Culinary Tourism - Wisconsin Restaurant Association

An Appetite for Travel
Culinary Tourism as Good Business Strategy
by Mary Bergin
H
ere is what all travelers have in
common: a need to eat. Some
people simply make time for a
quick meal. Others consider food a reason
to travel.
The business of culinary tourism is
gaining diversity and sophistication
in Wisconsin. Consider the work of
Dave Swanson of Braise Restaurant,
Milwaukee. He has conducted cooking
classes on farms and teamed with other
businesses to present an annual Garlic
Fest. He has cooked in a parking lot
while guests learned to hunt morels in
Kettle Moraine State Forest.
Diners are culinary tourists when
attending Wassail dinner concerts, a
mix of holiday singing and multi-course
dining that began 38 years ago at the
Old Rittenhouse Inn, Bayfield. More
recent and hands-on are cooking class
immersions, such as those offered at The
24
Wisconsin
Dining Room at 209 Main, Monticello,
and L’ecole de la Maison at The Osthoff,
Elkhart Lake.
Less intense and expensive are
chef demos at farmers’ markets and
the proliferation of food trucks, which
deepen on-the-go and outdoor dining
experiences.
Who are these travelers?
A nationwide study in 2006 was the
first to conclude that culinary travelers
make up a sizable portion of leisure
travel and tend to be younger, more
affluent and better educated than
average. Research, updated in 2013,
was sponsored by Gourmet magazine,
the Travel Industry Association and
the International Culinary Tourism
Association (now called the World Food
Travel Association).
Culinary travelers say they enjoy
WR
learning about local cultures and cuisines
while away from home. Some hope to
bring back foods, beverages and/or recipes
from places visited. Their activities
include cooking classes, gourmet food
shopping, food festivals, unique dining
experiences and tours that involve food/
beverages.
Academic Lucy Long of Bowling
Green University coined the term
“culinary tourism” in 1999, and in
2001, Oregon’s Erik Wolf wrote the first
public white paper about food tourism
describing “the notion of food and drink
as attractions to visitors.”
Wolf is founder of the World Food
Travel Association. His upcoming book,
“Have Fork Will Travel,” observes “food
tourism has been around for millennia, if
you consider the spice routes of Central
Asia, or traders on the Seven Seas.” The
author defines contemporary culinary
Restaurateur • Third Quarter 13
tourism as “the pursuit and
Klett says. “Whether you’re
enjoyment of unique and
indulging in whitefish livers
memorable food and drink
in Bayfield, a Door County
experiences.”
fish boil, deep-fried catfish
Exotic travel is not a
cheeks along the Mississippi
requisite.
or one of the hundreds
“In addition to
of Friday-night fish fries
traveling across country
throughout the state, our
or the world to eat or
culinary experience can’t be
drink, we can be food travelers
beat. And that’s just fish!”
in our own regions, cities
Who benefits, and how?
and neighborhoods,” Wolf’s
Jay and Kelly Barnes
book notes. “If you rarely
operate Kangaroost
leave your neighborhood
restaurant in Kaukauna
and travel across town to a
and Kangaroostaurant – A
new neighborhood to go to a
Lindsey O’Brien from Kangaroost serving bread at the Holewinski’s farm, part of the
Cookery
on Wheels, a food
special grocery store or to eat
Red Barn Family Farms. The lunch was for guests taking the Classic Provisions Tour
truck that traverses the Fox
out, you’re a ‘food traveler’ in sponsored by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.
Valley. She says it is a myth
your own back yard.”
that
culinary
tourism is costly, with no
Stephanie Klett, state tourism
it extraordinary.”
return
on
investment:
“We have found
secretary, says culinary tourism “is
Her department works collaboratively
the
exact
opposite
to
be
true.”
extremely important to Wisconsin, both
with the Wisconsin Restaurant
The
food
truck
is
used
to conduct
in actual monetary expenditures and in
Association, the Wisconsin Winery
farmers’
market
cooking
demos
and
the whole visitor experience.” She notes
Association and other relevant groups to
classes
for
Girl
Scouts.
“We
purchase
very
that “food gives people a sense of place
promote culinary tourism.
little
advertising,”
Kelly
Barnes
says.
“We
and pleasure. It can be adventurous
“One of the things that made me fall
would rather participate in events such
or comforting—taking a ‘seemingly
in love with Wisconsin is the incredible
typical destination visit’ and making
culinary experience you’ll find here,”
continued on page 26
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Third Quarter 13 • Wisconsin
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Restaurateur
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Culinary Tourism Growth,
Challenges
The book “Have Fork Will Travel,” to
be released by Erik Wolf and the World
Food Travel Association this autumn,
notes the rapid growth of culinary
tourism. Here is an excerpt:
“In the past 10 years, we have seen
a number of notable accomplishments,
such as Scotland’s Gourmet Trail and
fantastic EatScotland.com website.
We have seen chef baseball cards as
magazine inserts placed by the Las
Vegas tourism office.
