The Kohler Food & Wine Experience, now in its 13th year, is a four-day festival that includes seminars, celebrity chef presentations, wine tastings and evening celebrations. The fun takes place Oct. 17-20 at The American Club resort in Kohler, Wis., and though many seminars are already sold-out, attendees will still find plenty of complimentary events.
After glancing at the schedule, some highlights that caught my eye were the Oysters and Blancs tasting (1:30-2:30 p.m. Friday), Iron Chef Cat Cora making a lamb stew (10-11 a.m. Saturday) and the multiple Cocktail Academies.
I was invited to a media preview luncheon designed to showcase both the creative dishes and the intimate atmosphere that many F&W events typically have. When you have Chefs John Bauer (The Wise at HotelRED), Tory Miller (L’Etoile and Graze) and Dan Bonanno (A Pig in a Fur Coat) cooking your meal, it’s a safe prediction that you’re going to be wowed, and indeed I was.
Before each course was served, the corresponding chef would enter the dining room and explain the inspiration and focus of their dish, as well as answer any questions from the floor. A representative from Wirtz Beverage would then describe the wine. I really felt like I was at a private party; that’s apparently why F&W keeps the seminars small, so you get that one-to-one connection.
Bonanno’s gnocchi with braised Trautman oxtail (I adore oxtail and wish it was more prevalent in Madison), herb ‘n oyster mushrooms, capri parmesan and toasted bread crumbs was a masterful blend of tastes and textures. It was paired with a 2010 Il Poggione – Rosso di Montalcino.
Bauer’s Wisconsin grass-fed beef short ribs with Milwaukee Brewing Company Polish Moon Milk Stout and pomegranate were so tender that they just dissolved in my mouth–I could have eaten five more servings easily. A 2011 Rock Wall Wine Company – Jesse’s Vineyard Zinfandel accompanied this entree.
Miller’s somen noodles with seasonal market vegetables, Asian pear, grilled Willow Creek Farm pork belly and wild mushroom dashi were fun to eat. He instructed–then demonstrated–that we were supposed to dunk the noodles in the broth and then slurp the noodles. The broth was milder than I expected, but it was balanced by the flavorful pork belly. A 2012 Milbrandt Vineyards – Traditions Riesling came with this course.
Chocolatier Anette Righi Defendi (Kohler Original Recipe Chocolates) concluded the meal with her supremely divine raspberry garden ganache chocolates, which were served with a Fonseca – Bin 27 Port.
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See more photos on our Kohler Food & Wine Flickr set.
Churro sundae from Caracas Empanadas. Who knew they could also do dessert? It’s a wonderful combination of sweet and crunchy.
I jumped at the chance when Bacardi OakHeart invited me to form a team and participate in the 
Some teams took the competition very seriously, sprinting from one location to the next. My team was among those that took our time. Speaking of time, the winning team completed the course in slightly over two hours, while we finished in about 4:24 (that included two beverage breaks). The top 25 teams qualify for the national championship.
