MAKE DREAMBANK A SPACE TO VISIT FREE EVENTS | IN THE HEART OF MADISON | OPEN TO ALL
On your next trip downtown, make a stop at DreamBank—a space like no other. Just steps from the Wisconsin State Capitol. Three blocks from the top of State Street. One block from the Madison Children’s Museum. @DreamBankMadison @DreamBankMSN
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©2017 010621– Rev. 2/17
MADISON ESSENTIALS
CONTENTS may–july 2017
publisher Towns & Associates, Inc. 126 Water Street Baraboo, WI 53913-2445 P (608) 356-8757 • F (608) 356-8875
madisonessentials.com editor-in-chief Amy S. Johnson ajohnson@madisonessentials.com
publication designer
essential arts David R. Harper.............................40 Geoffrey Asmus.............................52
community Bayview Foundation.....................38 Line of Fire: Doing the Math.........10
Susie Anderson
dining
senior copy editor Kyle Jacobson
R.P. Adler’s.......................................18 Sardine, Marigold, Gates & Brovi....6
copy editor
food & beverage Blonde Ales....................................48 Metcalfe’s......................................12
Krystle Naab
sales & marketing director Amy S. Johnson ajohnson@madisonessentials.com
sales & marketing manager Kelly Hopkins khopkins@madisonessentials.com (608) 445-5556
home The Scent of a Garden..................60 Treasuring Trees................................44
pets Environmental Enrichment.............22
service
sales representative Terri Groves tgroves@madisonessentials.com
graphic designers
The Wild Side of Dane County Humane Society..........................32 Women’s Healthcare....................16
Jennifer Denman, Crea Stellmacher, Barbara Wilson
shopping
administration
travel
Jennifer Baird, Sandy Carlson, Lori Czajka
contributing writers Jeanne Carpenter, Marissa DeGroot, Chelsey Dequaine, Jeanne Engle, Josh Heath, Kyle Jacobson, Mary S. Landry, MD, Amy Mosher-Garvey, Kay Myers, Lori Scarlett, DVM, Andrew Wanek, Liz Wessel, Elizabeth H. Winston, PhD, Joan W. Ziegler
photographer Eric Tadsen
vol. 50
Convivio.........................................26 When the Circus Comes to Town....56
well-being Cultivating Empathy......................36
including From the Editor................................4 Contest Information......................62 Contest Winners............................62
(continued) madisonessentials.com
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additional photographs Geoffrey Asmus, Bayview Foundation, Dane County Humane Society, Green Concierge Travel, David R. Harper, Kyle Jacobson, Metcalfe’s, Tree Health Management, Barbara Wilson, ZDA, Inc.
from the editor
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Watch for the next issue August 2017. Cover photograph taken at Sardine by Eric Tadsen. Photographs on page 3: top—provided by ZDA, Inc. middle—provided by
Dane County Humane Society. bottom—taken at Convivio by Eric Tadsen.
4 | madison essentials
Look how far we’ve come… In our last issue I mentioned a special announcement, and here it is. Commencing November 2017, Madison Essentials will begin publishing six issues annually: November/December, January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, and September/October. The most common feedback we receive from readers is that they read each issue cover to cover then can’t wait for the next issue to come out. So it’s because of and for you that we take this leap. Please know how grateful we are for your readership, encouragement, and support. We look forward to taking you on this journey with us!
amy johnson
Family-crafted wine & spirits
PRAIRIE DU SAC, WISCONSIN wollersheim.com
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essential dining
It’s hard to believe, but Madison’s dining scene has a three-flat brownstone apartment near Wrigley Field to thank for three of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants: Sardine on Williamson Street, Marigold Kitchen on Pinckney Street, and Gates & Brovi on Monroe Street. That’s because the trio’s co-owners, Phillip Hurley and John Gadau, happened to be neighbors in Chicago in 1998. The chefs, working separately in the Windy City’s renowned Café Provencal and Carlucci, quickly discovered they share the same philosophy about dining out: the food should be executed to simple 6 | madison essentials
perfection, and the experience should be memorable. Three years later, they moved their families to Madison and began a revolution in the art of taking local ingredients to a new level. “The common denominator in all of our restaurants is the desire to give people a great experience,” John says. “Of course, the food must be good. But we pay very close attention to every aspect of what our diners experience: the décor, the atmosphere, the personality of our staff, and the magic that can happen from living in the moment. We want to transport people to another place when they eat in our restaurants.”
As two of Madison’s most down-toearth restaurant owners, the James Beard nominees feel lucky they came into business before the media transformed chefs into celebrities. For Phillip and John, cooking is less about hype and more about passion. Building a successful restaurant is based on a philosophy of generosity. “We come from an era that encompassed a philosophy of generous hospitality,” Phillip says. “Our cocktails are generous. The food is unexpectedly good. The servers and bartenders are engaged and genuinely excited about what they’re bringing to your table. When you err on
the side of generosity, you’ll be busy and success will follow.” Nowhere in Madison defines generous hospitality better than Sardine, located in the historical Machinery Row on Lake Monona. The French bistro and bar, launched in 2006, underwent a full open-kitchen remodel in the fall of 2016, and now includes a wood-fired oven and rotisserie. While Steak Frites— grilled ribeye, compound butter, and classic frites served with mayo and spicy mustard—is probably still the most popular entrée on the menu, WoodFire Rotisserie Chicken Ratatouille with frites and chicken-balsamic butter sauce has quickly become a local favorite. Sardine is the go-to restaurant for locals to show off their city to out-of-town guests because of its Parisian vibe and warm Wisconsin hospitality. “When you’re in France and you eat dinner in a beautiful restaurant, the food always tastes better because you’re living in the moment,” John says. “That’s what we’re trying to re-create
Citrus, Beet and Endive Salad, shaved fennel, shallots, goat cheese creme, crushed pistachios, Meyer lemon vinaigrette
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retrospect, we never worked harder,” Phillips says.
Spit-Roasted Poussin, Yukon gold potatoes, lemon-garlic chicken reduction, watercress at Sardine: embracing life with good friends and family and eating food that feeds the soul. We built a restaurant out of happiness, thankfulness, and joy, and we hope our customers find all of those things through our food.” While Sardine allows diners to experience a French bistro without ever leaving Madison, John and Phillip’s
first restaurant, Marigold Kitchen, is considered a breakfast, lunch, and brunch fresh-ingredient institution. The eatery, launched in 2001, was the pair’s foray into the Madison dining scene, bringing a West Coast influence of fresh and local ingredients to downtown before the term farm-to-table had entered most people’s vocabulary. “We were coming from Chicago, having both worked long nights in restaurants, and thought a breakfast/lunch place would let us enter the day job world. In
8 | madison essentials
While all three restaurants are fueled by local ingredients, Marigold Kitchen is perhaps best known for showcasing what Wisconsin makes best in any season: bread, eggs, and dairy. Marigold’s French Toast enjoys near-legendary status, and features brioche drizzled with pastry cream, berry pureé, seasonal berries, shaved almonds, and pure Wisconsin maple syrup. Omelettes are served with Marigold potatoes and choice of toast, while Duck Confit Hash includes new potatoes, caramelized onion, and fresh herbs served with two eggs any style and petite greens in a champagne vinaigrette. Phillip and John’s favorite dish, however, is the Chili Poached Eggs, served with French rosemary toast, prosciutto, and manchego cheese. It’s based on a favorite dish Phillip and John each experienced separately in different cafés in Los Angeles. The pair’s latest restaurant is Gates & Brovi, which launched in 2012. It’s where East Coast fish house meets Midwest supper club. Designed as a casual lunch and dinner restaurant decked out in reclaimed lumber, Gates & Brovi is named for the nicknames of Phillip’s mom and John’s dad. “It’s a place where you can share a table and spill your beer,” Phillip says. “It’s a great little family spot with solid food and a stellar Friday fish fry.” While the signature dishes at Gates & Brovi include sandwiches, salads, and burgers, the Fisherman’s Stew, a
mix of seafood poached in a rich and spicy tomato broth, is a classic Boston dish. But it’s the eatery’s popular onesize made-for-two pizzas that have put the eatery on the Monroe Street map. The Green Goat pizza features basil pesto, zucchini, roasted tomatoes, oilcured black olives, mozzarella, and goat cheese. Other choices include the Carbonara Bacon, with tomato sauce, parmesan, cream, red chile flake, grilled scallions, black pepper, and parsley, and Old Faithful, a pizza with tomato sauce, house-made Italian sausage, pepperoncini, black olives, and mozzarella. “The one thing about each and every one of our restaurants is that the food must be executed perfectly,” John says. “We strive to create an atmosphere that begins with comfort, continues with the taste buds, and ends with a memory of the whole experience.” Jeanne Carpenter is a cheese geek and food writer living in Oregon, Wisconsin. Photographs by Eric Tadsen.
Steak Frites, maitre d’ butter, Dijon mustard
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e ss ential community
Line of Fire: Doing the Math by Amy Mosher-Garvey How many weeks in a year? 52. How many weeks in two years? 104. Easy math, right? So simple a toddler could even do it. You know what else a toddler can do? Pick up a gun and shoot someone. In fact, that’s exactly what happened each week the past two years. Every week, one toddler. Possibly even more disturbing is the fact that this statistic is on the rise—6 percent each year since 2014. If you’ve been following this series, you know my objective was to track the path of a gun from point of sale through evidence tagging after it has been used in a crime. I wanted to learn. I wanted to follow the object at the root of the controversy, not the controversy that followed it. It’s hard, though, to sit and wait for police reports and breadcrumbs—something to turn up that is worthwhile—and not get swallowed up in the tragedy of events that more than overshadow any politics. 10 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
This leads me to another thought: should I be avoiding the politics? Is that the right path? Or perhaps instead I need to place my two feet decidedly, and with full motherly revulsion, on the ground in a stance of opposition? Tuneija was someone’s child. She was killed in a murder-suicide earlier this year. The details of her final moments were depicted somewhat graphically in a recent news article. The story is heart wrenching. My chest heaves in sorrow for her mother. It was a death I referenced in my original article, so when I saw the new piece, I reached out to my contact at the Madison Police Department (MPD) and asked if this meant I would finally have access to the gun information. I was informed that the case had been adjudicated, and hence, I could be provided the make, model, and serial number of each gun in question. Two guns were involved: Ruger SP101 .357 revolver, serial number 575-81851, and
Ruger LC9 9mm semiauto pistol, serial number 322-66176. Here is what I can tell you about those guns: nothing. In fact, I have never returned a more vacuous search engine result than this. I snapped an image of it for posterity’s sake. Your search - Ruger SP101 .357 revolver serial number 575-81851 - did not match any documents. Suggestions: • Make sure all words are spelled correctly. • Try different keywords. • Try more general keywords. • Try fewer keywords.
