I had the fun challenge of defining my homeland by its food this month. It was part of a little exercise to spread goodwill via treats to other travel communicators: We usually meet in person during spring, but not this year.
Midwest Travel Journalists Association, already is a pretty chummy group, has been nicely supportive during these pandemic times because outgoing leader Amy Lynch of Indianapolis worked hard and smart to keep us connected.
She played matchmaker and that’s how I ended up with tasty care packages from North Dakota (North Prairie bison jerky, Sisters’ Chocolates chocolate-covered potato chips), Detroit (a sweet-savory Germack snack mix, potent Pineapple Vibes and Orange Crush cocktails from Detroit City Distillery) and our own Door County (Cherry De-Lite chocolate-covered cherries and cherry mustard, plus all the makings for an Old Fashioned – including a homemade cherry bounce that uses Door County Distillery brandy).
What did I send to out-of-state colleagues? Four items that fit snugly into a small box:
Candy bars made by Kohler Original Recipe Chocolates: Dark Chocolate Raspberry, Dark Chocolate Mocha. Pricey ($3.49 per 3.7-ounce bar), intense and decadent. kohlerchocolates.com
Mini bottles of Tippy Cow rum-spiked cream liquors, taken from a $10 eight-pack (so I could try them too). The Pewaukee company’s flavors are Orange Cream, Shamrock Mint, Chocolate Shake and Vanilla Soft Serve. Good on the rocks or follow recipes online. tippy-cow.com
Beef snack sticks from the unadvertised Old Wisconsin Sausage outlet store in Sheboygan (a mere quarter apiece). They come from a compact, no-frills box of a shop at 2107 S. 17th St. where selection depends on production. Expect end runs, overstocks and odd cuts (like misshapen wieners). oldwisconsin.com
Fresh string cheese from rural Baker Cheese, near St. Cloud, a sentimental favorite because milk from my family’s farm was sold to this factory. In addition to farming, my dad for decades hauled heavy steel cans of milk to Baker from neighboring farms. The string cheese is under $4 per pound at the factory store. bakercheese.com
These little luxuries are but four drops in my sea of food favorites. Let me know yours!
Behind every such endeavor is a story, a history and a sense of pride. We use food and drink as meat for conversation, an explanation of identity, a symbol of taste, status and excellence.
BTW: Those nips of liquor in my little treat packages? You can only legally ship liquor through UPS. In Madison, I needed to provide a receipt from a specific liquor store.
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We are all over the map with regard to our comfort level for traveling this year. Instead of going away, another option is to splurge by bringing home the taste of another place.
Goldbelly, a marketplace for regional and artisanal foods, is based in New York but arranges delivery of the nation’s best bagels to seafood. That includes eight-inch apple pies baked in paper bags, a long-heralded specialty at The Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago, for $60 (make a road trip to save lots of bucks on that one).
Gooey butter cake from St. Louis, key lime pie from Key West and the Original Boston Cream Pie are among the hundreds of sweet Goldbelly choices. Or order cheesesteaks from Philadelphia, muffulettas from New Orleans.
Cooking kits for Maine lobster rolls and Italian beef sandwiches are peddled here too, and the company is ramping up packages for Mother’s Day and Cinco de Mayo. Ponder it all at goldbelly.com.
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Maybe your wallet is flatter and mood more international. Consider a virtual cooking class (with recipes) about Poland’s signature food, pierogi, for $20 at 11 a.m. May 8.
Instructor Maria Oskroba, owner of a cooking school in Warsaw, will teach how to make dough and fillings, proper pierogi assembling and how to cook pierogi.
All proceeds go to the school, to help the local economy. Register at eatsmartguides.com, the website for Eat Smart Culinary Travel, based in Madison.
Most of Eat Smart’s 2021 culinary tours are at capacity. Exceptions are Poland, Aug. 6-17; and the Stone Arch Brew Pub Tour of England, Sept. 10-16.
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Rather live vicariously, for now? Tune in to the next Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin meeting at 6:30 p.m. May 5. “Pancakes for Breakfast,” a look at traditional Scandinavian food and drink, is the topic via Zoom.
The speaker is Marcus Cederstrom, whose teaching and research at the University of Wisconsin delves into the Upper Midwest’s Scandinavian folk arts and folklore.
CHEW meetings are open to the public, but annual dues are only $25 and monthly topics are fascinating. chewwisconsin.com