"We have everything we own put into our businesses, it's touch and go, if two food chains open up down the street, you are done. It's not a fair fight. The Madison Originals organization helps us make it fair," said Barbara Wright, president of Madison Originals and owner of Mediterranean restaurant, The Dardanelles. During my lunch interviewing Wright along with Madison Originals Magazine editor, Amy Johnson, many values and goals of Madison Originals were passionately divulged.

"I think Madison has a huge variety of world cuisine, especially downtown and on campus. This is a great opportunity for students and locals to get a taste of the world at a somewhat affordable price." After speaking to former University of Wisconsin-Madison Food Science Club president, and Culinary Institute of America graduate, Michelle Tittl, a growing culinary appreciation by the city's student population is unquestionable.

"Many different ethnic cuisine line State Street and neighboring streets, including Afghan, Indian, and Mediterranean. Though think the culinary scene of Madison is still trying to establish itself and is constantly growing, there are [restaurants] that have made a mark nationally including Harvest, up by the capital, for it’s seasonal tasting menus," Tittl adds.

A fervent passion for all things food is indeed evident when listening to Yvonne Bushland try to decide on her favorite restaurant in Madison. "Buraka has a great curry meal that is similar to the tastes I experienced in Malaysia," Bushland speaks of her past experiences with food and culture, "I love Frita's chips, and the Great Dane has delicious sandwiches." Former University of Wisconsin-Madison food science lecturer (retiring this semester), Bushland has a definite diversity of insight about the food community in Madison.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is without doubt, an extensive asset to the Madison community. Daily, CALS professors and students are participating in research to better agriculture production, crop harvest, food nutrition, and sustainable foods. Established in 1889 CALS functions with three main goals: undergraduate instruction, research and graduate student training, and outreach/extension. The school accomplishes these goals through farm and industry short course classes, undergraduate degrees, numerous internship placements, student organized clubs, a leadership certificate, cooperative extension, and international programs.

A month after it's debut, Dane101 revisits Madison's newest market for an inside visit with owner Megan Ramey

Madison native Megan Ramey always knew she would be opening a business of her own one day. The question remained: how was she going to combine her passions for fashion, hospitality, culinary, and the unique Madison community into one? Simple: an urban lifestyles store. Something very new, and unique that the city of Madison has long been awaiting.

Her idea for a modern, sophisticated convenience store sparked as Ramey made her daily pedestrian commute to work. She realized there really was no all-in-one, contemporary store for the young urbanite to make any necessary purchases. Daily, Ramey was finding herself wanting something "quick and fresh to eat," but there was "nothing that catered to young professionals."

From 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. this Saturday, April 21st, the Annual Dane County Summer Farmer's Market will be opening on Capital Square!

Many of the delicious foods to come across include:
asparagus, dry beans, greenhouse cucumbers & tomatoes, lettuce, maple syrup, rhubarb, spinach, bunch onions, hanging baskets, bedding plants, perennial plants, cut flowers, morel mushrooms, delectable bakery goods, savory meats, and mouth-watering cheeses.

With all these great products kitchens are sure to be busy this weekend!

Here's a great recipe (with most ingredients from the market) to jump start Spring...

"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.

I love Madison's love of food. What I love even more is the efforts of so many in Madison to celebrate this city's devine love of food.

Tonight commences the first annual Restaurant Week right here in Madison, Wisconsin. The event will be lasting all week, Sunday January 28 through Friday, February 2! For the next six days, an array of restaurants in Madison and the surrounding areas will be offering specialized menus to all of its customers. For only $25 per person restaurants will have three delightfully delicious three course meals for customers to choose from. An appetizer, entree and dazzling dessert from some of Madison's most prestigious restaurants! The details of these menus can be found at Madison Magazine. (I highly suggest that reservations be made!)

Last week I had for the first time experienced a severe rise in my blood pressure, and the anxious, hard to breathe feeling in my chest. No worries, it was only because I had walked into the new local grocery store, Trader Joe's. I had never been more excited about something than I was as I walked up Monroe street to the new neighborhood grocery store. I'd actually never even heard of Trader Joe's before, yet there was a buzz going around town about the new store, thus I knew I had to go check it out myself.

October 18th: We're already halfway through the month of October, and gosh is it getting chilly and wet here in Madison! Because of the rapid change in weather, my last article concentrated on hot chocolate: its origin, history, diversity and recipes. This week I want to concentrate on another cold-weathered beverage favorite: apple cider.
Apple cider has been a common beverage among many cultures for many centuries. The description of apple cider is slightly different in every country: in France cider is light, sparkling, and poured from a champagne bottle; cider comes in a corked wine bottle in areas of northern Spain; in England, the ciders are kegged and served on taps; ciders in the United States are sold pasteurized and unpasteurized, in grocery stores and by local vendors. From bottles to jugs, and sparkling to hard, cider is becoming quite diverse and even more delicious!

As fall approaches the weather has become quite frigid, quite fast. At the farmer's market last Saturday the weather was actually very nice, though I knew that it would not last long. In preparation for the cooler week ahead of me, I stocked up on many delicious, fresh and healthy ingredients to make many nice, hearty, warm soups this week. So what did I get from the farmer's market?

Delivery food in Madison seems to be a weeknight staple. With the busy city live of so many people, many nights go by when there is no time or simply no energy to make a decent meal. What do so many Madisonians do? Delivery to the rescue!

Nonetheless, delivered pizza, sandwiches, fries, and even salads often possess little health benefits and even lack the great taste of home cooked food. Not to mention ordering in seems to add an even greater array of miscellaneous food items to the fridge.

Therefore, I have developed a few tricks to re-make and spruce up your take-out food, while cleaning out other leftovers in the fridge at the same time!

Because the heart of Madison is so compact, many people do not have cars, and therefore few ways of getting good groceries. The local grocery stores, Capital Centre Foods, on 111 N. Broom St. is one of the few stores in walking distance around the campus area. Nonetheless, for residence living near Camp Randall, Broom St. is still quite a hike. Moreover, when wanting to purchase more than two bags full of groceries, walking the distance to Capital Centre Foods, is nothing compared to walking back home carrying your purchases.

As school starts, so do the UW Badger football games! Home opener this Saturday at 2:30! For those of you lucky enough to have tickets; ENJOY! For the unfortunate, you better still be cooking out and enjoying the nice weather and school spirit!
As much as I love the traditional array of brats and burgers, I figured I would present an equally easy, and delicious alternative to grilling out before the game. It is sure to impress all of your friends before the big game!
Thus, I urge you to venture to the farmer's market this Saturday morning and pick up some fresh ingredients for game day kabobs!

Although the Dane County Farmer's Market has been an ongoing event all summer, I figured it was time to speak up about the pleasures of the market on capital square. Furthermore I figure since I am, without doubt, at the market every weekend, each week I'll try to post my findings on a new product or recipe that I have created from my purchases at the farmers market.

Now I'm sure many people aren't strangers to the array of fresh produce, meats, and baked goods sold at the weekly farmer's market. Especially since the market is packed full of people for the majority of the event. Open from 6 a.m. Until 2 p.m. every Saturday from late April until early November, the farmer's market seems constantly busy. I'll let you in on a little secret of mine. Although it may seem like you may not get the freshest fruit or prettiest veggies if you don't head to the market bright and early, this is not the case at all...