"Madison Chefs" Book Release Q+A

Farm-to-table is a cliché, but its roots among the farmers and chefs of south-central Wisconsin are deep, vibrant and resilient. From brats and burgers to bibimbap, Madison’s food scene looks substantially different than it did just a decade ago.  Cap Times food editor Lindsay Christians reported …

Reopening Sardine, Part 5: Back in the booths

This is the final episode of Reopening Sardine, a limited series from The Corner Table podcast. This week, hosts Lindsay Christians and Chris Lay expand their scope to restaurants around Madison.  Some, like Bar Corallini on Atwood Avenue (shown here), reopened for dine-in service more than a year…

Reopening Sardine, Part 4: One Month In

A few things have changed since we last checked in with the folks at Sardine on opening day, May 19. For one, Dane County mask mandates have changed. Staffers are navigating a variety of diner comfort levels with regard to COVID-19 safety, and how many people feels like too many. Brunch is back, an…

Reopening Sardine, Part 3: Opening Day

Well, friends, we’re finally here. After more than a year of uncertainty, fear and frustration, on May 19, Sardine was ready to open its doors to the public again. We start this episode a few days before that, as the behind the scenes crew gets ready.  We hear from pastry chef Jeff Doyle-Horney, a…

Reopening Sardine, Part 2: A new way of service

Sardine, a French-inspired restaurant in downtown Madison, had 70 employees when it closed in 2020. As staff prepared to reopen in mid-May at half capacity, they were a tight team of 38.  Reopening Sardine is a five-episode series of The Corner Table, a podcast about food and drink in Madison. Pro…

Reopening Sardine, Part 1: Sardine’s pandemic year

When quarantine kicked in last spring, we refocused The Corner Table to examine and document effects the pandemic was having across so many facets of food service, cocktails, grocery stores, and local farmers markets. Now as we emerge, we’re getting ready to close the book on that dismal chapter. …

In the kitchen with Cortney Burns

This bonus episode is adapted from a live (virtual) conversation and cooking demonstration Lindsay hosted on Tuesday, featuring Cortney Burns — a chef, award-winning cookbook author and UW-Madison grad. As Burns prepared root vegetable fritters, sauerkraut and a sauce made of farmer's cheese, she e…

Remembering restaurants

As we reach the end of 2020 and COVID-19 continues to stomp on our dreams, it’s pretty clear not all the restaurants we love are gonna make it through the winter. When a restaurant like Manna Cafe, Sunroom, Captain Bill’s or Charlie’s on Main closes, what does it leave behind? What do we remember, …

Gingerbread architecture 101

Chef Molly Maciejewski has made hundreds of gingerbread houses. As the executive chef and general manager at Madison Sourdough on Madison's east side, Maciejewski hosted yearly workshops, all about making a beautiful, (technically) edible gingerbread home. This week on The Corner Table, Lindsay and…

Take a crack at these nuts

One of our favorite things about the holiday season is all the snacks. Between the traditional meals, it's more than acceptable to absentmindedly nibble on candy, cheese, fruit and nuts. Nutkrack, candied, lightly salted pecans created by chef Eric Rupert, are made for exactly these moments. Rupert…