A confectionery homage to Catalan almonds at the Candy Store Before there were chocolate shops, and centuries before bonbons became a thing that anyone could even imagine, if you wanted to impress someone you were going to visit and you lived in Spain, you probably took them some turron. This terrific soft almond turron (the top […]

“Empowered: Women Shaping the Future” at the State Theater on Monday, March 13 Thomas Sankara once said, “There is no true social revolution without the liberation of women. May my eyes never see and my feet never take me to a society where half the people are held in silence.” With Sankara’s words in mind, […]

A lovely mid-February meal to make in minutes As anyone who lives here already knows, when we hit the middle of winter in this part of the world, we have limited amounts of local produce to work with. (There is though, I’m happy to say, there’s a lot more to be had than there was […]

Eight ways—some small, some large—that might make your loved one’s day If you’re looking for a range of good Valentine’s gift ideas, here’s a generous handful that are in my mind from around the ZCoB! J. Patrice Chocolates at the Candy Store and the Deli Beautiful, tasty classic chocolates on hand at the Candy Store […]

Last Thursday morning, on the 18th of January, nearly 90 ZCoBbers gathered for our monthly Zingerman’s-wide huddle at ZingTrain. About halfway through the get-together, as per the agenda, Paul and I formally announced that, in essence, we were “giving away the store.” Don’t worry. The statement was serious, but it was said with a sense […]

A taste of Italian tradition in Central Wisconsin We’ve got a great new spicy-sweet jarred bit of wonderful deliciousness on the shelves at the Cream Top Shop. The confection in question is a terrific old-school style Pear Mostarda made in the style of Cremona in northern Italy. It’s made by the crew at Quince & […]