The Cap Times • 7th December 2021

Casetta Kitchen pop-up Lady Bird goes live on Saturday nights

Seanna Whalen and chef Nick Larke operate Lady Bird Dinner Parties, a pop-up operating out of Casetta Kitchen and Counter Saturday nights since mid-October. Lady Bird serves one five-course menu for one price ($50) to about two dozen guests.

The Cap Times • 3rd December 2021

New Farwell Gallery showcases 40 artists in McFarland

Farwell Gallery features work by some 40 artists in a variety of media, including glass-on-glass mosaic pieces by owner Kristin Ellis. She lives close enough to the gallery to walk there.

The Cap Times • 1st December 2021

EatStreet launches virtual market, ghost kitchens on State Street

EatStreet, the Madison-based food delivery company, has taken over a storefront at 420 State St. and turned it into several connected delivery-driven concepts: a 7-11-style virtual convenience store and three “ghost kitchens” making tacos, pasta and salads.

The Cap Times • 24th November 2021

Meet five Latinx artists changing the face of Madison

CultivARTE is one of several initiatives working to increase recognition, representation and funds for artists who live in Dane County and identify, broadly, as Latinx.

The Cap Times • 18th November 2021

Broadway-bound 'Paradise Square' envisions a harmonious future

“Five Points was a place where a group of Americans lived in the future,” says Nelly O’Brien, the remarkable, powerful figure at the center of a new musical, “Paradise Square.” “A future still to be realized.”

The Cap Times • 17th November 2021

Carrie Coon gets under your skin in Steppenwolf's 'Bug'

Few things are so distressing to the mind as a threat that’s menacing and unseen. “Bug,” now at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre through Dec. 12, builds a sense of unease and dissociation gradually.

The Cap Times • 12th November 2021

'The Wisconsin Supper Clubs Story' is a trip back in time

“The Wisconsin Supper Clubs Story,” subtitled “an Illustrated History, with Relish,” explores the supper club’s origin story myth and the colorful history of Wisconsin dining establishments still proud of long-ago mob ties.

The Cap Times • 1st November 2021

Kettle Black Kitchen cooks like it’s Sunday supper, all weekend long

The food at Kettle Black Kitchen on Monroe Street is good, in a homey, hearty, Sunday supper kind of way. Call it cozy.

Feast and Field • 26th October 2021

The hottest cocktail trends of 2021

This past year has shifted and amplified trends in how, what and where people drink. These types of changes are being seen throughout the entire industry, not just a select few brands. Here’s a look at how shopping at your local liquor store may look different these days.

The Capital Times • 4th October 2021

Restaurant review: Dine in the depot at superb Harvey House

The Harvey House, according to national and local media, aimed to “elevate,” “update” and “reinvent” the beloved form. For Wisconsin’s true believers, this begged a few questions.

The Capital Times • 29th September 2021

Out of service: What will it take to bring back Madison's restaurant workers?

After 18 months of closures and pivots, food service establishments around Dane County are reeling from pandemic burnout. The effects are visible everywhere.

Cap Times Idea Fest • 20th September 2021

Cap Times Idea Fest: Madison food entrepreneurs take the plunge

Four Madison food entrepreneurs talked about the steps that came next for them — and the steps still to come — at a Cap Times Idea Fest panel Saturday afternoon in the Play Circle at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Union.

The Capital Times • 3rd June 2021

Reopening Sardine, Part 1: Sardine’s pandemic year

The Corner Table: Reopening Sardine is a limited series. 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.

Feast and Field • 31st May 2021

Quince & Apple preserves the sweetness of Midwestern summer

The husband and wife team of Matt and Clare Stoner Fehsenfeld founded Quince & Apple in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2009. Their delicate, not-too-sweet preserves often include tea — peach chamomile, tart cherry and white tea, figs and black tea — and aromatic elements. They’re designed to pair with cheese, crackers and cured meats. (Part of a five-part package)

The Capital Times • 19th May 2021

A destructive cocktail: At Merchant and Lucille, a pattern of tirades and rage

Staff described violent outbursts that sometimes became physical, tirades in front of diners, threats and unpredictable rage.

Cap Times Idea Fest • 28th September 2020

Rethinking restaurants: How COVID-19 is transforming the service industry

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the brokenness in a restaurant industry that too often exploited workers, perpetuated inequity and deprioritized mental health, all on perilously thin business margins. On this panel, we'll talk about how a time of crisis could lead to radical, positive change. Featuring Ashley Kosiak of the James Beard Foundation, Dave Heide of Liliana's Restaurant and Francesca Hong of Morris Ramen.

The Capital Times • 2nd July 2020

Your bartender tested positive for COVID. Now what?

“Workers call and they’re so angry,” Koenig said. “They want to know who it was they work with who tested positive. But it’s not their right to know that information unless it affects them.”

The Capital Times • 22nd February 2020

Grubhub hubbub: Restaurants fire back at delivery companies that post menus without consent

Over the past few weeks, restaurateurs across Madison have been raising a chorus of frustration over the tactics of third-party delivery companies like DoorDash, Grubhub and Postmates.

Growler Magazine • 1st August 2019

Iron Woman: American Skillet Company and FeLion Studios’ Alisa Toninato forges a career in cast iron art

Two summers ago, five days past her due date, Alisa Toninato stood at the outer edges of an iron pour in Cambridge, Wisconsin. She was uncomfortable, and not just because her daughter, Rhea, wouldn’t arrive for another week. She wanted to get in on the action.

Columbus Monthly • 27th March 2019

Best Driving Vacations: Madison, the Cultural Capital

"Being Forward" reflects a cultural aesthetic that feels particular to Madison—progressive values, deep local ties and a view of the future with a healthy respect for the past.