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The same result for both. It was troubling that I couldn’t find out anything about the guns themselves, but Google was more than happy to tell me where to buy more. Not to be daunted quite that easily, I decided to look into Ruger itself since both guns originated from the same manufacturer. My next moment of amusement(?) was that the best source of information seemed to be Wikipedia. According to an article, Sturm, Ruger & Co. is headquartered in Southport, CT, and maintains manufacturing facilities in Newport, New Hampshire; Prescott, Arizona; and Mayodan, North Carolina. Ruger consistently ranks as the number one seller of firearms in the United States. “Of the total 2,288 makers of civilian firearms operating in the United States from 1986 to 2010, Ruger led the industry with 15.3 million firearms produced within the period. Ruger was ranked the number one U.S. firearms manufacturer from 2008 to 2011. In 2011, Ruger manufactured 1,114,687 firearms, as their promotion, the “Million Gun Challenge” to benefit the NRA, played a significant role in the company maintaining its top U.S. manufacturer status. The company has set a new goal of 2 million firearms produced per year. From 2009 to 2012, Ruger was the top seller of handguns.” That’s it. That’s all I can tell you. The guns were manufactured in one of those three plants. After that, we have no idea what happened to them. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is responsible for tracking guns. When a gun turns up in a crime, local law enforcement can run a trace on the gun through the ATF. The MPD ran a check on the guns through the ATF, but the report is not available for release or review. Private citizens do not have access to the service. The trail dies here. During my investigation, I was turned on to an organization that deals with gun control: The Trace. “The Trace is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to
expanding coverage of guns in the United States. We believe that our country’s epidemic rates of firearmrelated violence are coupled with a second problem: a shortage of information about the issue at large.” Having been referred to them by a reputable source, I reached out to see if they could help. They were more than eager to reach back, but the extent of assistance they could provide was quite meager. They suggested that I could simply ask the surviving members of the family. No thank you.
should not be allowed to own guns, but I do expect that when they do, they own the responsibility that goes along with it. Georgia ranks second in the nation for toddler shootings despite being the eighth-least-populated state. They also don’t have mandatory gun-lock laws. California and New York—two of the most populated states in our country— have some form of gun-lock-device law, and have two of the lowest rates of toddler shootings. Do the math. It isn’t difficult.
Gun tracing is simply locked down to John or Jane Q. Public. If anything strikes me as odd in this pursuit, it is that. If you recall from my first article, I can find out who owns a house, how much they pay in property taxes, who committed a crime, and whose telephone number is on my caller ID. I can track my iPhone and wipe it or lock it remotely. But simply tracing a gun is not possible. This leads me to think The Trace may be onto something. How can we police what we don’t know anything about? It seems the journey of the gun is less important than its final destination. And, perhaps, in similar fashion, the personal is only as important as the politics. So as I conclude my journey on this tragedy, here is where I land. It is NOT okay to not protect our children. It is NOT okay to be irresponsible in gun ownership. There is NOT an acceptable accidental shooting rate when the majority are preventable. I’m not suggesting that people
Amy Mosher-Garvey works with clients at Open Door Center for Change, LLC in Madison (opendoorcfc.com) and is the Director of Account Management for Forward Health Group (forwardhealthgroup.com).
Amy Mosher-Garvey
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e ssen tial food & beverage
Metcalfe’s Metcalfe’s Market has beaten the odds. This family business with two stores in Madison and one in Wauwatosa is celebrating its 100th year in business. According to the Family Firm Institute, about 30 percent of family businesses survive into the second generation, 12 percent remain viable into the third generation, and only about 3 percent of all family businesses operate into the fourth generation and beyond. It’s the fifth generation of management at Metcalfe’s, represented by Director of Employee Development Amanda Metcalfe, daughter of CEO and coowner Tim Metcalfe. Others include COO and co-owner Kevin Metcalfe’s children, Amanda’s younger cousins, who are working in the produce department and bakery to learn the grocery business just as their father and grandfather did. But just because they 12 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
are family doesn’t guarantee that these children will become part of Metcalfe’s Market management. “Nothing’s a given,” says Kevin. “They have to earn their way into the business.” He would actually like to see them work outside of the grocery sector for a period of time to grow and develop on their own, similar to Amanda. With a degree in psychology and business administration from the University of Wisconsin–Platteville, Amanda started outside of the family business before returning five years ago. Working in the cheese department, where she discovered an “underground society of foodies,” solidified Amanda’s desire to make a career at Metcalfe’s Market. Several members of the Metcalfe family—Kevin; Tim; their late father
by Jeanne Engle
and mother, Tom and Margaret; and a sister—participated in an executive leadership program through Cornell University a few years ago. Five other families, all in the grocery business, were part of the course. One aspect of the program was a series of tests they took to understand family dynamics. According to Kevin, the results of the tests helped in the family’s deciding that Kevin would be COO, handling the administrative duties of the business, and Tim would be CEO once their dad sold the business to his sons. Amanda has participated in a newer version of the program and is currently working on an MBA through Edgewood College. As a family business, Metcalfe’s Market supports other family businesses. Of the nearly 4,000 local products they sell, thousands are produced by hundreds
of local family businesses. In many instances, Metcalfe’s is the first to market the products. “We make it easy for local businesses to sell in our stores because we are not a cookie-cutter operation,” Kevin says. Amanda adds, “We work with vendors to demonstrate and talk about their products. People like to talk about food; they love to tell or hear the story of how the product came about. Customers knowing where their food comes from builds support for local products.” So does Metcalfe’s “Local Food Miles” program. With more and more local products being added to the grocery departments, customers can learn how local their food is. Highway signs show how many miles an item has traveled from the producer to the store’s shelves. Up to 150 miles from the store is considered local by Metcalfe’s Market. Kevin is proud of having the same touch point with the customers that his greatgrandfather had when he started the market in suburban Milwaukee in 1917. He likes when the store is busy because then everyone is called up front and Kevin gets to interact with customers. “It makes a difference to be visible to our customers.” Kevin also likes to hear customers say they love what Metcalfe’s has done, whether it be offering a new product, developing a new program, or expanding a service. “We are fairly nimble and can move quickly to make changes that reflect our customers’ interests.” One of the challenges of running a family business that has grown significantly over the years is having to wear multiple hats. According to Amanda, “Everyone is taking on a lot more, and we have to be efficient with what we have.” Kevin adds, “We don’t have the large resources that corporations have.” In 2016, Kevin’s favorite hat was that of designer when the Wauwatosa store underwent a major remodel. He enjoyed the creative aspect of the project, as well as the innovative services he was able to implement: a coffee shop using locally roasted coffees, a personal pizza madisonessentials.com
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program, an Asian stir fry bar that puts together a meal within 90 seconds, and a health and wellness department. Innovation is a hallmark of Metcalfe’s Market. For example, rather than having a section dedicated to organic products, the organic applesauce is side-by-side with the conventional applesauce. Customers can choose without having to crisscross the store to a separate department. Kevin finds that Metcalfe’s is picking up customers who want to make that choice. Metcalfe’s sustainability program, Zero Waste Commitment, encompasses several ingenious parts. First, “Stop Waste Together” is focused on packaged goods—reducing waste that goes to a landfill. A software program tracks inventory and expiration dates, alerting
14 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
Metcalfe’s of those items getting close to expiration. Those products are discounted 25 percent, giving customers the choice to purchase a product with an impending expiration date at a reduced price or pay full price for one with an expiration further in the future. Second, Metcalfe’s donates bakery and produce items at or near expiration to Middleton Outreach Ministry, which distributes food to those in need from one of the largest food pantries in Dane County. Third, Metcalfe’s partners with Purple Cow Organics to collect expired or nonconsumable produce. Instead of sending it to a landfill, the produce is composted and turned into fertilizer or potting soil. Metcalfe’s actually sells that potting soil in the spring!
No story on Metcalfe’s Market would be complete without mention of the “World’s Largest Brat Fest.” What began as a customer appreciation day by Tom Metcalfe on the sidewalk of the Hilldale store has turned into a four-day free community festival held on Willow Island at the Alliant Energy Center. Parade Magazine named Brat Fest one of the top 50 festivals in the country three years ago. Brat Fest has raised more than $1.7 million for local charities since it began in 1983. This year’s Brat Fest takes place on Memorial Day weekend, May 26 through 29. It will have something for everyone over the four days: a carnival, multiple genres of music, dog jog, several runs, kids’ zone, and fireworks. The festival embraces Madison and promotes all that the city has to offer while benefiting more than 100 community organizations. Featured music on the grand stage this year includes George Clinton (Friday), Everclear (Saturday), local favorite Madison County (Sunday), and Joe Diffie (Monday). For a schedule of all events, visit bratfest.com. Amanda and Kevin agreed that giving back to the community is something in the Metcalfe family DNA. Both are pleased their business can do good for the community and, while they wear that other hat, they have fun too. Jeanne Engle is a freelance writer. Photographs provided by Metcalfe’s.
