10 Foods Invented in Madison

10 Foods Invented in Madison Madison, Wisconsin doesn't get nearly enough credit. This is the city that gave America its only homegrown original cheese — Colby cheese history goes back to 1885 and most people still can't name it — turned a teenager's county fair improvisation into the butter burger Wisconsin still claims today, and quietly built the Oscar Mayer history behind the most recognizable jingle in food history. All without making a big deal about any of it. That's Madison Wisconsin food in a nutshell. In this episode of Dish Decoded Madison we're decoding 10 foods invented in Madison and tracing the Wisconsin food history you didn't learn in school. We start with the Morning Bun Ovens of Brittany invented in 1970 — a pastry so popular they were making thousands every weekday by 1984. Then we get into the mystery of blue moon ice cream, the flavor Madison refuses to explain, and cheese curds Wisconsin style — fresh, squeaky, and beer-battered at the bar the way they were meant to be eaten. We dig into fudge bottom pie and the story of Carson Gulley, the UW-Madison chef who created a campus institution and became one of the first Black Americans to host a television show. We cover the brandy old fashioned Wisconsin has been drinking while the rest of the country ordered whiskey, and the Hmong spring rolls Madison built an entire street food culture around. Plus Rocky Rococo pizza, the pan-style Madison original that never went national and never needed to. America's Dairyland has a secret life. Now you know what's in it. Welcome to Dish Decoded You eat it every day. But do you really know what it is? I'm Drew, and I dig through industry documents, historical archives, and hidden stories to find the truth about what we eat. On Dish Decoded, I expose the lies, uncover the lost histories, and break down the truth behind what you eat. From the origins of pizza to protein bars, tallow to tonic water. Every dish has a story to tell. From distant dinners to forgotten food pioneers, I investigate the stories that shaped your plate and the ones that got buried. Think of me as your food detective. Smart, skeptical, and always curious. Every food has secrets. I decode them. 📺 New episodes weekly 🔍 Investigative food journalism 📚 Untold histories & industry exposés Subscribe and Stay Curious.