Eat Local! What's in the Box Cooking Challenge 2025

Community members were able to purchase a Eat Local provisions box filled 12 select local products, including local produce, meat, dry goods and beverages. They were then invited to watch (and maybe even cook along with) two Wisconsin chefs as they created amazing dishes featuring the local ingredients, with guest host Qwantese Dourese Winters.

The Eat Local! What's in the Box Cooking Challenge was presented by:

Willy Street Co-op started in 1974, when a group of people wanted to provide quality food for their families. They began the Co-op in order to find and sell fresh, local, organic and natural foods. Over the years, the Co-op has grown to serve many Owners from many different locations. They have expanded to offer more products, they opened a production kitchen and they have three stores: Willy East and Willy North are in Madison, and Willy West is in Middleton.

People’s Food Co-op has two locations: in La Crosse, WI and Rochester, MN. Both stores are longtime community fixtures with easy-to-access downtown locations that offer everyone a fun, convivial shopping experience. They ensure the availability of high-quality safe food at fair prices with an emphasis on local, organic, fairly traded and natural goods. They create an educated, empowered and engaged community that thinks and cares about food, health and sustainability - and through that, develop a robust cooperative economy.

The Viroqua Food Co+op was established in 1995 by a small group of people who cared about organic agriculture and sought access to local food. Today, that small group has grown to over 4,700 owners who own a thriving grocery store and deli that combines a commitment to natural foods, superior customer service and building a cooperative business. As a center for community, they offer the opportunity to create together a work of enduring value.

Click here to watch a recording of the Eat Local! What's in the Box Cooking Challenge >>

What was in the box?

• Organic Snowsweet Apples from Atoms to Apples
• Uncured Pepperoni from Driftless Provisions
• Jalapeno Chutney from Fizzeology Foods
• Pate from Fox Heritage Farms
• Squeeze Bottle of Honey from Gentle Breeze Honey, Inc.
• Dill from Lovefood Farm
• Organic Red Flint Corn Polenta from Meadowlark Farm & Mill
• Raspberry Rose Conserves from Quince & Apple
• Roth Creamy Havarti from Roth Cheese
• Basil Shrub from Siren Shrub Company LLC
• Oyster Mushrooms from Vitruvian Farms
• Organic Driftless Blend from Wonderstate Coffee

Meet the Chefs

Mary Kastman began her culinary career in Madison before relocating to Boston where she discovered her deep love for Eastern Mediterranean food. In 2019 she took on the role of Executive Chef at the Driftless Cafe in Viroqua and in 2022 earned a James Beard Semi-Finalist nomination for Best Chef, Midwest. Mary’s new restaurant, Purslane in Milwaukee, began in the summer of 2024 as a pop up concept in Viroqua and showcases the flavors of the Mediterranean and Middle East while utilizing local ingredients.

Michelle Dubis is the executive chef at the Memorial Union on the UW-Madison campus, assisting with recipe and menu development for all the Union's restaurants and overseeing catering for the variety of events happening every day at the historic location. Since joining the Memorial Union team two years ago, Michelle has been instrumental in a culinary culture shift away from offering merely traditional campus fare toward cleaner, healthier and more sustainable food options.

Watch the recording of Chefs Mary and Michelle in the Eat Local! What's in the Box Cooking Challenge >>

What did Chef Mary cook?

• Date and Coffee Yogurt
  • Steeped dates in coffee then pureed
  • Added to yogurt
  • Topped with granola
• Mıhlama (Cheesy Polenta with Mushrooms and Pepperoni)
  • Toasted polenta in butter, added milk and let it cook down, at the end added shredded cheese
  • Sautéed mushrooms, pepperoni and onions and added jalapeno chutney at the end
• Pate Börek
  • Sautéed apples and pate to make a filling
  • Added filling to puff pastry
  • Served with salad of greens, apples, herbs

This is not a recipe but some of the chef's techniques and methods used to create these dishes.

What did Chef Michelle cook?

• Warm Salad with Crispy Pepperoni and Dill Dressing
  
  • Crisped pepperoni in a pan with dill and sherry vinegar
  • Tossed with greens and fresh dill added on top
• Johnny Cakes with Gravy
  • For gravy, made a roux with butter and flour then added pate and onion along with water
  • For Johnny Cakes, made a batter with polenta
• Coffee Whipped Cream with Granola
  • Whipped heavy cream infused with coffee and vanilla
  • Soaked granola in coffee then toasted in butter
• Mocktail
  
  • Basil Shrub with apples, raspberry rose conserves and honey with fresh mint

This is not a recipe but some of the chef's techniques and methods used to create these dishes.