GET FRESH
Eat Local
LIVE WELL
Celebrating our second century
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e ssential service
WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE
A Provider’s Perspective by Mary S. Landry, MD At a time when it seems everyone is considering the future of healthcare in the United States—its affordability, quality, and accessibility—I am heartened to have the opportunity to share my perspective as a women’s health provider, along with some useful health information and hope for the future of women’s health as I see it. For over 20 years I have practiced as an OB/GYN in Wisconsin. I have spent some of this time in a Madison group practice, some as a college health provider, some as a physician volunteer in Honduras and Haiti, and some as the cofounder and medical volunteer at Share the Health Free Gynecology Clinic for uninsured women. All this while serving as a teacher and mentor to future health providers. My perspective is a unique mix of experience and an unrelenting drive to understand and make sense of things. 16 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
I find it particularly perplexing why conversations that include contraception often suddenly end with so little said. Unspoken assumptions of sexual activity stop all except the bravest from uttering a word, let alone a complete thought. Sadly, this ends the sharing of the truth about contraception, which really centers around disease prevention and management, not preventing unplanned pregnancy. But because of the assumption of the latter, minds jump to sex, muting any and all health-focused conversations. These conversations need to happen, and this is my attempt to start one. Cancer destroys lives and families. For our mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters, prevention is available for most gynecologic cancers, including ovarian, uterine, and cervical. Ovarian cancer kills over half the women it affects, and there are no early
warning signs. Unlike breast, cervical, and uterine cancer, cancer of the ovary is rarely detected before it is widely spread. This deadly cancer affects 1 in 70 women, and kills nearly 70 percent of those it affects, including comedian Gilda Radner and civil rights leader Coretta Scott King. Like breast cancer, ovarian cancer can run in families by a genetic predisposition, and similar to breast cancer, more than 85 percent of women who get ovarian cancer do not have this genetic risk. Random bad luck. Unlike breast cancer, we cannot find a lump on our ovary and we have no early detection test like a mammogram. But there is a prevention pill. Contraceptive pills can reduce the lifetime risk of deadly ovarian cancer by as much as 30 percent if used for five years or longer in the reproductive years. It does not have to be five years in a row, just a total of at least five years provides the additional benefit. The point to embrace, contraception prevents cancer. Endometrial cancer—cancer of the uterine lining—is most commonly a result of excessive growth of the lining and is prevented with progesterone, a protective hormone that prevents and treats overgrowth. Progesterone prevents
cancer and is widely used for this purpose when birth control is prescribed for women who are at increased risk due to less progesterone to balance their estrogen. This happens to most women in their later reproductive years as they ovulate less often and, as a result, have less postovulation progesterone but normal estrogen levels. This mismatch of estrogen and progesterone also happens for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) because of less frequent ovulations. A third group of women who are at increased risk of endometrial cancer are obese women, but not because of infrequent ovulation. Fat cells make weak estrogen, and this stimulates the uterine lining beyond the control of the body’s progesterone. The result can be heavy periods lasting weeks, which is a problem on its own and also a sign of increased cancer risk. Thankfully, progesterone comes in almost every form of contraception: pills, patch, vaginal ring, shot, implant, and an intrauterine device (IUD). All forms are highly effective in preventing endometrial cancer, so take your pick. Not to belabor the cancer prevention point, but colon cancer risk is also reduced with the contraceptive pill. If we change the conversation about contraception to include cancer prevention, cancer prevention could be the primary reason for most women’s use of contraception, and pregnancy prevention would be the side benefit.
Like contraception and cancer, Planned Parenthood deserves to be seen from this cancer-prevention perspective and not through the narrowed lens of pregnancy services. Planned Parenthood serves our country as a safety net for cancerprevention services for women—many women. Since 2002, Wisconsin has had a pap screening and contraception program for low-resource women (Family Planning Only Services), and many women who qualify for these services rely on Planned Parenthood for cancer-preventing care. We need to change the national conversation about Planned Parenthood to increase support for this work, not reduce it. Share the Health supports the prevention work that Planned Parenthood provides by performing colposcopy and LEEPs to uninsured women with abnormal paps, and by performing endometrial biopsies and ultrasounds for uninsured women with abnormal uterine bleeding. Reviewing referrals to Share the Health, I can attest to the high-quality care women receive in southern Wisconsin
through Planned Parenthood. We are healthier as a community because of it. Cancer-preventing care happens to include contraception because contraception prevents cancer. I encourage all of us to have these conversations in a meaningful way, at meaningful times, with people that are meaningful to you and your community. I hope this article gives you ideas on how to start the conversation. For more information about the Wisconsin Family Planning Waiver Program and Well Woman Program and to see if you qualify for program resources, please visit ShareTheHealthWI.org.
Mary S. Landry, MD, is president and cofounder of Share the Health Free Gynecology Clinic, Inc., and is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University Health Service Women’s Clinic at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
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e ssen tial dining
R.P. Adler’s: Urban Oasis by Jeanne Carpenter
R.P. Adler’s stellar sandwiches, seafood, and pasta dishes make it one of the most popular upscale casual restaurants on Madison’s west side. But it’s the locally owned eatery’s chicken strips that
House-smoked BBQ beef brisket on a pretzel bun
keep locals coming back for more. Made to order, never frozen, and hand dipped in beer batter, the deep-fried chicken strips at this urban oasis are second to none.
“People rave about them,” says owner and restaurant namesake, Randy Adler. “It was never our intention to be known for chicken strips, but it’s what keeps people coming back.” Randy says he’s delivered his famous chicken strips to weddings, funerals, and parties across Madison. “We use fresh chicken breast strips, make our own beer batter, and fry them to a light, crispy golden brown. They’re our number-one-selling item.” Served with house-made ranch dressing, a generous order of five chicken strips at R.P. Adler’s isn’t the only menu item that has helped keep the restaurant booming since opening in 2006 at 8202 Watts Road, next to Brennan’s in the Cortland Commons Shopping Center. Other signature dishes include the Grouper Sandwich, prepared to order—broiled, blackened, or deep fried—and served on a toasted kaiser roll with lemon and a side of tartar sauce. It’s easily the best grouper in Madison, and Randy says customers often remark the grouper is the best they’ve had outside Florida.
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A limited-supply seasonal item, the sandwich sometimes disappears from the menu for a week or two, but always comes back.
The wildly popular beer-battered chicken strips!
Before opening R.P. Adler’s in Madison, Randy managed the popular Rookies sports bar outside of Black Earth for eight years. With a degree in business and courses in hotel and restaurant management, he has a knack for knowing what customers want and keeping employees happy. Many of his bartenders, wait staff, and kitchen crew have been with him since the beginning—unheard of in a city facing a constant labor shortage in the service sector—and he treats many of his long-term employees as partners. “I can’t be here 24/7, so I depend on my staff to carry out my expectations. They always deliver.” Executive Chef Jim Hein is one of Randy’s original hires and has run the R.P. Adler’s kitchen since day one. Chef Jim’s latest project is installing an in-house smoker. That means new dishes featuring smoked
salmon, brisket, ribs, and turkey have been added to the menu, with more to come. “It’s definitely an area we’re going to be expanding,” Randy says. “It’s good to change things up now and then and freshen up the menu.”
Smoked items will be fun additions to a menu already popular with families, couples, and travelers staying in nearby hotels. Randy describes the décor as upscale casual—a place where diners can feel at home and eat a good meal.
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Sweet Potato Chicken Wrap on a garlic-herb tortilla
Very Berry Grilled Chicken Salad with house-made raspberry vinaigrette
Grilled Mahi Mahi with a raspberry, cilantro, and lime reduction
A popular item with adults and kids alike is R.P. Adler’s Mac ‘N Cheese with Smoked Pork. Chef Jim has recreated this classic with smoked pork and a four-cheese blend of cheddar, havarti, parmesan, and cheddar-jack, topped with green onions. The pork is infused into the entire dish, creating a delicious texture of heavy cream with a note of garlic. The macaroni is stepped up a notch by using cavatappi, a helical tube-shaped pasta (it’s the Italian word for corkscrew), and scored with ridges on the surface, helping it soak up more cheese with every bite. Accompanying the dish is choice of soup, salad, coleslaw, or cottage cheese, as well as R.P. Adler’s famous freshly baked pretzel roll. A lunchtime favorite is the Sweet Potato Chicken Wrap, which is also Chef Jim’s fresh approach to an old favorite. French-fried sweet potatoes, slowroasted chicken, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and a delicious cranberry dijon mayo make this not only a filling, but flavorful meal. Perhaps the restaurant’s most popular night, however, is Friday, the day of the ubiquitous Wisconsin Friday night fish fry, a Badger State mainstay that R.P. Adler’s does right. Diners have their choice of two- or three-piece cod
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prepared as broiled, blackened, or deep fried, or a half-pound lake perch that is beer battered and deep fried, or—wait, wait, wait, there’s more—a half-pound serving of blue gill that is lightly floured and fried. All fish fry orders include choice of baked potato, mashed sweet potato, steamed baby red potatoes, french fries, chips, or wild rice with coleslaw and a pretzel roll. Cod dinners are also available on Tuesdays.
Tadsen Photography Drone/Aerial Imagery
The bar area at R.P. Adler’s is a welcoming gathering space offering fresh, free popcorn; several televisions that aren’t overly loud or obtrusive; and a respectable number of local craft brews on tap. Bartenders are quick to refill sodas and offer food service, eager to ensure customers are happy with their drinks and food. “Since we opened 10 years ago, we wanted our restaurant and bar to be a relaxing place to enjoy your meal and still feel the buzz of the R.P. Adler’s dining experience,” Randy says. “We hope to keep fulfilling that promise for at least another 10 years.” Jeanne Carpenter is a cheese geek and food writer living in Oregon, Wisconsin. Photographs by Eric Tadsen.
