Adorning Wisconsin license plates since 1939, “America’s Dairyland” signifies the state’s milk and cheese industries, each top in the nation.
The dairy industry alone contributes $52.8 billion to the state economy, nearly half of the agricultural sector’s annual $116.3 billion impact.
Wisconsin is also the top U.S. producer of cranberries—the state fruit—ginseng, snap beans, dry whey and silage corn. Other dominant crops include soybean, green peas, cabbage and potatoes. Wisconsin helps feed the world, exporting $3.97 billion of agricultural and food products to 151 countries in 2024.
Sustaining a dynamic farm-to-table culture, this heartland bounty nourishes an exceptional culinary scene that has added elevated, globally influenced dining to deep-rooted comfort foods like fish fry, brats (sausages), frozen custard, cream puffs and the official state pastry, the kringle. For groups, the taste of place is unmistakable. Here’s how you can experience it during meetings and events.
Award-Winning Chefs and National Accolades in Milwaukee
In comedy hit Wayne’s World, rocker Alice Cooper famously explained that Milwaukee is Algonquian for “the Good Land.” That is mostly true, arising from a complex linguistic etymology that includes interpretations of Algonquian and Anishinaabe words for “rich and beautiful land” and “gathering place.”
That good earth propelled Milwaukee forward. In the 1860s, the city was the planet’s leading shipper of wheat, followed by a boom in food processing industries and heavy machinery and equipment manufacturing. By the late 1800s, German immigrant brewers including Frederick Miller, Frederick Pabst and Joseph Schlitz had transformed Milwaukee into the world’s top beer-producing city.
Following last year’s $456 million expansion of the Baird Center, which doubled total convention space to 1.3 million-plus square feet, and $40 million refresh of the historic skywalk-connected Hilton Milwaukee, slated for completion by end 2025 and including 34,000 square feet of refurbished space, the lakeside city is a richer place than ever for groups to gather—and dine.
"Milwaukee’s culinary scene is rooted in collaboration, driven by James Beard-recognized talent, infused with global flavors and grounded in a city that knows how to eat well,” said Claire Koenig, vice president of communications and advocacy for Visit Milwaukee. “The city’s kitchens tell Milwaukee’s culturally rich story with every bite, from chef-led cooking classes to private dining in historic venues.”
Last year, Bravo’s Top Chef came to Milwaukee. Representing Wisconsin was Dan Jacobs, chef-owner of local restaurants DanDan, his James Beard-nominated Chinese-American collaboration with chef Dan Van Rite, incorporating their fine-dining EsterEv concept.
Milwaukee-based judges included Adam Siegel, the James Beard-winning chef-owner of Mediterranean-driven Lupi & Iris, also a James Beard finalist for Best New Restaurant in 2023 offering private dining rooms inspired by the French and Italian Riviera. Plus, serial James Beard nominee and two-time Best Chef winner Paul Bartolotta, whose 18-venue namesake restaurant group includes lakefront Harbor House for New England-style seafood and private dining, scenic outdoor patios included.
Local landmarks featured on Top Chef included the Milwaukee Public Market, where rentals include the 200-capacity Palm Garden, 60-capacity Madame Kuony's Kitchen, featuring a fully equipped kitchen; and Riverwalk Commons, a dramatic outdoor venue along the Milwaukee River under the I-794 overpass. Market vendors include St. Paul Fish Company, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year as a local favorite for seafood and the Milwaukee-style Bloody Mary.
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and raised in Venezuela, chef Gregory León landed in Milwaukee in 2012 by way of San Francisco. Persuaded to stay after dining at small plate sensation Odd Duck, León ran pop-ups at The National Café before opening his group-capable Amilinda in August 2015. Ten years later, he has earned four James Beard honors for his authentic Spanish-Portuguese cuisine including Best Chef: Midwest in 2022 and 2023, and national semifinalist for Outstanding Chef in 2024 and 2025.
Named for the capital of Laos, Vientiane Noodle Shop is another international hot spot. Co-founded in 2019 by first-generation Mexican-American chef and Culinary Institute of America graduate Jesus Gonzalez, Zócalo Food Truck Park is an incubator for food entrepreneurs offering four versatile event spaces and catering from independent onsite vendors.
Winner of the 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest, Dane Baldwin delivers crowd pleasers such as the Diplomac, his riff on the Big Mac, at his neighborhood restaurant The Diplomat.
Best Place is an award-winning venue for guided tours and private events at Pabst Brewing Company’s historic former headquarters. “Handcrafting happiness” since 1987, fun-loving Lakeside Brewery features a traditional Friday Fish Fry, polka dancing included, plus private event space and the CurdWagon food truck, serving cheese curds on an outdoor patio alongside the Milwaukee River.
