By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Oct 30, 2023 at 10:01 AM

’Tis Dining Month, the tastiest time of year! This means we’re dishing up fun and fascinating food content throughout October. Dig in, Milwaukee! OnMilwaukee Dining Month is served up by Educators Credit Union and Potawatomi Casino Hotel

As eyes continue to alight on Wisconsin as a culinary destination, it’s a great time to celebrate the talents of our Midwestern chefs, even as we prepare to welcome the holiday season.

And that’s the explicit goal at Taste of Traditions - A Holiday Chef Symposium, a weekend-long event held Dec. 1-3 at the Sand Valley resort, 1697 Leopold Way in Nekoosa, Wisconsin.

Taste of Traditions will feature six acclaimed chefs from the Midwest and beyond including Karen Bell of Milwaukee’s Bavette La Boucherie; Abra Barrons of Granor Farm in Three Oaks, Michigan; Tory Miller of L’Etoile in Madison; Amanda Rockman of New Waterloo in Austin, Texas; Sujan Sarkar of Indienne in Chicago, Illinois; and Mindy Segal of Mindy’s Bakery in Chicago, Illinois.

During the holiday-themed food-filled weekend, guests can participate in intimate chefs’ cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, an artisan market and a multi-course plated dinner. View the full schedule online.

Tickets for the weekend affair are available online with pricing from $1156, depending on guests’ choice of accommodations.

Proceeds from the event’s fundraising efforts will go to support the local Rome Fire Department Fund, which supports the Nekoosa School District and other community efforts including the Christmas Food Box Program and Rome Secret Santa.

More about Sand Valley

Located just 2 ½ hours from Milwaukee, Sand Valley Resort is situated on the bed of an ancient glacial lake which covered much of Central Wisconsin. In kind, the resort boasts 12,000 acres of unique landscape including natural sand dunes, fescue and other low-lying vegetation and breathtaking swaths of red pine and oak forest. 

During the summer, the resort offers three unique golf experiences modeled after the Heathland golf courses of London. More recently, the resort has also embraced the winter months, inviting guests to enjoy the serene landscape, health and wellness programming and myriad outdoor activities including snowshoeing, ice fishing, cross country skiing and more.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. 

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.