August 2, 2023 • 8 mins
On this week's episode of Where To Next, Anne Sayers, Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary, joins me to discuss the great state of Wisconsin! There's so much to do for everyone in the family when visiting Wisconsin and Anne fills me in on Wisconcin's impressive culinary scene including their signature beer & cheese, their unexpected relationship with cranberries, and reveals what Bravo TV show is filming there in the coming months!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Good morning, and welcome to Whereto Next a travel podcast with me.
My name is Francisco Presty. Thanksso much for a hanging out and joining
me today. Anne Sayers, WisconsinDepartment of Tourism Secretary and welcome, Hi,
Francisca, Thanks for having me.Yeah, where You're so excited to
talk to you all about Wisconsin travel. Wisconsin dot com, of course,
is where you want to go forall the information you're going to need to
(00:20):
start planning your trip today. SoAnne, you are Wisconsin's Secretary of Tourism,
so let's just dive right in andtalk about Wisconsin. Let's do it.
Wisconsin is amazing. I have somuch to say about it, but
I'm going to start with to Spainincredible breasthtaking, natural landscapes, and vibrant
urban communities. There is somewhere inthis state for everyone to make memories that
will last a lifetime. We actuallyhave one thousand miles of great lakes in
(00:44):
Mississippi River shoreline, fifteen thousand inlandlakes, and nearly half of our state
is covered by forests. So adventureseekers, whether it's kayaking, fishing,
hiking, mountain biking schemes nomobiling.We have all of these natural wonders to
explore. You know, if you'rea road tripper. We actually have two
National Scenic byways. One of themis Door County. That's a little stum
that pokes into Lake Michigan, gorgeousscenic byway. And then there's one in
(01:08):
Lake Superior, so it's right alongthe shores of the northern part of the
state. Stunning an all American roadthat travels down the Mississippi River. It's
called the Great River Road, andthat's stunning bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River and
all of these cute little towns forshopping and eating and getting out and exploring.
And you know, if music andthe arts, the culture are you're
saying, we have so much ofthat. In fact, we have more
(01:30):
than twenty one hundred festivals on ourwebsite right now just meeting. If there
is a reason to celebrate, we'regonna do it, and we're gonna do
it with the festival. We're goingto do it in a big way.
And then there's food, and I'msure we'll talk about food, but yes,
we have a lot to offer there. Yeah, I know we're going
to dive deep into the culinary scenein Wisconsin. But there truly is so
many different things for everybody anyone thatwants to come visit. And I love
(01:53):
places like that. You know,you've got something from mom and dad and
the kids, so everyone is takingcare of And I don't know about you,
but when I travel like I'm laserfocused on the food people love to
eat. So when you think ofWisconsin, it really is beer and cheese
that comes straight to the top ofmy mind. So what makes Wisconsin beer
and cheese just so good? Youare not wrong. Beer and cheese are
a big part of what we dohere where America's dairy land for a reason.
(02:15):
We have more than six thousand dairyfarms. That's more than any other
state. Ninety percent of the milkwe produce here is made into cheese,
and we ultimately produce a quarter ofAmerica's cheeses. That's nearly half of the
country's specialty cheeses are from Wisconsin.So you're Asiago's Gorgonzola, greer aged cheddar
Gouda. We even make Limburger andI'm actually a fan. I mean,
(02:37):
honestly, where would we be forour meat and cheese plates without Wisconsin right
exactly. And you can't forget aboutthe cheese curd. The village of Eldsworth,
it's known as the chiefe curd capitalof Wisconsin. It's home to Eldsworth's
Creamery. And I just stat justblows my mind. One hundred and eighty
thousand pounds of all natural cheddar cheesecurds are manufactured daily. Wow, there's
(03:00):
a lot of cheese going on upthere in Wisconsin, more than six hundred
varieties. We actually have twelve hundredlicense cheesemakers, and Wisconsin is the only
state that offers a master cheesemaker program. Very serious business. You have to
have at least ten years of experiencebefore you can be a master cheesemaker,
and that's something we do here.Well. I might need to follow up
on that. Anne Sayers, WisconsinDepartment of Tourism Secretary, on with me
(03:23):
this morning. Travel Wisconsin dot comis where you want to go for all
your information and of course to startplanning your trip today. And I know
beer and cheese are top of mine. I know they are for me for
sure whenever I think about Wisconsin.But you have a very special and honestly
surprising relationship with cranberries over there inWisconsin. Can you tell us about that,
because I when I was reading offon this was floored. I know,
people have no idea, and it'ssuch a neat thing. We produce
(03:46):
more than half of the supply ofcranberries in the entire United States. Here.
