Season's eatings! The weather may be getting colder, but Dining Month on OnMilwaukee is just cooking up, dishing out your winning picks in this year's Best of Dining poll. Dining Month is brought to you by Fein Brothers, your premier food service equipment and supply dealer in Wisconsin since 1929. Congratulations to all of the winners, and happy eating for all those who voted!
James Beard nominations are a big deal. But what’s it really like to find your name on the list? We chat with Milwaukee’s own Karen Bell, 2018 James Beard nominee and owner of Bavette La Boucherie, about her experience as well as her storied past and plans for the future. Then stay tuned as Matt Mueller gets his feet wet with yet another smoldering edition of the Food Porn Minute.
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Got an idea for a topic we should consider for FoodCrush? Want to offer feedback on our latest episode? Email me at lori@staff.onmilwaukee.com. You can also give @FoodCrushMKE a follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Upcoming Episodes
Aw Shucks!: Learning to love oysters
In this podcast, we chat with Black Shoe Hospitality’s Joe Muench about the ins and outs of oysters. Then we take the podcast on the road to Harbor House and get a lesson in oyster eating from Bartolotta's Corporate Executive Chef Adam Siegel, who’ll introduce the salt-water bivalve mollusks to oyster-virgin Matt Mueller. Will his first oyster experience be a blast? Or a bust. Find out on FoodCrush.
Caitlin Cullen of The Tandem: Fried chicken
Salty. Crispy. Delicious. We talk all things fried chicken with the hilarious and forthright Caitlin Cullen, owner and chef of The Tandem. She’ll talk about her work at the restaurant as well as reveal some of the stories and secrets behind her two unique versions of fried chicken: Memphis and Georgia fried.
What’s up with dining surveys anyhow?
Every year OnMilwaukee polls its readers, giving them an opportunity to vote for the best restaurants in Milwaukee. But sometimes the results spark controversy. So Food Writer Lori Fredrich and Culture Editor Matt Mueller dig into the down and dirty behind the survey including what goes into creating it, how we choose which venues to include and some of the questions that lead to the most interesting of results. Stay tuned for a creepy Halloween edition of the Food Porn Minute.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
