, from one-hour demonstra- tions to intensive two-dayclasses. Unique to Wisconsin’s cooking school scene is the Braise Culinary School. This traveling school goes to where the food is grown and produced, showcasing Wisconsin products in their native settings—often on farms. A tour of the farm or facility, recipes and ample samplings are part of the classes. ing scene since 1976. Current three-course meal with wine, instruction, and recipes to take homeat a cost of $85 per person. In the village of New Glarus, where large numbers of Swiss immigrants settled in the mid19th century, travelers can experience authentic fondue. Local Swiss-trained Chef Mike Neval shares his secrets during demonstrations at both the Chalet Landhaus Inn & Restaurant and the New Glarus Hotel. Shopping and Demonstration Classes A numberof retail shops specializing in gourmet food and cooking equipment offer mini-cooking sessions and demonstrations. The Demonstration Kitchen at The Shops at Woodlakeis a working kitchen that lets up to 40 people watch and interact with chefs from the seven Destination Kohler restaurants as they prepare a featured dish. Demonstrations are Saturdays, January through April at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and cost $25 per person. The Milwaukee Public Market, the urban farmers’ market, is a place to purchase choice meat and fresh organic produce, as well as learn how to turn ingredients into something special. Demonstration-format classes include printed recipes and tastings. For free Wisconsin travel information and travel-planning guides, visit travelwisconsin.com orcall the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s live-operated, toll-free number (800) 432-TRIP/8747. Travelers can also obtain guides and information at the Wisconsin Welcome Centers, located in select state-bordercities.