We have twenty one thousand acres dedicatedfew growing cranberries in these stand and
pete marshes. A lot of themare in the middle part of the state.
And you can actually take a selfguided fifty mile cranberry Highway passed through
the scene at cranberry beds, andit's so beautiful it's hard to picture of.
It's almost like a lake of redand it's all the floating cranberries.
(04:09):
You can actually like throw on somewaiters and get in there and kind of
have your ocean spray moment like thecommercial. We have festivals Wren's Cranberry Festival
every year. We have cran Aamaup in man of Swish Waters. So
we take it pretty seriously as well. You definitely should. I mean,
it is quite impressive the sheer volumeof beer, cheese and cranberries that Wisconsin
(04:30):
can push out. I mean,it's impressive. Stuff over there. We're
really proud of it. I wouldbe, And you really are such a
food centric state. And I knowthere are quite a few culinary experiences that
are unique to Wisconsin. So couldyou expand on those for us? Yeah,
you know. One of them isthe pizza farm. This is a
unique agriturism phenomenon that's popped up inWisconsin. Each summer, farmers open up
their gates and welcome guests, soyou get to kind of come out onto
(04:51):
the farm and have pizzas that aremade with farm fresh ingredients. I mean,
it tastes like it was picked thatday because it was a lot of
times will have live music going on, and they'll pair the meal with a
craft beer from a local brewery ora wine from a local winery. It's
just a really fun thing that we'velearned to do here in Wisconsin. We
can't wait for others to enjoy itas well, you know. And it's
(05:12):
so cool too, because I'm surejust that experience in and of itself is
quite the experience. But between thefarm fresh pizza and then all the cheese
and then the craft beer, likeit's kind of a dream. It is
a dream. And then you know, that's just how you're sort of getting
your way through the day. Dottedwith all of these outdoor experiences and arts
and culture and little roadside attractions shopping, you can really make some fun memories
(05:35):
here. Absolutely, and I lovethis, like talk about a blast from
the past. Supper Clubs are abig staple in Wisconsin. I love supper
clubs. We have more than twohundred and sixty classic supper clubs here.
I don't know if everybody knows whatthey are, but generally it's Friday fish
dry, Saturday Prime rib, andSunday's roasted chicken and ribs. There's always
(05:55):
some sort of unique decore going on. Sometimes it's cats, the Jeremy,
and sometimes it's just kind of likenostalgic old world vibe. There's usually like
a big cheese ball at the bar. Of course, you got to start
with a brandy Old Stashi and that'sour signature drink here in Wisconsin, with
brandy soda, dash of bitters garnishwith orange spice and a cherry. You
(06:16):
can say whether you like at Seeterstourand then at a supper club you're going
to have an ice cream dessert drinkat the end a grasshopper or pink squirrel,
and these are dotted across the state. You will always be able to
find a supper club. And it'sjust such a unique Wisconsin experience. It
truly is. I'm getting hungry andSnayer's Wisconsin Department of Tourism secretary on with
me today talking about all of thefantastic experiences that Wisconsin has to offer.