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e ssential pets
Environmental Enrichment by Lori Scarlett, DVM
There are days when I just want to cuddle up in my warm bed or laze on the couch watching Netflix. There are enough things to keep me occupied for days, maybe even a couple weeks, if I didn’t leave my house. But after a weekend, I get stir crazy. Getting outside in the fresh air, seeing new things while driving, meeting and talking to people, and even grocery shopping help alleviate
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my boredom. Humans are lucky that way—most of the time we are able to do what we want and go where we want. Unfortunately, our pets cannot. My collie loves to go for rides in the truck, but we don’t let him drive (he’d be a rather distracted driver, sticking his nose out the window). My four cats are on the heated waterbed when I leave in
the morning and are often there when I return at night. A life of leisure? It may seem that way, but they also get bored, even with the box of toys sitting in the middle of the floor. I don’t advocate leaving your dog and cat outside all day, but it would be a more entertaining life. Taking in the wonderful smells, investigating trash
cans, chasing squirrels, catching mice, watching butterflies, and exploring wide-open spaces is equivalent to us going out for dinner and a movie then meeting up with friends for a drink and dancing. Our pets are much safer inside away from cars, parasites, and other animals, but they need stimulation. They can develop behavioral and medical problems directly related to the stress of not doing anything. If you were not allowed to leave your house and couldn’t do anything but sleep, eat, and watch television, you might also start noticing ill effects. Bored, stressed cats may develop inflammation in their bladder, causing them to urinate outside the litter box. Bored, stressed dogs may lick excessively on their lower legs, causing a nonhealing wound. Bored pets are
more likely to get into the trash, chew up furniture, bark or meow excessively, and become aggressive. The good news is that there are many things you can do to improve and enrich your pet’s environment to decrease boredom and improve their health and well-being. For dogs, getting outside for a walk or playtime every day is very important. The sights and smells stimulate their brains, and exercise is important for their bodies. Dog parks are a wonderful place for most dogs. They get to meet and sniff other dogs, run, play, and just have fun being a dog. You benefit, too, from talking with other dog lovers. There are enough offleash dog parks in Dane County that most residents can get to one within 15
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minutes. Dogs also enjoy playing hideand-seek in the house. My son will hide behind a door then call our dog, Scout, to find him. Scout loves it. Cats are more solitary and don’t usually enjoy being around unknown cats, which is probably why there aren’t any
cat parks around. You can train a cat to go outside on a leash, but having perches by windows is almost as good. Cats like to be up high and look down on things. They like chattering at the birds outside and watching leaves move. Tall cat trees are ideal, with the perches wide enough so the cat can stretch. If you have more than one cat, try to play with each cat separately and have toys in different locations. Cats don’t usually like to share their playtime with other cats, just with you. Playing with a pet is a great stress reliever for both pet and owner. Get that laser pointer out and run your cat up and down the stairs (some dogs develop obsessive-compulsive disorder with laser pointers, so it’s best not to use them with dogs). Wave the feather toy over your cat so he can bat at it. The Cat Dancer toy has a piece of cardboard on the end of a thick piano wire. Cats love how it moves randomly and have fun jumping for it. For low-cost playtime, set a newspaper on the floor with the creased edge sticking up. Move a string through the paper and watch your cat dive to get the string. Use feeding time as a way to interact with your pet. Cats prefer small meals throughout the day. You can throw kibble for them to chase or hide small amounts of food around the house for them to find. When you are gone, puzzle feeders are great for engaging your pet. The Slim Cat ball can be filled with food, which drops out as the cat pushes the ball around the floor. There are puzzles you can buy for your dog that require them to push or move doors to find the treat. You can make puzzles at home too. Put your pet’s food in small jars or
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shoeboxes that require him to reach a paw inside. Hide small treats in a muffin tin and then cover the holes with tennis balls that your dog needs to knock off in order to eat the treat. If you’ve not taken your dog to an obedience class, try to fit one into your schedule. Dogs like to have a job, and learning tricks fits that bill. Getting out with other people and dogs gives you a new appreciation for your own dog, and you will learn a lot about dog behavior. Practicing the things you learn for even five minutes a day with your dog will keep their mind sharp and improve interactions with you. Agility training and flyball competitions are fun activities, if you have the time. Cats can also be trained to do tricks. You can use a clicker and treats to teach them to sit, come, and maybe push a ball with their nose. If you haven’t seen the AcroCats show, I highly recommend it!
We all live busy lives that provide us with opportunities to interact with other people, get outside, and then appreciate our down time. Our pets are just the opposite. They have lots of down time and depend on us to provide the stimulation, exercise, and entertainment they need to live a happy, healthy life. Before you move on to reading the next article, please take a moment to throw a toy for your pet and tell them what a great companion they are. Lori Scarlett, DVM, is the owner and veterinarian at Four Lakes Veterinary Clinic. For more information, visit fourlakesvet.com.
Lori Scarlett, DVM
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e ssential shopping
Convivio
Discover Beauty Within Reach While Convivio owner Mary D’ Alton is from suburban Chicago, she has lived in Spring Green for more than 20 years. “There’s no simple answer for what brought me here,” she says. Mary chose Spring Green to set up shop because of her love for the small town. “I wanted to do something that added to what the village didn’t have.” Labeling it as one of the most unusual small towns in Wisconsin, Mary says there’s nothing comparable to its 1,600plus residents. “Because we have this amazing classical theatre and the home of Frank Lloyd Wright, there’s a strong artist base and appreciation for food.” She also gives credit to local venues, including the Shitty Barn. “The kind of people who live here support these things, so it gives you a picture of the interesting personalities and thinking that happens here.” 26 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
by Chelsey Dequaine
She graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with a degree in textiles and clothing, and freelanced most of her life until she began styling soft goods for photography. “My background is very visual.” Mary desires to create things that are beautiful. “I love color, texture, proportion, and creating an environment where you’re happy and comfortable. Clothing is something a person can have an effect on, especially as a young person. You can look at fabric and say, ‘I can make something out of this.’” Convivio will be open nine years in May. “I have to keep saying that to believe it,” Mary says. She opened the shop at a time when styled photography was becoming dull. “Everything was shifting into this online world. It wasn’t as interesting for me because I wasn’t able to create compositions of things.”
Located in the heart of the downtown, Convivio is nestled inside a historical building built in 1910. The building has been renovated, and Convivio is a 900-square-foot art piece itself, from its tin ceilings down to its original wood floor. “My original business plan was to make things available in Spring Green we couldn’t already get here,” Mary says. “It focuses on the tabletop and what you bring to the table. Not just your formal dinner table, but your breakfast table or your picnic table.” Those items may include wine glasses, the wine itself, or linens. Convivio’s wine selection has grown over the past few years.
“I was unaware of how many people wanted more of a higher-quality wine.” Convivio also offers single-malt scotch and a small selection of spirits. The wine is often organic and sustainably farmed. Mary says she has learned a lot about that side of the business, and it allows the shop to speak to a wider audience. “It’s fun to spend time with wine and food. It’s one more beautiful item you put on the table.” From spring trends transitioning into summer, Mary says she sees a lot of indigo-blue, denim, bright prints, and Scandinavian-style items on the market. She often explores the New York market,
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where she recently saw handmade items made from small women’s co-ops out of Africa. “Sourcing products is very important to us.” Mary often chooses fair-trade items, such as ceramics from Portugal or table linens from France and Sweden. “We have a demand for fair-trade items, or items from the European Union.” One Kenyan jewelry company, that Mary can’t seem to forget, collected and melted down brass ammunition shells
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to create jewelry. “I love that image. From that to growing gardens to taking care of their children.” On the horizon, Mary has eyes for introducing vintage glassware, dish pieces, and serving bowls. To stay fresh with new ideas, Mary finds inspiration everywhere. She calls herself a crazy book collector, finding visual books for design inspiration. “It’s a little extreme, but you may find an idea for setting your table in a book about
jewelry. It might just be an idea that sets your brain in a direction, which I guess is what inspiration is.” In Latin, convivio means feasting together. That was Mary’s drive behind opening the shop’s doors. “It’s all about bringing people together at the table. What does feasting mean? Great conversation—it’s visual, and it’s life.” Convivio’s tagline is “Enable your table.” Mary says that means the shop will help you put your table together so you can gather your people. “I’ve been successful with my business when customers come in and ask for a pairing, whether it’s wine or items for their table, and I find out it was perfect. Then it’s like we nailed it together.” When people say she can’t do something like this, Mary says a voice inside her answers back, “Watch me.”
“That voice is what keeps women going and being successful. When you have a group together who can see things eye
to eye, everyone wins.” As a womanowned business in Spring Green, Mary feels like she’s living in a liberal world. “It’s when I look into the world more that it can get uncomfortable. This is a very progressive community. I feel very supported.” For some, winning at Convivio can be an irresistible price point. “We strive to have a wide variety of price points,” Mary says. “There’s an idea out there that because it’s beautiful, you can’t afford it. But we are in a town of 1,600 people. We have to have all different price points.” If you haven’t taken the quick 37-mile venture west of Madison lately, it’s time to visit Spring Green again, where beauty is within reach. Chelsey Dequaine works as director of social media strategy for designCraft Advertising and is a freelance writer. Photographs by Eric Tadsen. madisonessentials.com
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Spotlight
Welcome to Madison’s WineryTM
New spacious tasting room located just minutes from downtown Madison! Nationally award-winning wines crafted on site from Wisconsin-grown grapes. Outdoor wine patio and live music. Hwy. M near WI Brewing Company. 1105 Laser St., Verona, WI 608-497-1056 • fisherkingwinery.com
The Early Bird Gets the Gift!
Ring in Spring with carefully chosen gifts…for yourself or loved ones. Extensive collection of unique greeting cards for every occasion. Located in downtown Verona at the intersection of Main Street and Verona Avenue. Monday–Saturday 10–5 107 S. Main St., Verona • (608) 497-2267
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Show Your True Colors
Fine art, folk art and colorful home décor for anyone who believes a house is not a home without animals. Paoli, WI • (608) 848-1200 cluckthechickenstore.com
Anthology
Your source for Midwestern goods. T-shirts, tea towels, pint glasses & prints. Also journals, greeting cards, decorative papers, rubber stamps & washi tape. 218 State St., Madison • (608) 204-2644 anthologymadison.com
Now available: “Lake Service”
The Lake Mendota boater’s equivalent of room service. We deliver to your boat! The Food Boat crew also sells subs, fruit, cheese, ice and more. May through September. Fast, delicious, fun! 2405 Allen Blvd., Middleton (608) 826-5129 • midtownpub.com
MID TOWN PUB
World Class Theatre...World Class Experience Visit our website to see our exciting 2017 season! Bring your own picnic or indulge in our Picnic Baskets for your group. Relax and take in summer theatre at its finest. Beautiful Spring Green, Wisconsin (608) 588-2361 • americanplayers.org
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THE
es s ential service
of Dane County Humane Society by Marissa DeGroot If you wander past the kennels of adoptable dogs and the kittens vying for your attention, you’ll find yourself in a part of Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) few ever see—a wilder side. Although DCHS’s Wildlife Center (formerly Four Lakes Wildlife Center) has been rehabilitating wild animals since 2002, surprisingly few in the community are familiar with it. In its inaugural year, the program took in just over 100 ill, injured, and orphaned wild 32 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
animals. Fifteen years later, the Wildlife Center takes in over 3,000 patients annually, representing more than 100 different native Wisconsin species. As growing communities of humans and wild animals continue living side by side, DCHS’s Wildlife Center has seen the need for its services grow nearly every year. Concerned citizens call every day with questions or seeking advice on how best to help wild animals in need, calls like the one that came in
this past December alerting staff and volunteers to a Canada goose trapped in ice on Lake Mendota. The goose was entangled with fishing line, which had tethered her to another Canada goose that was already deceased. Unable to move off the water, the lower half of her body became frozen in the lake. Three dedicated volunteers sat out on the frozen lake for hours, carefully chipping a large block of ice in order to bring the goose and ice back to the Wildlife Center, where the ice could be safely melted. The bird was scared and exhausted, but thankfully had only minor frostbite and some abrasions on her wings. The experienced staff at DCHS’s Wildlife Center provided the goose with supplemental fluids, medications, wound care, and much-needed rest. Within 10 days, she had made a full recovery and was released back to her home by the same volunteers who saved her life. The Wildlife Center, which has less activity during the winter season, will
reconnect
with the good life With clean, fresh waters to play in, miles of biking and hiking trails to explore and vibrant festivals filled with activities, there is simply no better place to reconnect with the good life!