“We have seen Singapore and
Spain place food imagery in tourism
advertisements. We have seen the
Oregon Culinary Escapes and Norway’s
National Tourist Routes guidebooks.
“We have seen countries like
Peru, Ecuador and Sweden undertake
national food branding campaigns,
which are tied into their tourism
strategies. We have seen regions
within countries like the West Sweden
Tourist Board take a leadership role in
setting standards and training. And our
industry is just getting started.”
Wolf also acknowledges the
challenges:
“We still see destination marketers
seeking to promote their best (i.e.
most expensive) culinary experiences,
assuming this is what foodie travelers
want. With only 8.1 percent of foodies
self-identifying as ‘gourmet,’ destination
marketers are missing nearly 92 percent
of their potential universe of customers.
“Perhaps most importantly, we see a
lot of tourism offices undertaking food
tourism tactics, but without any strategy
in place. This is akin to driving to your
destination without a roadmap or GPS.
You might get to your goal in the end,
but it will probably take you a lot longer,
cost you more, and you will make a lot
of wrong turns along the way.”
For more about strategies and case
studies visit www.worldfoodtravel.org
or call 503-213-3700. The nonprofit
association has 18,000 members in
135 countries.
26
Wisconsin
Terri Milligan pictured during the Culinary Weekend event which included a visit to
Jesse Johnson’s goat farm in Sister Bay. Participants later used the goat cheese in
Milligan’s cooking class at Eagle Harbor Inn in Ephraim.
we care about the subject” but they also
as this, as we are able to give back to our
community while spreading the word to
“garner a great deal of publicity,” he
says, and now “our producers become a
attendees about our business.”
mouthpiece for our brand and restaurant.”
The restaurant is a Mystery Bus
In Monticello, a wintertime, fourTour stop, and this summer the couple
student and four-hour “Chef for a Day”
worked with Wisconsin distillers to
class is of value to The Dining Room at
present a weekly Craft Cocktail Night,
209 Main because “it helps our business
each featuring a different mixologist
who helped create a cocktail menu to
target potential guests who might have
never heard about us,” says chef-owner
complement dinner specials. “Folks
Wave Kasprzak.
attending these events are interested in
good food,” she says, “and we find them
How to get started?
to be our best customers.”
A low-risk introduction to culinary
The food truck widens exposure
tourism is to present a cooking demo
beyond restaurant walls: Kangaroostaurant
at a local festival or farmers’ market,
earned Best of Show at this year’s
Kasprzak says; “event organizers will do
Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship
the advertising for you.”
in Mineral Point.
“Start small with tastings or sample
Be true to yourself and your brand,
nights, with little or no cost to the
advises Tyler Sailsbery of The Black
Sheep restaurant, Whitewater.
“As a farm boy it just seemed
natural to connect the farmer
and the foodie,” he says. “This
was an integral part from the
start.”
Cooking classes began shortly
after his restaurant opened,
featuring master gardeners
who talked about using and
preserving locally grown herbs.
Another partner is Eat Well
of Jefferson County, “exposing
second graders to foods they may
GingeRootz Asian Grille’s customers on a cultural
find at the farmers’ market but
cooking trip to China. Pictured here learning how
[may] be intimidated to try.”
to cook three dishes using the wok and clever at
Classes are offered “because
My Kitchen Studio in Shanghai.
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Restaurateur • Third Quarter 13
consumer,” advises Mike
Nevil of Chalet Landhaus,
New Glarus. “From there,
build a client list to find out
what people are interested
in.” His twice-a-year beer
dinners and wine dinners
also showcase their creativity
by using products from their
own area.
a stronger base of repeat
Begin by offering special
customers.”
dinners that include recipes,
The tour business began as
says Terri Milligan, formerly
“an experience to sample foods
at the Inn at Kristofer’s, Sister
outside attendees’ comfort
Bay. “Even if the restaurant
The view from above reveals the Taste of the Vine event at the Kohler Design Center zones,” she says. “Through the
is not able to offer a culinary
during the annual Kohler Food & Wine Experience.
years, we discovered that many
demonstration, the chef can
define themselves as a foodie
speak about the recipes and offer tips of
Avoid assumptions
but have very simple tastes. All culinary
the trade.”
Since 2007, Milwaukee Food Tours has
tourism events don’t have to be designed
“If you do not have someone in your
organized outings by bus and on foot.
around eating a truffle.”
facility to coordinate [food-beverage]
“Think of a food tour as a progressive
Simply meeting a chef or learning
pairings, work with your distributors,”
meal, with a side of local history,” says
something to take back to a home
advises Rick Boyer, executive chef at The
co-founder Theresa Nemetz. Themes
kitchen might be satisfying to a traveler
American Club, Kohler. “Dinner with the
range from pizza to bakery.
interested in food.
chef is always great because it’s interactive
Most attendees are local residents,
“One of the myths is that culinary
and your guests build confidence in your
and Nemetz says culinary tourism, when
tourism has to be high priced or stuffy to
business model.”
done right, “is an opportunity to build
continued on page 28
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be quality, or that these events are only
comfortable for foodies,” agrees Tricia
Rathermel, special events manager at The
American Club. “When designing our
events, we try to keep in mind the ability
to reach all audiences with a variety of
backgrounds.”
