"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients." These strong words from pioneer food television personality Julia Child are undoubtedly words lived by the many members of my community: Madison "foodies".

Throughout the last two years that I have lived in downtown Madison, I have become quite acquainted with the diverse, unique, and abundant aspects of culinary creativity present. The food enthusiasm in Madison is without a doubt plentiful. From the weekly farmer's markets, to the world of cuisine on State Street, there is something for everyone with a passion for food. My personal experiences with the city's culinary wonders include: venturing to the local Italian delicatessen Fraboni's to buy fresh mozzarella and delicious sorbet; spending endless Saturday mornings at the farmer's market buying fresh, local produce, cheese, and hot and spicy cheese bread; strolling through a weekend of "The Taste of Madison", sampling falafel and cookie dough egg rolls; World's Largest Brat Fest, need I say more?; being an active member of the Dietetics and Nutrition club and adding another eager "foodie" to their culinary committee; being a co-fundraising chair for the Food Science Club and previously helping with their product development team; supporting and dining at the Madison Originals restaurants; constructing a feature for Dane101.com implementing food in Madison and cooking ideas for back at home; and being an avid reader of all food relations in Madison Magazine.

Undoubtedly, with such a large community population in Madison devoted to food, many issues arise. The most recent and demanding issues involving the city and food today deal with product quality, preservation of food heritage, and the expansion/creation of local food businesses. These main issues scream continuous debate regarding nutrition, organics, local, fresh, gourmet, marketing, and trends.

After speaking to former UW-Madison Food Science Club president, and current Culinary Institute of America student, Michelle Tittl, the concern over product quality really seems to be a prevalent issue in Madison today. "Knowing how our food is prepared, what is in it, and what makes it taste great, are the three most important things that consumers should be aware of when putting something in their mouths". The ideas of fresh foods, gourmet preparation, and marketing with a higher standard are also expanding throughout Madison, "Culinary trends today are proven to be focused on how people really prepare food. More consumers throughout are buying foods that are more fresh, organic, and are less processed. Which shows that we as consumers are more aware of what we are putting into our bodies". Nonetheless, the media seems to have a awkward opinion on current culinary ideas. "Because there is so much going on with the culinary industry today, and the media cannot cover each aspect or understand each idea, they take these values people obtain and turn them into superficial 'trends' ". Such trends include organic markets, co-ops, and local purchases.

I personally am interested in all culinary aspects of society, yet it seems that I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the culturally rich food of Madison. Although there are many diverse aspects of food in Madison, resulting in many differing ideas about food and its consumption, the tight community that Madison offers is capable of uniting to better defend against the idea of trends. Furthermore, as many food related issues continue to develop, the community of Madison "foodies" continues to announce their own stances, and correct any misunderstandings about the city's food culture.

Here are a few more culinary interests in Madison that I hope to explore further...

www.wholefoods.com www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/calendars/MAD.html
www.regentmarketcoop.org
www.willystreet.coop
www.mifflincoop.com
www.theyounggourmet.com
www.madison.com/features/kids_expo
www.ssmiddletonwi.com