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Calling all animal loving kids!
Camp Pawprint Summer Break
Day Camps
Register today at giveshelter.org soon be bustling as hundreds of baby bunnies, squirrels, and birds come in after being injured or orphaned. Staff recommend observing a baby animal and calling the Wildlife Center at (608) 838-0413x151 before bringing an animal in. Many times baby animals can appear orphaned when parents are actually just keeping their distance to keep their young safe. And starting this upcoming busy season, the hundreds of wild patients and dozens of dedicated staff and volunteers will be recovering and working a little more comfortably. The newly remodeled Wildlife Center officially reopened its doors in early March, but efforts still remain to raise the funds needed to sustain this growing program and meet the needs of the community. DCHS is a private, nonprofit organization and is able to care for thousands of animals in need every year thanks to community support and the generosity of its donors. If you find an injured, ill, or orphaned wild animal or would like to learn how you can help support DCHS and its Wildlife Center, visit giveshelter.org or call (608) 838-0413. Marissa DeGroot is the Public Relations Coordinator at Dane County Humane Society. Photographs provided by Dane County Humane Society.
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Dane County Humane Society giveshelter.org 608.838.0413
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es s ential well-being
Cultivating Empathy by Elizabeth H. Winston, PhD
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is an essential part of building and maintaining interpersonal relationships. Empathy has received a lot of press recently, from the psychology researcher Paul Bloom, who argues that empathy is not nearly as important as compassion and behaving morally, to the Harvard Business Review, which has published a top 20 list of the most empathetic companies. Why is the concept of empathy so important? According to the Harvard Business Review, companies that embrace empathy have significantly more earnings and operate more ethically. Teams of employees who display higher empathy have better performance. For example, when a boss is hostile or highly critical of an employee, the employee may feel sad, scared, or ashamed. This could affect the employee for hours or even days, thereby impacting the employee’s productivity in the short-term and their 36 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
work relationship in the long-term. In the business context, empathy seems to mean a combination of trying to understand how your employees and your clients feel. The result is more of a focus on employee comfort— physical and psychological—and client satisfaction. Psychology researchers have demonstrated the importance of empathy and feeling understood by others. The fundamental basis of relationships is the attachment we feel to our loved ones. As children, we feel safe when we are deeply understood by our parent or other primary caregivers. As we grow, we expand our connections to friends and other family. As adults, we try to re-establish the feeling of being understood through our romantic relationships. We feel loved and accepted when our friends and family understand how we feel, how we experience life, and why we behave the way we do.
Receiving love and acceptance, despite our flaws, is vital for feeling grounded and confident in our sense of ourselves. In the absence of a proper amount of empathy, at home or at work, we risk losing a solid sense of ourselves and feel less safe. Given the importance of empathy in the workplace and at home, how does one cultivate empathy? Here are some suggestions for increasing the amount of empathy in your life. • Follow the golden rule. Treat others as you would like to be treated. People all like to be treated fairly, humanely, and with dignity. • Be civil. Treat others with respect, kindness, and compassion. Do not yell, dismiss, intimidate, or ignore. • Listen. It is essential to truly listen to someone else speak and to work hard to understand what she or he
is saying. Notice when your mind wanders, catch yourself, and refocus on listening. • Make the effort to feel and think as others do. It takes practice and becomes easier with time. • Help others cultivate empathy by explaining how you feel and think. Talk about how you feel and think in the context of work or personal interactions. Model this for others. When a co-worker or friend does not understand your position, try to frame it from a perspective that he or she can see or use examples from his or her life. Remember, the key to empathy is putting your relationship with a friend, coworker, or family member before being right or wrong. Reserve judgements for later, and use that energy to really engage with the person you’re talking to. The benefits to your relationships and psychological health will be well worth the effort.
Elizabeth H. Winston, PhD, is a Madison psychologist who provides psychotherapy, psychological assessment, and consultation to businesses and organizations. Find her at elizabethwinston.com and consultingcollaborative.org.
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es sential community
BAYVIEW Foundation Bayview Foundation Inc.’s guiding purpose is to facilitate families as they meet their needs, realize their dreams, and make contributions to the community. Together, Bayview Foundation and Bayview Townhouse residents have created a peopleproven model of successful, dynamic cooperation that works. The Bayview Foundation supports its culturally diverse, low-income families in realizing their aspirations by providing affordable housing; fostering cultural pride; and building community through the arts, education,
Community Togetherness and Opportunity at a Time When Needed Most by Chelsey Dequaine
and recreation. The organization says, “These key elements evolved from more than 40 years of experience in the business of neighborhood development. We are a good neighbor, nestled amidst downtown Madison’s government, healthcare, and educational complexes.” Alexis London has served as interim executive director since September. She has been with Bayview Foundation since 2015 in the role of community programs manager. Her duties now include property management and housing operations.
With more than 15 years of experience working for nonprofits— primarily working toward community development through arts, culture, and community programming—Alexis combines her love for working with people with her passion for community development. “I believe in social justice and making a change in the world. We are all part of this process together.” Currently, the organization is fundraising for a new playground for its families and children ages 5 to 12 in the neighborhood. Alexis says they have raised $35,000 of their June 1 $50,000 goal. “We hope to install a state-of-theart playground on the grounds adjacent to our buildings.” The playground will have climbing elements, bridges, slides, and all of the other classic playground features. According to Alexis, it will also include an outdoor classroom; public art pieces; and a dedication sculpture to Call for Peace, a performing arts organization with a long history at Bayview Foundation. There are 125 children under the age of 18 who live at Bayview Townhouses. “They need a safe, play-based structure that encourages
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gross motor activity, cooperation, communication, healthy risk taking, and fun. The new playground will also be a place for community members of all ages to gather and connect,” Alexis says.
activities, and access to healthy snacks and wellness activities. Youth are from more than eight countries, with most speaking English as a second language and qualifying for free school lunch.
Anyone can make donations— individuals or corporations—to the Bayview Foundation. Donations can be made in person or on the organization’s website. In addition to the playground, donations can be directed toward any of the following initiatives: early childhood preliteracy programming, after-school and summer camps for children ages 7 to 18, community gardening, senior and adult wellness classes, and food access programs and events. Bayview also seeks volunteers.
The organization’s dedicated staff collaborate with Madison Metropolitan School District teachers to support youth in challenging the achievement gap.
Bayview Foundation’s After-School Program serves over 75 youth from immigrant and refugee families each year. It’s offered throughout the school year, free of charge, and is focused on providing high-quality academic support, visual and performing arts
Bayview Foundation’s food pantry takes donations of vegetables and other goods that are available for its residents during the first Monday of every month. The pantry is sponsored by the Community Action Coalition and Second Harvest Food Bank. Alexis says the Bayview Foundation board is undergoing a strategic plan to identify a new staffing structure. Currently, the organization has 10 staff members: 2 maintenance, 2 fulltime program staff, a full-time office manager, and the rest part-time front desk and after-school staff.
“What makes Bayview so amazing and unique is that when it was founded there was this understanding that housing and support services went hand in hand. There was an awareness that immigrants and refugees needed support.” Alexis says Bayview Foundation has organized several committees made up of residents. The purpose of the committees is to make decisions regarding housing, programming, neighborhood development, and food access. “Bayview Foundation is committed to ensuring its residents have a voice in the community. We are striving for residents to share their ideas and needs and to feel their voices must be heard.” Chelsey Dequaine works as director of social media strategy for designCraft Advertising and is a freelance writer. Photographs provided by Bayview Foundation.
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es s ential arts
David R. Harper Confidence and Cowardice by Kay Myers
There can be something poetic about the frailty of human existence. It has been our habit to push against this vulnerable side and try to control our environment. Despite this effort, there is a level of futility in our plan. Something will always be broken. Something will inevitably not fit in the right order. If we look close enough, there is always something unresolved and discordant. This past winter, I was fortunate to speak with David R. Harper regarding his work on the brokenness of humanity and our obsession with putting it on display. The conversation pulled me from a winter despondency and put me back into my studio working. It gave me fresh life. “I often have to remind myself how fortunate I’ve been in my career. I’m always thankful for the opportunities 40 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
that I’ve had, and I always try to remember some main tenants that I was told when I was starting out: be a good person. Be mindful.” David works with a visual language that discusses history, psychology, death, and feelings of loss and love in a way that is fascinating and haunting. Many of the works evoke the feeling of looking at something you shouldn’t—but at the same time, you can’t look away. “Every piece I do, there’s always a center point, and if you spend enough time with the work, and understand the language, I think you’ll see the center point like I do, and then draw out from there. I’ll know the work before I even start building it.” After having done the Arts/Industry residency program through the John
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Michael Kohler Arts Center twice, David developed a large body of ceramic work. David and I talk about an immersive installation, titled My Own Personal Ghost, on view at the Arts Center in 2015-16. “I can tell you that the act of making art appears as something much more beautiful in the artist’s head than it does in the actual studio. In my studio, the act of making something is daunting, chaotic, messy, and lonely, but in my head, it is graceful and full of mystery. That’s what I was thinking about when I made that installation. When
[the viewer] entered the gallery, they could sense that the space belonged to someone who wasn’t there. And through their quiet encounter with the objects in that space, they could weave a narrative about who belonged there. I wanted to show how physical and mental space can be symbiotic in the context of art making.” David’s process becomes clear when you see the work. Some of it seems painstaking, like the weaving and intricate embroidery. The effort and diligence on the artist’s part is also evident in each cast object.
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“I’m extremely fascinated with the futility of things we think we know for sure. Confidence is a very strange thing for me. In this act of being an artist and trying to figure out my own work and displaying it before the public, I feel there’s a constant balance between confidence and cowardice. And so I like to look at things that are seemingly confident, like museology. Museums, for some, can just represent a collection of our greatest accomplishments, but for others they can seem like displays of our failures or futilities.
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“I am interested in the environment in terms of a deep fascination with the natural world, but I am also interested in the environment as in the spaces we physically create for reflection. Natural history museums and museums dealing with the evolution of civilization, for example, can put an isolated artifact on display that has been taken vastly out of context, cut out of its original environment and propped up in these archives that can seem like tombs. These big and bold museums are actually showing our frailties.
