Tasty Travels: A Culinary Education In Wisconsin

For many travelers, 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 Bir Culinary School in Sheboygan is the gold standard with its own nationally syndicated PBS cooking series, "The Kitchens of Bir." It's a full-immersion cooking school dedicated to teaching classic European techniques as well as providing individualized attention. For $350, visitors can be "Chef for a Day"-an apprentice at either Bir Restaurant or . 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 restored historic farmhouse, Chef Janice Thomas opens up her kitchen to the home cook looking to learn by experience. Visitors to the historic Washington (Island) Hotel, Restaurant & Culinary School can relax, hike, boat-and cook. Executive Chef Leah Caplan oversees a variety of classes, from one-hour demonstrations to intensive two-day classes. 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. Wisconsin's Top Chefs and RestaurantsMilwaukee'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 dining scene since 1976. Current owner and chef Tory Miller shares the techniques behind L'Etoile's seasonal menus, putting the spotlight on local farmers and producers. Dinner classes include a three-course meal with wine, instruction, and recipes to take home at a cost of $85 per person. In the village of New Glarus, where large numbers of Swiss immigrants settled in the mid-19th 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 ClassesA number of retail shops specializing in gourmet food and cooking equipment offer mini-cooking sessions and demonstrations. The Demonstration Kitchen at The Shops at Woodlake is 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.