an independent supplement by mediaplanet to chicago tribune
insight
february 2011 · 7
3
FACT
Wisconsin knows cheese, Kansas City can barbeque, and Chicago serves up a hefty deep dish.
Not many people know much else about the Midwest’s culinary landscape.
NOW IS AN
OPTIMISTIC
TIME FOR NEW
BUSINESS
A
s a region known
as the country’s
breadbasket,
the Midwest
has been able to
position itself at
the forefront of
the eco-dining movement, enticing taste buds with a meticulous
local sourcing culture and a farmto-table mentality that has foodies
coast-to-coast swooning.
Home for gastronomes
Anchored by Chicago, a revered
restaurant city and home to celebrated chefs like Rick Bayless and
Grant Achatz, gourmet temples
all across the region are luring
disciples with seriously inventive
fare. Cleveland, Minneapolis, and
Madison have all received prestigious honors from the James Beard
Foundation, among others, and hot
spots in Indianapolis and Omaha
are also generating ripples.
Midwesterners can also chase
their chow with some of the best
beers in the world, as 20 of RateBeer’s 100 best brewers in the
world call the region home. The
honorees include Three Floyds in
Indiana, Founders in Michigan,
Hoppin Frog in Ohio, and Free State
in Kansas.
Dash to dine
Taste tourists far and wide should
photo: nicK baitoo
Eating from the breadbasket
be sure to catch some of the Midwest’s classic food festivals. Can’tmiss pilgrimages include the
Strawberry Days in Strawberry
Point, Iowa, the Pierogi Fest in
Whiting, Indiana, and the Taste of
Chicago. Or, for the very young at
heart,the National Baby Food Festival in Fremont, Michigan caters to
only the most refined connoisseurs
of nutrient-heavy mush.
Every state brings plenty to
the table, but to be part of a new
culinary renaissance, follow your
stomach to the Midwest.
STEVE ETHERIDGE
[email protected]