Display after display, objects and artifacts are being held so still so that we can observe them, but we are also being kept from them. You’re destroying something so you can more carefully appreciate it—stilling something wild and free so that you can watch it without consequence. Similarly, we remove pieces of ruins so that you can look at part of it without having to go to that place—its environment. These are spaces that hold so much wonder, but at the same time, show so much cowardice and failure. “I was taken to the Natural History Museum in New York when I was a kid regularly, so it was already a part of a visual vocabulary that I understood. It was an access point for me to then make critical observations about collecting and display, and to reflect on humanity’s strange need for control. The act of stilling, looking, observing, taking. More recently my interests have evolved to things like fractured statuary that’s been put on display. I’ve been buying up reproductions of particular Hellenistic sculptures, breaking them further, and putting the broken pieces on display. “We have been obsessed with our own fate since the beginning of civilization,
so there are all these beautiful works about the mystery of death. I think that, in my work, I’m reflecting on these ways that we’ve failed ourselves in recognizing our follies of the past. Making a monument to something, a memento mori, doesn’t mean that thing is over or resolved. It is meant as a marker to remind us of that thing, but it should never be considered resolved because nothing ever is. We’ve never resolved a single thing in history. It evolves long after the statues have been cast or the history written in books. So I think in my work I am looking at all these things that we haven’t wrapped up and we haven’t figured out, but have paid homage to through art. And part of the biggest mistake I think we make as civilization is confidence—confidence that we figured it out.” David is an internationally recognized artist. Visit DavidRHarper.com to view his work and learn more.
Kay Myers is a local artist and freelance writer. Photographs provided by David R. Harper.
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e ss ential home
When to Call a Pro for the Health of Your Trees by Andrew Wanek Trees add value to the home in a number of different ways. They not only offer a variety of colors and textures throughout the seasons, but they also help to soften lines on built structures. A house without trees can look barren, but add trees and the structure has shadow, dimension, and interest. Beyond aesthetics, trees can improve a home’s comfort. For instance, a good shade tree can significantly cut cooling costs while evergreens can block winter winds. Furthermore, trees can reduce water consumption of lawns by reducing evaporation. It is also very natural for humans to develop 44 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
emotional connections to trees. Often, we attach memories to them, such as climbing a maple or picnicking under a majestic oak. Finally, there are the benefits trees provide to the ecosystem by producing oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide, reducing run-off and water pollutants, and providing a habitat for wildlife. Thus, it should come as no surprise that homes with trees typically have a higher resale value—up to 15 percent depending on quantity, species, and maturity. And, as an asset, it makes sense to protect them and care for their long-term health.
Briana Frank is a Consulting Arborist and Certified Tree Risk Assessor. Her background is in forest ecology, and she has worked in national resource management on a large scale. Think forests, not just trees. However, when she became involved in urban forestry (which focuses on the general and specific tree populations in cities), she became fascinated by how much people can care about individual trees. With this interest and longtime passion for trees and our environment, Briana started her own business, Tree Health Management, to assist businesses, institutions, and homeowners with understanding their tree resources
and how to live with them as long as possible.
untreated ash trees in the United States and Canada over the next 20 years.
Briana’s work with homeowners often involves tree risk assessment: helping a homeowner determine weaknesses in a tree before they become a problem. Obviously, this is a particular concern if a tree is close to a structure, like a house or garage.
Another common problem is oak wilt, a fungal disease that can cause leaf wilt,
The standard approach for assessing and rating such risks begins with a visual inspection, but can also include a more detailed analysis to determine wood density and specific defects. Using this information, Briana works with the homeowner to determine what risk is acceptable and generates a mitigation plan to improve safety and avoid potential hazards to property and people. Preventative tree care can save thousands in damage costs, and may also avoid the cost of removal altogether if trimming and pruning are options. Other concerns for tree health are disease and pest infestation. The emerald ash borer, an invasive species of beetle native to Asia, is currently causing tremendous damage to the tree population. There is a treatment regimen that can be implemented to the right tree candidate. Sadly, the emerald ash borer is predicted to kill all madisonessentials.com
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close management by an arborist during excavation to avoid significant root fracture or other root damage which could leave trees susceptible to pathogenic fungi. Lastly, it’s a good idea to talk with a pro when making long-term plans for your property. A consultant can help to inventory your existing trees, as well as make suggestions on what to plant and where for optimal effect. A consultant can also advise about diversifying the trees on your property for both disease resistance and variety of character.
discoloration, defoliation, and often mortality to oak trees. Management of this problem focuses on avoiding tree wounds in the growing season, treatment, and removing dead trees. A professional management plan is the best way to mitigate oak wilt pressure for those who have multiple oak trees. Dutch elm disease and magnolia scale are also on Briana’s radar. Dieback in the crown of a tree (especially during mid-season) and sap-feeding insects are problem indicators that a homeowner can look for in any species of tree. One of the biggest mistakes a homeowner can make when managing their own trees is with improper pruning. Timing and technique are both critical. Briana’s company offers these services, but will also consult with DIYers to provide them with
the expertise they need to make their project a success. Other impacts a homeowner may have on their tree’s well-being include sudden soil changes and applied treatments. For instance, some plantings under a tree canopy can create a nutrient sink and negatively impact a tree’s system. Herbicide and other nontargeted treatments may also cause unintended consequences if not applied correctly. The homeowner must also consider how building and remodeling affects the trees on their property. It’s recommended to consult with a tree professional before beginning a construction project. Ideally, this would happen during the planning phase so that design adjustments can be made to minimize the impact on tree health and safety. Sometimes the project will require
In general, most healthy trees are hearty and resilient, with lifetimes which can span several human generations. Living beside them provides a multitude of benefits for our home life and our community as a whole. But, as with anything that lives and breathes, attention to their health and care is important for their longevity. Getting professional advice can not only save you money by protecting your property value, but also increase the enjoyment of your home for years to come. Andrew Wanek, AIA, is a licensed architect and principal of Ginkgo House Architecture. Photographs provided by Tree Health Management.
NARI members mentioned in this article: Tree Health Management 6001 Femrite Drive Madison, WI 53718 (608) 223-9120 treehealthmgmt.com
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es s ential food & beverage
Doing a Double Take on Blonde Ales by Kyle Jacobson
Every beer drinker has had a Blonde Ale. Heck, odds are it was one of the first beers they ever tasted. But if you ask anyone who drinks a lot of microbrews what their first Blonde Ale was, you’ll most likely receive little more than a shrug. Why? Is the style so bland, so unexciting that it deserves not even the hint of a nod? Perhaps brewers are to blame for treating the style as little more than something for the patron who only drinks Bud or Miller. Or maybe it’s time for the beer drinker to revisit the style. There’s actually a black-haired guy from New Jersey that reminds me of a Blonde Ale: Bruce Springsteen, The Boss. Let’s start with the first taste. For some, it’s like the first time hearing “Born to Run” 48 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
or “Born in the U.S.A.” It’s catchy. You hear it over and over on the radio; it starts buzzing in your head at work and school; and when you’re taking it in, there’s little reason to want anything else. Like a Blonde Ale, it goes down smooth. One day you go to a concert, and Bruce does something different. He gets up on stage and starts talking about Bob Dylan. “This song I’m going to sing was written at a moment in our country’s history when people’s yearning for a more open and just society exploded. Bob Dylan had the courage to stand in that fire, and he caught the sound of that explosion. This song remains as a beautiful call to arms. The meaning of this song and the echo of that explosion live on in the
struggle for social justice in America that continues so fiercely today.” He then goes into Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin’”, and you get sucked in. The next thing you know, you’re buying up Bob Dylan albums, then Tom Waits, then some obscure Johnny Cash, and you start blasting Woody Guthrie to let everyone know there’s some potent music from not so long ago that speaks to people today. These are the IPAs, the Barrel-Aged Stouts, and the Belgian Dubbels. Then you go back to Bruce Springsteen, and it’s different. “Born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A.” The strongest voice, repeating a patriotic creed, drilling it into your head, has suddenly shown another side of itself. “Got in a little hometown jam, so they put a rifle in my hand, sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man.” It sounds like this song is about a government taking advantage of its people. Like saying born in the U.S.A. is a proclamation of fate to come to those born in the U.S.A. Not to belittle The Boss’ message, but, for the beer drinker, that second look is the respect Blonde Ales deserve.
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Blonde Ales, very much an umbrella term for beers with typically low ABV, light bitter notes, and a golden hue, are relatively new to the beer world. In 1986, just two years after the release of Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. album, the Blonde Ale was born in Somerset Brewery at Wiveliscombe, England. Its creation was in response to Yellow Lagers starting to dominate the market, and it succeeded in becoming one of the most popular styles in the United Kingdom and the United States.1 So why give something so admittedly simple extra attention? Ben Spoehr at Next Door Brewing shared his thoughts. “The Blonde Ales, those lighter styles, they don’t have anything to hide behind. If you have a big Barrel-Aged Stout, it’s easy to drop vanilla in there and kinda cover up all the faults or flaws you might have. Or for a really hoppy beer, just throws hops at it late addition and you’ll have a huge addition that might cover up some of those flaws.” Blonde Ales are the acoustic beer. The struggle to achieve balance in something so naked is like a practiced sculptor taking on the human madisonessentials.com
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form—the mistakes are going to scream, and anything unexpected, like a scar or a wart, will become a focal point. As I talk with Ben, he pours me a glass of Next Door’s Bubbler (Blonde American Ale). The head was white and bubbly, the body clear and golden, but what hit me was the aroma. So aware of itself. It promised a hint of bitterness before a faint, refreshing malt that maybe had the slightest citrus note if I wanted it. And it finished clean as you’d expect. “There’s nothing to hide behind. If there was an off note in that aroma, if there was too much diacetyl, you’d be able to pick it
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up right away. But to me it’s just crisp, it’s clean, it’s widely palatable. This is my go-to pizza beer because it’s so great. I love enjoying a couple of these as I’m watching the Packer game.”
can embrace. By opting to kettle sour, Next Door helps to ensure that they can control the tartness to give some of the other flavors and aromas a bit of the spotlight.
No argument there, Ben.
If it isn’t hammered into your head by now, the key to a great beer is balance, and it takes some firsthand funk knowledge to really start understanding balance. When you go back to a Blonde Ale, start looking for the key changes, the subtle off-beat note, and allow all sense of taste to break a pop song into its parts. The essence of the experience.
