This January, Seven Acre Dairy Company, 6858 Paoli Rd. in Belleville, Wisconsin, will launch its Frost to Flower Dinner Series, a collection of intimate dining experiences featuring some of the nation’s top culinary talent.
The series, which kicks off on Jan. 8, 2025 with a dinner with Indigenous food expert and member of The Cherokee Nation Nico Albert Williams, will feature 27 unique culinary events featuring over 30 James Beard honorees, critically acclaimed chefs and authors to the tiny town of Paoli, Wisconsin.
What to expect
Highlights of the Frost to Flower Dinner Series include appearances from Food Network’s “Chopped” Champion Brian Jupiter of Chicago, Illinois; James Beard Award-winning proprietor of Ava Gene’s and author of “Six Seasons” and “Grains for Every Season” Joshua McFadden of Portland, Oregon; and New York City’s Ivo and Isbelis Diaz, Proprietors of Casa Oro, heralded as one of the best Latin American restaurants in the U.S.
During each event, guests enjoy an intimate dinner, story-telling and top-notch wines and spirits in Seven Acre’s well-appointed historic dining room.
“With the Frost to Flower Dinner Series, we’ve broadened the scope and reach of these wonderful dinners, to include chefs from all the coasts, from New York City to Portland, Oregon, to New Orleans,” notes Nic Mink, Chief Restoration Officer at Seven Acre. “The geographic scope is also matched by a new level of diversity in the cuisines presented by the chefs, from Venezuela and Cherokee to Italian and Creole. It’s all very exciting,”
Located just south of Madison, Seven Acre Dairy Company is a painstakingly restored dairy factory nestled on the banks of the Sugar River in Paoli, Wisconsin. The factory features an upscale restaurant and bar, a casual cafe, a micro-dairy plant producing butter and soft-serve ice cream and a boutique hotel with event and meeting spaces accommodating up to 200 guests. It’s also listed on the National Register for Historic Places.
The cost for each event ranges from $30 to $175 for adults and $10 to $20 for children. Tickets and additional information can be found online.
Check out the full line-up
- Jan. 8-11: Nico Albert Williams (Cherokee Nation), Nationally-renowned Indigenous foods expert, featured on BBC, Food Network and the Smithsonian. (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
- Jan 12: The Paisano’s. Italian-American Sunday supper with Madison Chefs Tory Miller, Dan Bonanno, Joey Gaglio, & Patrick Depula.
- Jan 15-16: Eric Cook, author of Modern Creole, owner of St John’s and Gris Gris, Eater’s New Orleans Restaurant of the Year. (New Orleans, Louisiana)
- Jan 22-23: Isbelis and Ivo Diaz, Michelin recognized Venezuelan mother-son duo who operate Casa Ora, one of the top Latin American restaurants in the U.S. (New York, New York)
- Jan 29-30: Hank Shaw, James Beard Award-winning author of five cookbooks, and one of the country's leading experts on wild food. (St. Paul, Minnesota)
- Feb. 5-6: Anna Landmark and Cole Ersel, nationally recognized Landmark Creamery cheesemaker and veteran Milwaukee chef present family-friendly dairy-focused fun. (Wisconsin)
- Feb. 19-20: Brian Jupiter, Chef and restaurant owner, Food Network “Chopped” champion, James Beard honoree and master of Southern smoke. (Chicago, Illinois)
- Feb. 26: Family-friendly authentic Mexican buffet from Leticia & Angel Flores and Disney’s Coco. (Madison, Wisconsin)
- March 4: Fat Tuesday Party with local Slow Food leader Yusuf Bin Rella and live jazz music (Madison, Wisconsin)
- March 5-6: Josuha McFadden, Proprietor of Ava Gene’s, author of James Beard Award-winning cookbook “Six Seasons” and “Grains for Every Season”. (Portland, Oregon)
- March 12-13: Michael Hanna, rising-star chef, alum of Catbird Seat and Folk and proprietor of top pizza spot, St. Vito Focacceria. (Nashville, Tennessee)
- March 19: Christina Ward, award-winning author, publisher and food historian, featuring stories and cooking from newest book, “Holy Food”. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
- March 20: Paul Fehribach, owner and chef of acclaimed Big Jones, featuring storytelling and cooking from his newest book, “Midwestern Food”. (Chicago, Illinois)
- March 26-27: Cassie Piuma, owner of Sarma, Eater’s Best U.S. Restaurant and the recipient of “Boston Globe’s” first and only 5-star review. (Boston, Massachusetts
- April 2-3: Lauren Montebalno and Kyle Julius, a dynamic local duo from Madison’s top restaurants, spinning their take on the “hunter-gatherer” dichotomy. (Madison, Wisconsin)
- April 9-10: Joe Thomas and Jeremy Umansky, Hall of Famer turned “beef man and the U.S.’s top meat wizard and author of “Koji Alchemy” will recreate a steakhouse experience. (Madison, Wisconsin and Cleveland, Ohio)
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
