Cafe Wisconsin

Cafe Wisconsin returns in a new, updated version that provides a sure-bet guide to Wisconsin's best small town, home-cooking cafes. For this second edition, author Joanne Raetz Stuttgen traveled more than 12,000 miles in six months, revisiting old business districts and main streets in search of the ultimate cafe, the perfect slice of homemade pie, and the meaning of life in Wisconsin's down-home cafes. Featuring 133 cafes, with another 101 Next Best Bets alternatives, Cafe Wisconsin is every hungry traveler's guide to real mashed potatoes, melt-in-your-mouth hot beef, from-scratch baked goods, and colorful coffee klatches. At the counter of aptly named cafes like the Coffee Cup, Main Street, and Chatterbox, you'll laugh with owners, shake dice with customers, and find the authentic taste and flavor of Wisconsin. Come on. Let's go out to eat!

Joanne Stuttgen's popular book Cafe Wisconsin guides travelers to Wisconsin's best home-style cafes. Now, continue the journey with the Cafe Wisconsin Cookbook, a compilation of more than one hundred cherished recipes that showcase the distinct culinary and cultural traditions of Wisconsin. From classic pot roasts and country-style pies to long-simmering soups and heritage specialties, the whole soul-satisfying spectrum of Wisconsin cafe fare is here. Stuttgen tracked down Wisconsin's best small town cafes, from Boscobel to Sturgeon Bay, chatted with owners and customers, took notes, and recorded the history, anecdotes, and recipes behind the food. Tested and fine-tuned by Wisconsin food writer and former chef Terese Allen, these favorite recipes will bring an authentic slice of Wisconsin into your home kitchen.

Cafe Indiana is both a guide to Indiana’s hometown mom-and-pop restaurants and a reclamation and celebration of small-town Midwest culture. The hungry diner looking for adventure and authenticity can use Cafe Indiana simply as a guide to the state’s quintessential eats: the best fiddlers, macaroni and cheese, soup beans, and beef Manhattan. But Stuttgen also captures the spirit of the locals, bringing to life the people whose stories give the book—and the food—its soul. Over plates of chicken and noodles, fried bologna sandwiches, and sugar cream pie, folks are crafting community at the Main Street eatery. In Cafe Indiana, Hoosiers and out-of-staters alike are invited to pull out a chair and sit a spell.

Farm-to-table dining has become best practice in restaurants across the nation, connecting consumers with those who make and grow their food. While farmers have diversified their crops to meet the needs of both creative chefs and increasingly adventurous home cooks, chefs have played a crucial role in bridging the gap between the field and the fork. Although states with longer growing seasons tend to take the credit for their ability to heed the call for locally grown food, Wisconsin has earned its place at the forefront of the movement. Local chefs have capitalized on the state’s bounty, offering increasingly localized seasonal menus and extending the harvest through active preservation. Wisconsin Field to Fork tells the tale of Wisconsin agriculture, not only through stories about the farmers who provide the wealth of vegetables, dairy, and livestock needed to sustain local restaurants but also through the seventy chef-driven recipes that take those products and weave magic into them. Recipes from drinks and appetizers to dessert include the summery Watermelon Cocktail Punch, Wild Mushroom and Mascarpone Tortelli, and Strawberry-Rhubarb Tres Leches Cake.

Wisconsin Off the Beaten Path features the things travelers and locals want to see and experience––if only they knew about them. From the best in local dining to quirky cultural tidbits to hidden attractions, unique finds, and unusual locales, Wisconsin Off the Beaten Path takes the reader down the road less traveled and reveals a side of Wisconsin that other guidebooks just don't offer.

The ultimate guide to Wisconsin's food scene provides the inside scoop on the best places to find, enjoy, and celebrate local culinary offerings. Written for residents and visitors alike to find producers and purveyors of tasty local specialties, as well as a rich array of other, indispensable food-related information including: food festivals and culinary events; specialty food shops; farmers’ markets and farm stands; trendy restaurants and time-tested iconic landmarks; and recipes using local ingredients and traditions.

Fighting to Live Again is about Cecil McLendon, a World War II veteran who fought in Europe in the US Army's 110th Infantry, 28th Division. The day he received his draft notice was the happiest day of his life. He spoke very little of the gory details of war. Like other veterans, he said no one would believe him. He didn't mention the names of buddies he lost, although his division was called the Bloody Buckets. He talked about his family, his childhood, the Army, the people he met, and his war wounds. The Army was such an improvement in his life; he didn't complain. His captain told him that since he liked KP, he could go to cook and baker's school. That is where he met Dorothy. Like many other couples of their generation, he went to war, and she went to work. With Dorothy waiting for him, life took on a new purpose and gave him a stronger determination to fight to survive. Cecil fought in four major battles in Europe and was seriously wounded twice. After Germany surrendered, Cecil was shipped home for a month-long furlough before reporting for jungle training. When the Japanese surrendered, he felt as if a death sentence was lifted. He survived the war but then had to fight its emotional effects. He began reading the Bible and searching for God's will for his life. He also fought the Veterans Administration for benefits to help him with the physical effects of his war wounds. He fought through pain each day in order to get out of bed to go to work to provide for his family. He fought the paralysis that finally overtook his body. Even as a paraplegic, he continued to participate in the community. He greeted and offered friendly smiles to those he met. He fought the good fight.