Going back to Blonde Ale being an umbrella term, there’s a reason I wanted to interview someone at Next Door Brewing for this article: their pineapple blonde kettle sour, Mutha Pucka. Not only does it demonstrate that one Blonde need not fight to taste like another, but it presents the breadth of flavor this style
I might be a bit of a Romantic here, but I one day dream of a world where patrons enter a brewery and, instead of asking, “What does your IPA taste like,” opt to challenge the brewery with, “Why should I drink your Blonde Ale and not someone else’s?” We love you, Madison. Thank you. Good night. Kyle Jacobson is a copy editor for Madison Essentials, and a writer and beer enthusiast (sometimes all at once) living in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Photographs by Kyle Jacobson. 1
http://allaboutbeer.com/article/blondes-are-beautiful/ After trying Bubbler from Next Door Brewing, try some of Ben Spoehr’s Favorite Wisconsin Blonde Ales: Three Beaches Honey Blonde Tyranena Brewing Company Gold Digger Ale Asylum Honey Blonde Central Waters
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e ss en tial arts
the audiences are so great that they sometimes make you feel like a king even if you had a mediocre set.” Another benefit comes with having a bit of an ego. In Geoff’s experience, “It helps when you go elsewhere because then when you fail you have good memories to look back at and go, ‘Well they liked me, so [forget] these people.’”
Geoffrey Asmus by Josh Heath
Being funny is no joke. If you want to make it in comedy, it takes a daunting amount of time, effort, dedication, and sacrifice, not to mention seriously tough skin. Sometimes people will laugh at an off-the-cuff remark you thought was stupid. Other times, the joke you crafted over days at multiple small open mics bombs when it gets to general audiences. It has been said that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at anything, but the average open mic only allows three minutes of material per comedian. Madison has produced its fair share of funny people: the Farley Clan, the staff behind The Onion (and their numerous humorous properties), and Kevin Bozeman just to name a few. Perhaps soon I’ll be able to place rising star Geoffrey Asmus among those names. Let me give you the skinny on this already very skinny man and discuss how success has brought him new challenges and perspectives. Geoff has been doing stand-up for almost half a decade and took home the prestigious top prize as 2015’s Madison’s Funniest Comic from The Comedy Club on State. Since then, he has been 52 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
performing around the Midwest and abroad. He also moved his home base to Chicago to conquer a new market before moving to one of the coasts. He hasn’t decided which one yet, but hopes to visit both and decide this year. Moving to Chicago, a city with about 11 times more people than Madison, has brought a series of changes to Geoff’s approach to comedy. Making changes to an act isn’t easy, but Geoff says, “The big difference with living in Chicago is that, while there is way more stage time, most of it is mediocre at best, so you have to lower your expectations. If you get three chuckles at an open mic, you are probably the next coming of Rodney Dangerfield.” While comedians have to lower expectations from their audience, the audience expects stronger material in this increasingly competitive market. Geoff was more prepared than your average comedian. His time in Madison molded and shaped him in beneficial ways. The ability to do comedy so freely in Madison was like a dream to Geoff. “The Madison scene taught me to have confidence in myself because
Speaking of going somewhere new, Geoff was featured as an unrepresented New Face of Comedy in August 2016 at Toronto’s international comedy industry festival, Just For Laughs. A particularly huge milestone. One of the reviewers said she wished the crowd was larger so that everyone would have seen Geoff’s “eccentric and unique” act. Geoff, himself, says that looking hot, being good at socializing, and making content more accessible to the audience are crucial to success. An antagonistic reviewer took umbrage with a joke Geoff prepared vis-à-vis his claim of deep, intricate knowledge of Canadian prime ministers. John Diefenbaker, a prime minister from the 1960s, was called out from this critic after prompting by Geoff. Geoff joked that Diefenbaker was a white male with all the confidence in the world. Unimpressed, the reviewer stated she had won by playing into Geoff’s high-concept humor. Geoff described the experience as discouraging, and is sure he’ll use it as the basis for a joke some day. When adjusting to a new, bigger market, Geoff says, “Comedy becomes serious and much less fun,” which is slightly upsetting to hear from the people who support themselves by making us laugh. Comedy is hard work. He describes his approach to writing jokes as a “shotgun … because I am completely unable to tell if a joke will do well, so I spend a lot of open mics saying five minutes of utter garbage that most people would be able to tell should never have been performed.” I asked Geoff how much content he has produced over the years. “In all totality, I’ve probably written six or seven hours of material.” This is impressive if you consider the length of the average mic. Always humble, Geoff jests, “only 30 seconds is worthwhile.”
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Geoff uses Reddit, a social media news aggregate site, to post “Stand-Up Shots.” Every post can collect “upvotes,” which means another user likes the content that was posted. Over three years, Geoff has amassed just under 300,000 upvotes. Personally, Geoff isn’t impressed. “[Reddit is full of] high schoolers who think the ‘friend zone’ exists.” He gets messages containing insults pertaining to orientation, so he isn’t really sure how to feel about the votes. I think the general audience of Reddit is, or at least can be, better than that. Trying to do comedy online is a vicious game. It’s better in person. Geoff has branched out into other forms of media. He’s had comedic pieces published on CollegeHumor, SplitSider, and Thought Catalog among others. Mean Squad, a sketch comedy group
consisting of fellow former Madisonbased comedians David Freeburg, Ian Erickson, Toler Wolfe, Gena Gephart, Aaron Klinger, and Geoff, currently produces a fresh video on YouTube and Facebook every Monday. Even when Geoff starts playing major clubs and stages across the world, his Madison roots will be with him forever. Geoff loves The Big Deuce open mic every Wednesday at the Comedy Club on State, which he also says is “the best comedy club in the country. The Wednesdays I performed at the open mic will always be my favorite memories of comedy” due to the openness and reception from the crowd, the ample stage time, the consistency, and the fact that “we could try anything” and still have the crowd play along and love it regardless. Keep track of Geoffrey’s busy touring schedule and published works at his “only legacy”: whitecomedian.com, or follow him on Twitter @FilthySon.
Josh Heath is a Madison-born-and-raised writer. He loves comedy so much that he rarely performs any of his own, leaving it to the pros instead. Read his film work at cutprintfilm.com or his Comedy Picks in Isthmus. Photograph provided by Geoffrey Asmus.
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Photograph provided by Green Concierge Travel
es s ential travel
When the Circus Comes to Town By Liz Wessel
What do Delavan, Janesville, Prairie du Chien, Appleton, Baraboo, Evansville, Portage, Whitewater, and Watertown have in common? They all served as home to one or more circus troupes at the end of the 1800s and into the early 1900s. Some famous circus names came out of Wisconsin: W.C. Coup of Delavan first thought up the idea of a three-ring circus, and Colonel George W. Hall started his own show in 1886 based out of Evansville. In the end, over 100 circuses were based in Wisconsin. One of the most famous was the Ringling Bros., who grew up in Baraboo and later made it their winter headquarters. With the recent announcement that the curtain will fall for the last time on Photograph by Barbara Wilson 56 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in May, folks may wonder what will become of the circuses we all knew and loved as children. While unfortunate, this was only one of several circuses that still operate around the country. One nearby community still celebrates their thriving circus heritage—the quaint and quirky town of Baraboo. Baraboo embraces its circus ancestry, hosting Circus World and its Big Top Show. It also hosts the annual Big Top Parade, held in July, which is celebrating its fifth year. Baraboo is home to the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center, historic Al. Ringling Theatre, Al. Ringling Mansion, and the
Ringling House Bed & Breakfast. All of these are put on show during the now restaged Big Top Parade and Circus Celebration. On July 22, Baraboo will host its modern Big Top Parade and Circus Celebration. Families can enjoy a variety of circusrelated events and activities, with a highlight being the Big Top Parade. Plan to spend the weekend, savor a long day, or come early for Circus Homecoming events, starting Thursday, July 20, with Downtown Baraboo’s Concert on the Square, a concert of music written for the circuses at the Baraboo courthouse square.
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Visit Circus World to learn how the Ringling Bros. went from a backyard act to circus empire and worldwide brand, and find out about the Gollmar Bros., who also called Baraboo home. You can see a wide selection of vintage circus posters at the museum’s Library and Research Center, housing more
A scratch-made, sustainable, locally grown menu — reflecting the neighborhood and the season.
than 10,000 circus posters and poster art. Take the guided tour of the world’s largest collection of antique circus wagons, which includes over 200 wagons and vehicles.
to mention walking through the historic grounds of the original Ringling Bros. historic winter home. Also, in July and August, the museum will host Tiger Adventure.
For more interactive fun, visit one or all of the scheduled performances and activities: discover circus music and the variety of novelty instruments used, experience a kid’s world circus performed by guests, and crack a smile while watching a live comedy show. Not
Then pick a spot to watch the parade on Saturday. The parade starts midmorning and travels through the downtown historic courthouse square district, but you won’t have to wait for the excitement. Clowns and bands entertain you until the parade, featuring
Photograph provided by Green Concierge Travel madisonessentials.com
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Photograph by Barbara Wilson
You can also view the home of Charles Ringling or, better yet, stay there! The Ringling House Bed & Breakfast, a colonial revival home built in 1901, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Ringling House offers six rooms named after couples with ties to the circus, including Charles and Edith Ringling. Tour the house on Sundays 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. or Wednesdays 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Cost is $10 per adult or $25 for a family (two adults plus related children). Tours are free to guests. ringlinghousebnb.com Circus World hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, April 3 through May 18. Cost is $9.95 for adults and $4.95 for children ages 5 to 11. Hours expand May 19, and ticket prices increase to $19.95 for adults and $9.95 for children ages 5 to 11. circusworldbaraboo.org
antique circus wagons that have been collected and lovingly restored by Circus World in addition to local parade entries, arrives.
biggest collection of clown artifacts. Special activities are planned for the 2017 Circus Homecoming Weekend. theclownmuseum.com.
Below are a list of activities you don’t want to miss this very special circus celebration weekend:
• And make sure to check out what is playing at the Al. Ringling Theatre. Throughout the year, this wonderful performance space hosts everything from movies to musicians to art shows and theatre productions. Guided daily tours of the building are at 1:30 p.m. May through September. alringling.com
• Take in the Big Top Show at Circus World, which includes aerialists, clowns, and other acts of skill and artistry. Shows start May 19 and run through August 27 at 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. circusworldbaraboo.org
Liz Wessel is the owner of Green Concierge Travel, which has information for honeymoons and other ecotravel at greenconciergetravel.com.
