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 • 18th October 2021

Make it like Manna: Cookbook captures bygone Madison café

If you have to endure a pandemic, write a cookbook. That’s the friendly advice from Barb Pratzel in her new “Manna Café and Bakery Cookbook.”

The Capital Times • 18th October 2021

Equal at last? APT's 'Taming of the Shrew' levels the playing field

Rarely in live theater have I craved a rewind button as much as I did at American Players Theatre’s new production, a quick-witted, surprising rendition of a play I was perfectly content to never see again.

The Capital Times • 16th October 2021

Theater review: Cap City returns with light, jazzy 'The World Goes ’Round'

“The World Goes ’Round,” a 1991 revue of Kander and Ebb’s early work, is the first outing for Capital City Theatre in Overture Center since 2019’s lively “On the Town.”

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.

The Capital Times • 20th September 2021

Theater review: APT's 'Oedipus' explores the exquisite art of suffering

Staging the great Greek theatrical origin stories is a passion project for David Daniel, an American Players Theatre core company member who adapted and directed this production.

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 • 26th August 2021

Salud! Sip the unexpected at Imaginary Factory on Madison's east side

Imaginary Factory, quietly open for about two months, is the creation of Hastings Cameron, a spirits professional who spent years with Underground Food Collective.

The Capital Times • 24th August 2021

Frustrated Madison arts leaders blast 'inconsistent' mask order

The order includes exceptions for eating and drinking in a crowded restaurant or bar — but not for fully vaccinated actors in a two-person play.

The Capital Times • 23rd August 2021

Pizza in the schoolyard: Homecoming in Spring Green plants new roots

Homecoming is the latest occupant of the White School, a 144-year-old former schoolhouse on Lexington Street in artsy, rural Spring Green.

The Capital Times • 4th August 2021

Madison Youth Arts Center brings dancers, drummers and divas together

With its sprung floors for dancers, black box theater, upright pianos and surfaces made of kid-friendly “indestructible stuff,” the Madison Youth Arts Center, or MYArts, is poised to make big changes for students. MYArts is the new, official home of CTM and Madison Youth Choirs, the two anchor partners.

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.