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Wisconsin Local Food
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Jack Kaestner, whose education includes a culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park, New York) as well as a BS in Food Science/Food Service Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, was the Executive Chef at Oconomowoc Lake Club, from 1991 - Summer 2012. Chef Jack draws from local, sustainably grown food for creating the menus and meals at the Lake Club. “Crafting flavor together – by working with local farmers and their ultra fresh and naturally flavorful food, makes cooking fun and easier”.

Starting in the fall of 2012 chef Jack became a Chef Instructor at Milwaukee Area Technical College in the Culinary Arts department.

Jack was a founding board member of the Slow Food Wisconsin SE convivium and Town and country RC&D. He has been involved with the Farmer-Chef connection for the last 5 years and serves on the Grazing Education Steering Committee for TCRC&D. Local Food - chef consultant for the SARE (Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education) National Conference he helped develop 3 days of menus for 600 attendees that utilized 90% locally sourced food. Also the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters.

Jack first encountered buying directly from farmers in 1983 while working at Chez Michel in Madison.  Jack believes buying local food not only gives you fresher, tastier and more unique food, it provides a face of the grower and a sense of the place where it was grown. Food becomes the medium for developing relationships.  Jack feels the importance of the food served is not just the final product or the fresh local food, but also the relationship that develops with his clientele and farmers.  It is this relationship that changes food from a homogenized commodity to something of intrinsic value.

Currently Jack is working on a 3 year SARE project:

Working with Farmers, Dairy Processors and Chefs to Build a Market for Grass-Fed Milk

and is serving as

Culinary Director for the Nugenesis Farm in Delafield WI

Grass Based Butter Fruit Crostata

Evolution of a Chef 30 West JS online

Working To Cultivate Health Milwaukee Journal

Grass based dairy tasting comparison write up by Ron Johnson Agri-view

Local Food and Land Conservation by Jack Kaestner

Chef Hooked on Local Food Article by Susan Bence, NPR radio

Renegade Chef  Article featured in Oconomowoc Enterprise

Farmer-Chef Article from Oconomowoc Enterprise

Glossary of common sustainable farming and cooking terms

Environmental Benefits of grass based  farming

"Eat Fresh" Creating effective relationships with local growers

Organic Farming in Wisconsin by Lynn Markham

Pasture verses row crop - water quality

Managed grazing verses continue grazing

Grass based diet - nutritional and sensory characteristics

Biochemical and sensory qualities of grass based dairy