Food Adventure Tent

Interested in raw and fermented foods? Fermented foods blend vegetables and wild plants, and through the process of lacto-fermentation, create healthful, delicious, raw foods. This session is a delicious way to begin to deeply understand the gut and the bacterial balance our bodies require for vibrant health. Mike Bieser will lead an informative, fun and fast paced workshop covering the basics and more of raw vegetable fermentation.  Information about the process, the microbiology and bio-physics will be covered so hold onto your hat!  Each participant will receive a home fermentation kit to try out what they learn. 

Mike Bieser is the founder of Fizzeology located in the new Viroqua Food Enterprise Center.  Mike has been researching elements of quality in food for over 5 years, taking an unconventional viewpoint crossing modern theoretical physics and deliciousness. He is the founder of Fizzeology – Raw Cultured Foods and distributes his Kimchi, Cortido, German and Ferment of the Month at select retailers in southern Wisconsin.

Value Added: Take home a home veggie fermentation kit.
Cost: $15

Chef Donna Prizgintas will take us through how to cut up a young pig, while explaining where common and some uncommon cuts come from on the animal.

Donna Prizgintas is a chef/spokesperson in the natural products industry. She cooks and writes in support of a family meal tradition created from seasonally fresh, locally grown, organic ingredients. As culinary director, she has created organic food and wine events for the Land Institute, Organic Farming Research Foundation, Esalen Institute and the Environmental Media Association. Donna served as the Founding Executive Chef for Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, The Painted Turtle, where she created an organic children’s menu. In her business, Someone’s in the Kitchen with Donna, she has been a private chef to many Hollywood celebrities, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Warren Beatty and George Harrison. Donna now lives in Ames, Iowa, and is the president of the Iowa Organic Association.

Value Added: Take home an organic spice pork rub.
Cost: $15

Shopping at farmers’ markets is the easiest way to eat locally. You know where the food comes from—the grower is right there and you can ask them.  More than one shopper, however, has come home with bags of produce that went uneaten.  And many others have left after a morning’s tour around the stalls only to go home with a bunch of carrots and a dazed expression.  A bit of planning can keep weekly shopping for produce at a farmers’ market fun and make cooking a snap all week long. Just have a great time, enjoy the weather, exchange a few smiles and some conversation.  A farmers’ market is a wonderful experience and you'll feel a part of the community. Part of the pleasure of shopping at your local market is developing an appreciation of fresh, local foods at the height of their natural season.

Janine MacLachlan is a food writer, farm groupie and author of Farmer’s Markets of the Heartland.  To research her book, she embarked on an eight-state road trip to meet the growers, producers and artisans who bring fresh, nourishing food to their local communities every week.  An advocate for a delicious and healthful food system, she has volunteered for Slow Food and Chicago’s Green City Market, and blogs at RusticKitchen.com.

Chef Alex Brevik discovered his passion for food at a very young age, in his great grandmother’s kitchen. She would prepare Norwegian and German traditional from-scratch cuisine, using ingredients grown in her vegetable garden. Her intense passion and appreciation for food, and her understanding of the level of devotion required for a single dish to become a success took root in Alex, and would lead him to pursue a career in the culinary arts. Alex would continue to cultivate and develop his passion for cuisine, specifically with Mediterranean and Southern French influence, using local and organic sustainable ingredients. As Executive Chef for The Waterfront in La Crosse, Alex led them to receive “The Best of La Crosse” award four consecutive years, as well as a “Best of Wisconsin” award in 2011. Now, as the Executive Chef for Organic Valley, Alex intends to help others develop their passion and appreciation for organics and sustainable food through the promotion of Organic Valley. In his Spare time Alex enjoys travelling, hiking, volleyball, and good food!

Value Added: Take home a signed book from Janine MacLachlan
Cost: $15

This event is a celebration of Wisconsin’s best beer and cheese. Enjoy a tasting tour of various styles of beers matched up with certain varieties of cheese, snacks and chocolate.  The tour will be conducted by award-winning brewmaster Mark Knoebl. All of the products will be local in origin, produced in various parts of Wisconsin.

Our Grumpy Troll Brewmaster, Mark Knoebl, is a longtime local award winning commercial and home brewer with over 20 years of experience. He is a graduate of America's oldest brewing school, the Siebel Institute of Technology, and has worked closely with some of Wisconsin's best brewmasters at the best breweries, including New Glarus Brewing, City Brewery and Sand Creek Brewing Company. Mark helped found the Mt. Horeb Beer Enthusiasts club and was a past winner of the Midwest Home Brewer of the Year award. 

Value Added: Attendees will receive 10 beers, 4-5 cheeses, bread, crackers and chocolate.
Cost: $15