This Midwestern City Is One of the Country’s Best-Kept Food Secrets

Unpacked by AFAR

Hot tip: Don’t listen to this week’s episode of Unpacked hungry. Because we’re traveling to a surprising Midwestern city to explore what makes it one of the most fascinating food cities in the country. Last June, host Aislyn Greene traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, and was surprised by what she found: A refreshingly progressive, highly bikeable, very outdoorsy, and (best yet), delicious city.

If you're a food-motivated traveler, you're likely always looking for the next great spot. And as she ate her way through Madison, Aislyn wondered: Why aren't more people talking about Madison? So in today’s episode, that’s exactly what we’re doing. We'll explore Wisconsin's agriculture scene, meet the city's most interesting chefs, and look at what to do when you're too full to eat any more.

Meet this week’s guests

• Shilpa Sankaran, founder of Kosa
• Lindsay Christians, food editor and arts writer at the Capital Times
• Sean Pharr, chef and owner of Mint Mark
• Itaru Nagano, chef at Fairchild
• Shaina Robbins Papach, co-owner of Harvey House and Butterbird
• Dan Bonnano, chef and owner of Pig in a Fur Coat
• Jamie Brown-Soukaseum, chef and owner of Ahan
• Garret Olsen, co-owner of Madison Adventure Tours

Resources

• Read this week’s show notes, including a full transcript of the episode.
• Check out the latest season of Top Chef: Wisconsin
• Read my guide to the culinary scene there.
• Follow the podcast to ensure you don’t miss an episode.
• Subscribe to AFAR’s YouTube channel for a full video of the conversation.

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.