• Tour the Al. Ringling Mansion at 623 Broadway Street between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. any day of the week. ringlingmansion.com
Photograph by Barbara Wilson
• Visit the International Clown Hall of Fame, which claims the world’s
For a full list of family fun scheduled over the weekend and to countdown with us to parade day, please visit the Big Top Parade and Circus Celebration website, bigtopparade.com, or check out the Baraboo Chamber of Commerce website, baraboo.com, for a full calendar of things to do in Baraboo whenever you may choose to visit. It’s always a great day in Baraboo!
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es s en tial home
The Scent of a Garden By Joan W. Ziegler
The scent of a garden awakens our awareness, stimulates us to breathe deep, and lifts our heads to seek its source. Without thinking, we are drawn to bury our noses in flowers. Fragrance elicits emotions and evokes memories. Yet, seduced by the visual attributes of many new plant varieties—showy flowers, novel leaves, and tidy habits— we may unwittingly sacrifice the unseen beauty of fragrance. When we follow the traditional wisdom of also selecting plants for their fragrance, we can imbibe nature’s intoxicating perfumes and revitalizing aromatics from spring until fall as we walk through our busy days and relax at the day’s end. Spring
Spring
Heady scents fill the soft breezes of spring. The smell of hyacinth drifts up the walk to all who pass its fragrant flowers. Narcissus and daffodils brighten cold, crisp mornings and have a delicate scent that demands a closer encounter to enjoy. Lily of the valley, a shade ground cover famous for its perfume, may spark memories of May Day baskets shared with friends and family. Blooming later in May, woods phlox’s fragrant, clear-blue flowers are an excellent complement for late tulips. 60 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
As spring unfolds, so too do the blossoms of our most fragrant shrubs. Starting with an evergreen to plant next to the door, the clear, fresh fragrance of boxwood’s insignificant flowers is a delightful surprise. Spring is truly here with the heavenly scent of native plums. Because of its wild habit, it’s best planted at the back of the yard. The heavy perfume of lilacs may be tied forever to Mother’s Day. Blooming at the same time, the complex fragrance of Korean spice viburnum is also noteworthy. Plant them near windows on different sides of the house so their heady scents can waft without competing or being overwhelming. If you walk through the University of Wisconsin–Madison arboretum to see lilacs and crabapples in bloom, remember to stop and inhale the lightscented crabapple blossoms. Though you may not see its tiny flowers, it’s hard to miss the intoxicating fragrance of linden trees that smell like honey and lime as you walk by. Old-fashion roses, iris, and peonies are prized as much for their fragrance as for their flowers. Their scents bring back memories of a grandmother’s garden in June: purple German iris that smell like grape jelly, cascades of citrus-scented mock orange
blossoms, and roses perfume in the morning air. Summer
Summer
Fragrant members of the lily family dominate the summer scents. Royal standard and honeybells are surprisingly fragrant hostas for the shade. Oriental lilies, stargazers, and Casa Blanca are cherished for their scent. Rarer, tall, stately trumpet lilies have a lighter lemony fragrance. Newer Orienpet (OT) lilies are hybrids that combine the best attributes of the Oriental and trumpet lilies. They are shorter in stature and more varied in colors with outwardfacing flowers that smell delicious. Planted by the walkway to my home, fragrant lilies and daylilies welcome guests to the door through much of the summer.
Fall
Fall
Even in October, the scent of the garden may bring back memories of walks in the woods and playing in leaves. Hay scent of prairie dropseed may turn your head as you pass by, while native fallblooming witch hazel may stop you in your tracks with its surprisingly late and delicately scented flowers.
fragrance mark special occasions and tie us to some of our fondest memories. Enjoy plants’ unseen beauty and magic. Take a moment to stop, breathe deep, and smell the flowers. Joan W. Ziegler is a horticulturist and garden designer and winner of the 2015 Perennial Plant Association Merit Award for Residential Landscape Design for ZDA, Inc. Landscape Architecture, 4797 Capitol View Road, Middleton. Call (608) 831-5098 or visit zdainc.com. Photographs provided by ZDA, Inc.
The scent of a garden can arouse passion, soothe anxiety, elicit a smile, refresh, and intoxicate. Changing from day to day and from morning to night, flowers and their
photo Marcia Hansen
From summer through fall, fragrance adds magic to a summer evening and spice to the heat of the day. The fresh scent of pines and cedars gather with the dusk. Sweet smelling Datura and Nicociana sylvestris are annuals with
white flowers that glow in the moonlight while releasing a lovely perfume into the night air. The exotic fragrance of jasmine and gardenias planted in containers around the patio or deck is a treat that may help you unwind. Many aromatic herbs give off scents on warm summer days. Nepeta, calamintha, and other members of the minty family release refreshing oils into the air as you brush against them. Crush their leaves in your hands and hold them to your nose for instant aroma therapy.
Award-winning landscape architects & garden designers (608) 831.5098 www.zdainc.com
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Arts Wisconsin................................................ 59 Dane Buy Local..............................................11 Dane County Humane Society.................. 34 Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce............................................57 Green Lake Area Chamber of Commerce........................................... 33 Madison Originals......................................... 50 Share the Health............................................17
American Players Theatre............................31 Betty Lou Cruises........................................... 49 Cambridge Winery....................................... 45 Chatter Matters............................................. 59 Fisher King Winery......................................... 30 Ho-Chunk Gaming....................................... 64 Lakes Edition.................................................. 54 Madison Opera................................................7 Olbrich Botanical Gardens..........................39 The Wild Dandelion....................................... 58 Wollersheim Winery & Distillery......................5 WORT-FM......................................................... 35
dining, food & beverage Bavaria Sausage Kitchen, Inc..................... 53 Bonfyre American Grille............................... 42 Brickhouse BBQ...............................................23 Calliope Ice Cream.......................................24 Captain Bill’s.................................................. 49 Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream....................14 Clasen’s European Bakery........................... 29 Fraboni’s Italian Specialties & Delicatessen..............................................27 Hilldale............................................................ 49 Hop Haus Brewing Company.......................25 Imperial Garden.............................................37 Lombardino’s Italian Restaurant & Bar.........................................5 Manna Café & Bakery..................................23 Mariner’s......................................................... 49 Me & Julio....................................................... 29 Metcalfe’s........................................................15 Mid Town Pub..................................................31 Nau-Ti-Gal...................................................... 49 The Nitty Gritty................................................47 Norske Nook Restaurant & Bakery...............24 The Old Feed Mill Restaurant...................... 50 Old Sugar Distillery........................................ 29 Oliver’s Public House.....................................57 OM Indian Fusion Cuisine............................ 53 Otto’s Restaurant & Bar.................................28 Paoli Schoolhouse Cafe.............................. 45 Pizza Brutta......................................................25 Porta Bella.......................................................14 Quivey’s Grove...............................................37 R.P. Adler’s Pub & Grill....................................19 Riley’s Wines of the World.............................23 Sa-Bai Thong...................................................14 Samba Brazilian Grill..................................... 43 Sassy Cow Creamery................................... 33 The Side Door Grill and Tap......................... 43 Sofra Family Bistro...........................................51 Sugar River Pizza.............................................51 Tempest Oyster Bar........................................41 Toot & Kate’s Winebar...................................61 Tornado Steak House....................................41 Tutto Pasta.......................................................61 Villa Dolce.......................................................51 Vintage Brewing Co. .................................... 53 von Rutenberg Ventures.............................. 49 Wollersheim Winery & Distillery......................5
home & landscaping Home Elements & Concepts....................... 34 ZDA, Inc............................................................61
services American Family Insurance DreamBank.....2 Badger Barter................................................ 55 Bunky’s Catering............................................27 Cottage Grove Eyecare.............................. 55 Dane County Credit Union.......................... 55 Drake & Company........................................ 54 Elizabeth H. Winston Ph.D., LLC....................39 Fitchburg Center........................................... 63 Four Lakes Veterinary Clinic.........................25 iMerchant Direct........................................... 54 Madison Taxi.....................................................8 Midwest Komputers & Phonelab................ 50 Monroe Street Framing................................. 59 Open Door Center for Change, LLC...........47 Red Arrow Production...................................28 Sofra Family Bistro...........................................51 Tadsen Photography.....................................21 Union Cab of Madison................................. 54 Villard & Associates, CPA............................. 55
shopping Anthology........................................................31 Arcadia Books..................................................8 Artisan Gallery............................................... 42 Ashley Sheridan Pet Portraits........................24 Cluck the Chicken Store.............................. 30 Convivio...........................................................27 Farley’s House of Pianos............................... 54 The Gingko Tree............................................. 30 Hilldale............................................................ 49 Iconi Interiors & Consignment..................... 46 J. Henry & Sons.............................................. 55 Karen & Co./Sassafras.....................................5 Kessenich’s..................................................... 53 Lidtke Motors...................................................21 Little Luxuries...................................................47 Mystery To Me.................................................13 Playthings....................................................... 34 Vanilla Bean....................................................17
CONTEST Win a $50 Madison Originals® Gift Certificate! Question: Which restaurant co-owners worked at separate Chicago restaurants and then moved to Madison to open their own restaurant? Enter by submitting your answer to the above question online at madisonessentials.com, or by mail with your name, mailing address, phone number, and email to: Madison Essentials c/o Towns & Associates, Inc. 126 Water Street Baraboo, WI 53913 All entries with the correct answer will be entered into a drawing for one of two $50 gift certificates. Contest deadline is June 16, 2017. Gift certificates will be honored at all current Madison Originals® member restaurants (see madisonoriginals.com— subject to change).
Good Luck!
Winners Thank you to everyone who entered our previous contest. The answer to the question “What country is commercial fisherman Mark McKeown from?” is Wales. A $50 Madison Originals® Gift Certificate was sent to each of our winners: Karen DuCharme and Frederick & Margaret Hebl, all of Madison.
CONGRATULATIONS! 62 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
t ou y Pa
OVER 1,200 SLOT MACHINES 100% SMOKE-FREE | CASUAL DINING | BAR
PLAY MADISON’S CASINO
Madison’s Casino offers the most generous slot machines in the region with an average payout of 95%. Play any of our 1,200 themed slot machines while quenching your thirst with an alcoholic beverage on our Smoke-Free gaming floor.
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During your visit, sign up for our free Rewards Club and relax at our Gamers Grill for a casual meal anytime of the day. Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison is located off of Hwy 12/18, just minutes from downtown Madison.
4002 EVAN ACRES RD., MADISON, WI 53718 | 608.223.9576
MADISON
ho-chunkgaming.com/madison