Jesse Brookstein in Conversation with Lori Fredrich

Wisconsinite Jesse Brookstein appears at Boswell for an event to savor - a conversation about his new book, Best of the Wurst: Weird and Wonderful Stories of Wisconsin Sausage. It's a big, bold, and unabashed celebration of a quintessential Wisconsin food. For this event, Brookstein will be in conversation with Milwaukee food writer Lori Fredrcih. Every Wisconsinite knows that no tailgate party or backyard barbecue is complete without a grill full of sizzling hot brats. Writer and storyteller Jesse Brookstein embarks on a quest to show why Wisconsin is the sausage maker to the world, tracing the long arc of sausage making in the state, from First Nations foodways and early immigrant influences to today's most inventive makers. Brookstein travels the state to meet the people behind the links and captures the culture, craft, and quirks that make Wisconsin sausages unlike those found anywhere else. Brookstein highlights insights from master butchers, small-town sausage savants, big-name producers, and superfans reflecting on hotly debated topics like seasonings, casings, and the eternal question: “Should you parboil?” He also celebrates traditions like Sheboygan’s double brat on a hard roll, the ceremonial slicing of La Crosse’s Golden Brat, and the Milwaukee Brewers’ Famous Racing Sausages. Best of the Wurst encases these stories, people, and places in a perfect blend of history and heart.