I was born and raised in Wisconsin, and except for a short stint in Chicago in the mid-1990s, it is where I lived my entire life until moving to Dubuque in 2012. It’s not like Iowa and Wisconsin are so very different. But there is one striking difference that became starkly evident to me the...

Often our earliest culinary influence is our mother or grandmother, but that really wasn’t the case for me. Distance made a daily relationship with my grandparents impossible. And my mother — while she instilled in me her sense of humor, caring nature and organizational skills — isn’t an easy, natural cook. (That said, she pulled...

Foods can be very comforting at times, both for their deliciousness and sentimentality. We asked readers for examples of their favorite comfort foods and received three special submissions. Grandma Bread If you have ever been to the Galena (Ill.) farmers market, you would find “Susie breads.“ This rising bread story started more than 25 years...

Now that you’ve gotten through all the wine tastings and vineyard tours that have been all the rage throughout the past few years, are you ready to take your new love of wine to the next level? By now, you probably have determined which wines are your favorites, which are not and those that you...

Love to chow down? Check out a few of the great foodie offerings on tap this fall in the tri-states: Wingfest 2019 Time/date: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. Site: Farley (Iowa) City Park, 604 Seventh Ave. NE. Cost: Free, with food available for purchase. What to expect: Twelve competitors will be cooking more than...

It was never Kimberly Thompson’s lifelong ambition to one day own a store. It was only after she moved to Galena, Ill., and started working in a retail setting that she realized that was what she wanted to do. More than 20 years later, the Grateful Gourmet continues to grow. “I moved to Galena and...

There is much to desire about late summer and early fall — particularly when it comes to the vegetables in season, ripe for harvest. “My favorite thing about late summer and fall, (in relation to farming) is the first big pepper harvest,” said Andie Donnan, co-operator of Sandhill Farm with Ashley Neises. “Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers...

I’ve written a lot here in the past about not only about food, but the ways food fits into our society and plays a role in our lives. I am a deep believer in this aspect of food: How slowing down, taking the time to prepare and enjoy a meal together can truly enrich our...

When it comes to getting your hands dirty in the kitchen, the good news is that with today’s kitchen tools, you don’t always have to. We took a spin to Galena, Ill.’s The Grateful Gourmet to check out what’s hot in the world of cooking utensils and tools. Here are nine customer and store favorites...

When it comes to where to go for a decadent French toast bar, a made-to-order omelet station and a bottomless mimosa, brunch options have become plentiful. From tried and true tri-state establishments such as The Bridge Restaurant & Lounge and Timmerman’s Supper Club to fusion fare from newcomers to the fine dining arena such as...

I’ve always understood (and indulged) the allure of travel. Some of my earliest memories are of traveling to foreign lands. (Thanks Mom and Dad, for your bravery and stamina in traveling overseas with a 3-year-old.) Most of the time those on those trips, we were headed to my father’s birthplace — Haifa, Israel — where...

Food is such an important part of traditions and rites of passage — not just in our country but around the world. Chicken soup is an important postpartum staple in countries as varied as China and Mexico, for instance. However, there is one rite of passage in our country where food moves beyond its typical...