The five-diamond AAA resort
presents several events that showcase
food, including the Kohler Food & Wine
Experience in autumn and Celebration
of Chocolate in winter. Themed dinners,
cooking demos and specialty events also
make dining an experience.
“Educating guests on good food and
drink is a passion of ours, but it is also
about having a really good time while
doing just that,” says Boyer. “The effort is
constant and not limited to just events.”
Growth opportunities
Amy Donaldson in 2006 opened Amy’s
Woodhaven in Mountain to offer
catering, cooking classes and chef’s
table dinners. By 2009, her gardens
and chickens were providing menu
ingredients and teaching tools.
“Our goal has been to become as selfsustaining as possible,” Donaldson says.
She averaged three events per week in
2011, “a lot for a staff of two,” and has
since taken a respite for personal reasons.
Her culinary retreats are partnerships
with innkeepers, including Spur of the
Moment Ranch (where she cooks a meal
over open fire one night; guests attend a
chef’s table dinner the second night).
Picnic lunches for tour groups
or promotions with retail shops are
other partnership possibilities. “Price
accordingly,” she advises. “The target
market here has disposable income. Give
them a good value, but think about the
extra expense.”
In Door County, Milligan conducted
cooking classes at the Inn at Kristofer’s
until she and husband Chris sold the
restaurant in 2012. Now she takes her
classes on the road.
“I am most excited about the culinary
weekends I have developed with the
Eagle Harbor Inn in Ephraim,” she
says. Registration includes a hands-on
cooking class before lunch, a field trip
28
Wisconsin
Attracting Attention Online
Food Network and Travel Channel shows
boost exposure to culinary endeavors that
might otherwise not gain nationwide
attention, and www.tvfoodmaps.com
makes it easy for travelers to find fun
stops to feed their appetite.
The online site notes destinations
featured in “Diners, Drive-ins and
Dives,” “Man vs. Food,” “Best Thing
I Ever Ate,” “United States of Bacon”
and “Eat Street.” In Wisconsin, dozens
of spots earn attention this way—that
includes A.J. Bombers in Milwaukee, Al
Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant in Sister
Bay and Wolski’s Tavern in Milwaukee.
The University of Wisconsin
Extension’s “Slice of Culinary Tourism”
project points out 10 unusual culinary
tourism stops in the state. They include
Bullfrog Fish Farm, a trout farm near
Menomonie with “hobo chef-ing,”
which means visitors who catch fish can
watch somebody else clean them, then
have the filets bagged on ice or cooked
on the farm. A “hobo shore lunch” is a
casual meal of trout with rice grown in
northern Wisconsin, bread from a local
bakery and fruit.
Doris Ng of GingeRootz Asian
Grille, Appleton, took eight travelers to
Shanghai in March and will lead another
trip to Asia in spring 2014.
It’s a valuable business strategy,
she says, because travelers “help with
research and development of potential
dishes or ingredients” for her Appleton
restaurant. They simultaneously gain an
education about authentic ethnic cuisine
and culture.
“Guests travel with you because
of you, so you don’t have to actively
advertise,” Ng says. “Though this type of
program doesn’t make the business much
money, it is one of the best methods of
building strong brand loyalty.”
Thomas says restaurant chefs
should realize the sometimes timeconsuming nature of culinary tourism.
“You don’t want to take your eyes off
of your priority,” she notes. “I had four
restaurants and 350 employees for 16
years—take baby steps when adding
another element of marketing like this.”
A logical first step is to “team up with
a winner—other business people who
are doing it right,” she says, and it is
crucial to “believe in whoever you
team up with and what you are
promoting.” WR
(destinations include a goat farm
and creamery operated by another
local chef, Jesse Johnson) and dinner
preparation.
The field trip “provides something that
the ordinary tourist would not be able to
experience,” says Milligan, whose classes
identify local ingredients, their history
and “why they are unique to our area.”
Chefs as tour guides
Also in Door County is Savory Spoon
Cooking School, Ellison Bay, which
Janice Thomas began 10 years ago and
now operates from an 1879 schoolhouse.
The chef also arranges culinary trips to
Sicily, France, China and Mexico.
“I take groups to China in March, and
we use many non-traditional foods as we
learn to cook there,” Thomas says. “Then
we bring back that knowledge to use at
the Savory Spoon as well.”
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(l-r) Deborah Nevins and Marianne Porter, two
attendees on a Savory Spoon trip to Sicily, making
cavatapi in the kitchen at La Foresteria on the
Planeta Wine Estate in Menfi.
Restaurateur • Third Quarter 13