(06:42):
Travel Wisconsin dot com where you wantto go for all the information everything you're
going to need to start planning yourtrip today. And I'm about to book
a trip to Wisconsin for a foodtour. Let me tell you the culinary
experiences you guys have out there areso impressive. And speaking of culinary,
I don't know about you, butI am a Bravo girly and I love
Top Chef and they we have selectedWisconsin as the culinary destination for the upcoming
(07:02):
season. So first of all,congratulations, that's amazing, Thank you.
We are so excited. I needto talk to you offline and get all
the background and all the behind thescenes info because I'm dying at this.
Can you tell us a little bitmore about this whole thing and how it
came to be and whatever you candivulge. Yeah, well, I'm also
a Bravo girly, so I thinkI'm just as excited you are. But
(07:25):
we knew, We've always known wehave something really special when it comes to
our culinary heritage, and so thishas been an idea we've had for years
to just see if we couldn't getthe producers of this show out here to
see what we have to offer,and we knew they'd be blown away.
And when we finally had a chanceto do that, they absolutely were.
The state did what we knew itwas going to do. Somebody who thinks
we've just talked about what they gotto get out seeing experience and just knew
(07:47):
that viewers would love getting a chanceto dive into our culinary heritage. So,
yes, it's happening season twenty one. We'll be here in Wisconsin.
And do we have We probably don'thave like details, and if we do,
we probably can't divulge on this podcast. Bravo wouldn't like that, huh
No, I mean a lot ofthose decisions are up to them, but
I think they'll be filming here inthe next few months and then, like
most of the seasons. It'll startto air in the late winter spring,
(08:11):
so you'll get to tune in.And they also, you know, it's
a competition show, so there's notmuch they tell us or that we can
share because we want to make sureit's juicy and hard and surprising in all
the secrets. Well, and Ijust want to thank you so so much
for joining me today. I mean, I'm so excited about first of all,
Bravo coming to Wisconsin for you guys, and second of all, talk
about so many hidden gems over therein Wisconsin. And is the Wisconsin Department
(08:35):
of Tourism Secretary Travel Wisconsin dot comis where you want to go for more
information and to start planning your triptoday. And again, thank you so
much for taking some time and joiningus here today. Thanks for having me
Good morning, and welcome to Whereto Next a travel podcast with me.
My name is Francisco Presty. Thanksso much for a hanging out and joining
me today. Anne Sayers, WisconsinDepartment of Tourism Secretary and welcome, Hi,
Francisca, Thanks for having me.Yeah, where You're so excited to
talk to you all about Wisconsin travel. Wisconsin dot com, of course,
is where you want to go forall the information you're going to need to
(00:20):
start planning your trip today. SoAnne, you are Wisconsin's Secretary of Tourism,
so let's just dive right in andtalk about Wisconsin. Let's do it.
Wisconsin is amazing. I have somuch to say about it, but
I'm going to start with to Spainincredible breasthtaking, natural landscapes, and vibrant
urban communities. There is somewhere inthis state for everyone to make memories that
will last a lifetime. We actuallyhave one thousand miles of great lakes in
(00:44):
Mississippi River shoreline, fifteen thousand inlandlakes, and nearly half of our state
is covered by forests. So adventureseekers, whether it's kayaking, fishing,
hiking, mountain biking schemes nomobiling.We have all of these natural wonders to
explore. You know, if you'rea road tripper. We actually have two
National Scenic byways. One of themis Door County. That's a little stum
that pokes into Lake Michigan, gorgeousscenic byway. And then there's one in
(01:08):
Lake Superior, so it's right alongthe shores of the northern part of the
state. Stunning an all American roadthat travels down the Mississippi River. It's
called the Great River Road, andthat's stunning bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River and
all of these cute little towns forshopping and eating and getting out and exploring.
And you know, if music andthe arts, the culture are you're
saying, we have so much ofthat. In fact, we have more
(01:30):
than twenty one hundred festivals on ourwebsite right now just meeting. If there
is a reason to celebrate, we'regonna do it, and we're gonna do
it with the festival. We're goingto do it in a big way.