Groups can fuel up at MOTOR Bar & Restaurant inside the event-capable Harley-Davidson Museum. Aiming for late spring 2026, the Central Standard craft distillery is relocating to a reimagined section of the historic Harley-Davidson campus. The new production facility will offer a tasting room, tours and event space.
To further whet your appetite, Milwaukee Flavor: The Cookbook features 90-plus recipes from 60-plus local chefs.
[Related: 5 Unforgettable Group Food and Beverage Experiences in Milwaukee]
Diverse Options in Waukesha/Pewaukee
Twenty miles west of Milwaukee, the historic communities of Waukesha and Pewaukee are inviting destinations for association, corporate and other groups seeking relaxing and productive gatherings at “Lake Country” speed.
Diverse dining options range from classic fish fry restaurants and old-school supper clubs to a range of international cuisines.
Culinary-themed activities include chocolate-making for groups of five to 25 at Allô! Chocolat, which also supplies various chocolate products for events. Chef Pam’s Kitchen offers chef-led cooking classes and teambuilding culinary experiences for groups of 14 to 40 people.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Raised Grain Brewing Company crafts traditional and seasonal beers including ales, stouts and IPAs. Along with brewery tours, scalable private event packages go from the basic “Taster” for up to 20 people to the "Growler" for 125-plus guests, combining the facility’s Beer Hall and Brewers’ Lounge. Planners can also arrange for offsite beer packages.
At Crush Wine Bar, 20 to 75 attendees can sample wines and learn about cheese and chocolate pairings, with partial or full event buyouts available.
[Related: Taking Off: The Delightful Lures for Meeting Groups in Madison, Wisconsin]
Groups Have It 'Made' in Madison
According to Jamie Patrick, Destination Madison’s executive vice president of sales and sports strategy, “the culinary scene is inseparable from the community” in Wisconsin’s vibrant capital city.
“With many opportunities for groups within walking distance of conference venues and hotels, attendees can directly share this experience through group cooking classes, cheese board making experiences, unique private dining locations, distillery tours and more,” Patrick said.
Setting the stage for bounty is the year-round Dane County Farmers’ Market. Inspired by open-air European markets, the festive event is the nation’s largest producers-only farmers’ market and has been a Madison tradition since 1972. Every Saturday from April through November, up to 25,000 Madisonians and visitors descend on Capitol Square for in-season produce and other goods from 150-plus vendors. A smaller version is held two blocks away on Wednesdays.
Come November, the market moves inside the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace Convention Center until December before relocating to the historic event-capable Garver Feed Mill in January.
An hour away in Spring Green, Wright’s iconic Wisconsin home, Taliesin is steeped in farm-to-table tradition. The event-capable UNESCO World Heritage site features the world’s only Wright-designed restaurant, the Riverview Terrace Café. Weekend workshops include baking and chocolate classes.
Madison chefs infuse their menus with locally grown bounty to winning effect: since 1999, the James Beard Foundation has recognized 30-plus local chefs and establishments.
Serial honorees include group-capable L'Etoile Restaurant, where chef-founder Odessa Piper won the Best Chef: Midwest award in 2001. In 2005, she sold the restaurant to her chef de cuisine, Tory Miller, who won Best Chef: Midwest in 2012 and was a national semifinalist for Outstanding Chef in 2019.
Other repeat nominees include Jamie and Chuckie Brown-Soukaseume, 2025 Best Chef: Midwest semifinalists for their group-capable Asian-inspired restaurant Ahan.
Paying homage to Fred Harvey, the English pioneer whose “Harvey House” hospitality empire first arose along the Santa Fe Railroad starting in 1876, and to Wisconsin’s iconic supper clubs, Harvey House is an inviting departure inside the former Baggage Claim House of Madison’s historic train depot, railcar dining included.
Lola’s Hi-Lo Lounge is a groovy ’60s-inspired "experiential vinyl bar” hosting 30-capacity events in its Sidecar Lounge.
Located in a historic flatiron-shaped bank building minutes from the Monona Terrace Convention Center, tri-level Lucille hosts buyouts, pizza parties, architectural and historical tours, and more.
Reviving a historic 1888 riverside cheese factory in Paoli, some 14 miles from Madison, Seven Acre Dairy Company features a boutique hotel, 200-capacity event space and dining at Little Cloud restaurant.
At Dancing Goat Distillery, groups can sample spirits, take cocktail classes and distill and bottle take-home gin (unique in the U.S!). State Line Distillery, Madison's first grain-to-class distillery, offers private classes, tours and versatile indoor and outdoor event space.
Other hands-on experiences include cooking classes and private events in the communal kitchen at small-batch spice blend shop The Deliciouser, private cheese tasting events at Fromagination and bourbon tours and tastings at J. Henry & Sons.
Madison Eats Food Tours offers neighborhood walking and biking culinary tours. Group programs at DelecTable Madison range from private events and cooking classes to chef’s tasting menus and blindfolded dining experiences.
