All over this city, summertime ushers in a broad spec trum of church festivals. And being the outdoor festi val fans that we Wisconsinites are, we visit them, either to support our denomination or because it’s the weekend and we feel like going out. Or maybe a little of both. Equal parts ethnic festival and church picnic...

The doors may be closed for the season, but the ovens at Amaranth Bakery & Cafe certainly won’t be growing cold this summer. Owners Stephanie Shipley and David Boucher are selling a large selection of their baked goods at two local farmers’ markets: Fondy Farmers’ Market and the Vliet Street Community Green Market at the Washington Park Senior Center.

It seems like every decade has a dietary buzzword and a subsequent product release that capitalizes on it. The early ’90s went “fat-free,” marked by one of the most successful product launches in the history of the food industry: SnackWells, Nabisco’s line of fat-free and low-fat snacks hat gave consumers the peace of mind...

When you’re deciding where to eat, are you in the routine of choosing from the same five restau rants? Many of us are creatures of habit, relying on the convenience and comfort of knowing what to expect. But what about adventure—where does that fit in? With a visit to a new, unique restaurant, an ordinary...

Over the last 50 years family farms have struggled to stay afloat in a market dominated by large-scale agribusinesses. According to the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, more than 4 million U.S. farms have been lost, at an average rate of 219 farms a day, since 1960. Farms that have been owned by families for generations are lost because corn, milk or cattle have dropped in value in an agricultural economy flooded with cheap produce, dairy and livestock harvested from corporate farms.

For many years Polonez was a charming anachronism, a restaurant housed in a warren of little rooms that gave dining there the feel of a casual get-together in someone’s timeworn South Side flat. After leaving its South Sixth Street home near St. Josaphat’s Basilica, Polonez moved to a more conventional venue at...

The fact that restaurant serving sizes have grown dramatically in the last few decades is no secret; it’s as plain to see as the nation’s expanding waistline. Yet despite the steady chastisement from doctors, dietitians and documentarians, the American public doesn’t seem quite ready to relinquish its grasp on the momentously overladen dining plate.

Summer in Wisconsin announces itself with warmer weather, longer days and the return of farmers’ markets. Shorts and sandals are pulled out of winter storage so that customers can stroll, pale legs and all, through outdoor aisles of fresh and locally grown produce.

Not everyone grows up in a home where they help their parents prepare meals and, in doing so, absorb their family’s recipes and cooking tips. Culinary know-how that only comes from experience isn’t always passed down to the next generation, and cookbooks only take an inexperienced chef so far.

Coffee: It’s a worthy reason to get out of bed in the morning, a midday pick-me-up and a lifesaver during an all-nighter. Without coffee, our work engines would seize and our creative muscles would atrophy. But before a cup of joe touches our lips, the coffee beans must be picked, dried, hulled,...