And then there's food, and I'msure we'll talk about food, but yes,
we have a lot to offer there. Yeah, I know we're going
to dive deep into the culinary scenein Wisconsin. But there truly is so
many different things for everybody anyone thatwants to come visit. And I love
(01:53):
places like that. You know,you've got something from mom and dad and
the kids, so everyone is takingcare of And I don't know about you,
but when I travel like I'm laserfocused on the food people love to
eat. So when you think ofWisconsin, it really is beer and cheese
that comes straight to the top ofmy mind. So what makes Wisconsin beer
and cheese just so good? Youare not wrong. Beer and cheese are
a big part of what we dohere where America's dairy land for a reason.
(02:15):
We have more than six thousand dairyfarms. That's more than any other
state. Ninety percent of the milkwe produce here is made into cheese,
and we ultimately produce a quarter ofAmerica's cheeses. That's nearly half of the
country's specialty cheeses are from Wisconsin.So you're Asiago's Gorgonzola, greer aged cheddar
Gouda. We even make Limburger andI'm actually a fan. I mean,
(02:37):
honestly, where would we be forour meat and cheese plates without Wisconsin right
exactly. And you can't forget aboutthe cheese curd. The village of Eldsworth,
it's known as the chiefe curd capitalof Wisconsin. It's home to Eldsworth's
Creamery. And I just stat justblows my mind. One hundred and eighty
thousand pounds of all natural cheddar cheesecurds are manufactured daily. Wow, there's
(03:00):
a lot of cheese going on upthere in Wisconsin, more than six hundred
varieties. We actually have twelve hundredlicense cheesemakers, and Wisconsin is the only
state that offers a master cheesemaker program. Very serious business. You have to
have at least ten years of experiencebefore you can be a master cheesemaker,
and that's something we do here.Well. I might need to follow up
on that. Anne Sayers, WisconsinDepartment of Tourism Secretary, on with me
(03:23):
this morning. Travel Wisconsin dot comis where you want to go for all
your information and of course to startplanning your trip today. And I know
beer and cheese are top of mine. I know they are for me for
sure whenever I think about Wisconsin.But you have a very special and honestly
surprising relationship with cranberries over there inWisconsin. Can you tell us about that,
because I when I was reading offon this was floored. I know,
people have no idea, and it'ssuch a neat thing. We produce
(03:46):
more than half of the supply ofcranberries in the entire United States. Here.
We have twenty one thousand acres dedicatedfew growing cranberries in these stand and
pete marshes. A lot of themare in the middle part of the state.
And you can actually take a selfguided fifty mile cranberry Highway passed through
the scene at cranberry beds, andit's so beautiful it's hard to picture of.
It's almost like a lake of redand it's all the floating cranberries.
(04:09):
You can actually like throw on somewaiters and get in there and kind of
have your ocean spray moment like thecommercial. We have festivals Wren's Cranberry Festival
every year. We have cran Aamaup in man of Swish Waters. So
we take it pretty seriously as well. You definitely should. I mean,
it is quite impressive the sheer volumeof beer, cheese and cranberries that Wisconsin
(04:30):
can push out. I mean,it's impressive. Stuff over there. We're
really proud of it. I wouldbe, And you really are such a
food centric state. And I knowthere are quite a few culinary experiences that
are unique to Wisconsin. So couldyou expand on those for us? Yeah,
you know. One of them isthe pizza farm. This is a
unique agriturism phenomenon that's popped up inWisconsin. Each summer, farmers open up
their gates and welcome guests, soyou get to kind of come out onto
(04:51):
the farm and have pizzas that aremade with farm fresh ingredients. I mean,
it tastes like it was picked thatday because it was a lot of
times will have live music going on, and they'll pair the meal with a
craft beer from a local brewery ora wine from a local winery. It's
just a really fun thing that we'velearned to do here in Wisconsin. We
can't wait for others to enjoy itas well, you know. And it's
(05:12):
so cool too, because I'm surejust that experience in and of itself is
quite the experience. But between thefarm fresh pizza and then all the cheese
and then the craft beer, likeit's kind of a dream. It is
a dream. And then you know, that's just how you're sort of getting
your way through the day. Dottedwith all of these outdoor experiences and arts
and culture and little roadside attractions shopping, you can really make some fun memories
(05:35):
here. Absolutely, and I lovethis, like talk about a blast from
the past. Supper Clubs are abig staple in Wisconsin. I love supper
clubs. We have more than twohundred and sixty classic supper clubs here.
