Publisher's Letter: Fall 2022

Somehow, another summer is fading and fall is almost upon us. Where does the time go? Maybe summer travels made the season go by in a flash, or maybe you stayed close to home since Wisconsin summers are amazing. Either way, the fall is also an incredible time to explore the Driftless and all of southwest Wisconsin. This is our annual travel issue, and because we are focused on the hyperlocal, we get a little creative with our travel theme—think road trips within our region, recipes from around the world, and even a journey back in time to the origin story of the famous Dane County Farmers’ Market, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this season.

The Dane County Farmers’ Market is the beating heart at the center of our local food system. The seeds planted by the DCFM in the seventies have flowered into an incredible food scene. Boasting the largest producers-only farmers’ market in the nation is a simple way to let visitors know what we’re all about here in Madison. The market and its vendors supply dozens of farm-to-table restaurants, and our chefs have garnered more than 30 James Beard Award nominations over the past 25 years.

Madison proves that you don’t have to be in a major city to find major league food. In fact, you don’t have to be in a city at all. Just this year, Mary Kastman of the Driftless Café in Viroqua was named a James Beard Award semifinalist.

We’re so lucky to live on the cusp of the Driftless area, which is home to an exceptionally high concentration of organic farms and artisanal food producers. We’re able to keep doing what we do because of relationships within our community.

We’re able to offer 12,500 copies of this magazine for free at over 90 locations throughout southwest Wisconsin due to support from our advertisers, all small local businesses. We are so grateful to this community.

We also get a little help from our friends the mail subscribers, also known as our supporting members, who pay to have the magazine mailed right to their door. As a supporting member, you won't miss an issue or have to go hunting to find one. (Our last issue, the summer issue, flew off the magazine racks faster than ever before, and it’s been out of stock since mid-July.) If you’re interested in becoming a supporting member, click here.

We hope this issue helps you slow down, explore the fall wonders all around you, and enjoy the season in all its delicious glory!

Let’s dig in!
Lauren Langtim
Managing Editor