I don't know if everybody knows whatthey are, but generally it's Friday fish
dry, Saturday Prime rib, andSunday's roasted chicken and ribs. There's always
(05:55):
some sort of unique decore going on. Sometimes it's cats, the Jeremy,
and sometimes it's just kind of likenostalgic old world vibe. There's usually like
a big cheese ball at the bar. Of course, you got to start
with a brandy Old Stashi and that'sour signature drink here in Wisconsin, with
brandy soda, dash of bitters garnishwith orange spice and a cherry. You
(06:16):
can say whether you like at Seeterstourand then at a supper club you're going
to have an ice cream dessert drinkat the end a grasshopper or pink squirrel,
and these are dotted across the state. You will always be able to
find a supper club. And it'sjust such a unique Wisconsin experience. It
truly is. I'm getting hungry andSnayer's Wisconsin Department of Tourism secretary on with
me today talking about all of thefantastic experiences that Wisconsin has to offer.
(06:42):
Travel Wisconsin dot com where you wantto go for all the information everything you're
going to need to start planning yourtrip today. And I'm about to book
a trip to Wisconsin for a foodtour. Let me tell you the culinary
experiences you guys have out there areso impressive. And speaking of culinary,
I don't know about you, butI am a Bravo girly and I love
Top Chef and they we have selectedWisconsin as the culinary destination for the upcoming
(07:02):
season. So first of all,congratulations, that's amazing, Thank you.
We are so excited. I needto talk to you offline and get all
the background and all the behind thescenes info because I'm dying at this.
Can you tell us a little bitmore about this whole thing and how it
came to be and whatever you candivulge. Yeah, well, I'm also
a Bravo girly, so I thinkI'm just as excited you are. But
(07:25):
we knew, We've always known wehave something really special when it comes to
our culinary heritage, and so thishas been an idea we've had for years
to just see if we couldn't getthe producers of this show out here to
see what we have to offer,and we knew they'd be blown away.
And when we finally had a chanceto do that, they absolutely were.
The state did what we knew itwas going to do. Somebody who thinks
we've just talked about what they gotto get out seeing experience and just knew
(07:47):
that viewers would love getting a chanceto dive into our culinary heritage. So,
yes, it's happening season twenty one. We'll be here in Wisconsin.
And do we have We probably don'thave like details, and if we do,
we probably can't divulge on this podcast. Bravo wouldn't like that, huh
No, I mean a lot ofthose decisions are up to them, but
I think they'll be filming here inthe next few months and then, like
most of the seasons. It'll startto air in the late winter spring,
(08:11):
so you'll get to tune in.And they also, you know, it's
a competition show, so there's notmuch they tell us or that we can
share because we want to make sureit's juicy and hard and surprising in all
the secrets. Well, and Ijust want to thank you so so much
for joining me today. I mean, I'm so excited about first of all,
Bravo coming to Wisconsin for you guys, and second of all, talk
about so many hidden gems over therein Wisconsin. And is the Wisconsin Department
(08:35):
of Tourism Secretary Travel Wisconsin dot comis where you want to go for more
information and to start planning your triptoday. And again, thank you so
much for taking some time and joiningus here today. Thanks for having me
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