Culinary Ride: Food, Farms, and Fermentation

Cyclists ride the bike path along Lake Superior into the city of Marquette. (photo courtesy of culinaryride.com)

See where our local produce is grown during the Culinary Bike Tour. (photo courtesy of culinaryride.com)

On September 6^th Marquette hosts its first Culinary Ride—a food, farms, and fermentation bike tour pioneered by Audrey Wiedemeier and her partners in RadTour Partners LLC. The idea began in Iowa City in 2011 and since then Audrey has brought her exciting concept to cities from California to Iowa City and now to our very own Marquette. The mission, according to their website, culinaryride.com, is: “to produce intimate, community-oriented bicycle events across the country and contribute momentum to the bicycle and local food movements.”

Local promoter (and sister to the author of this article) Laurel Mills says of the event: “It’s about connecting farmers and chefs with community to generate better comprehension of where our food comes from…and also having fun.”

The Marquette Culinary Ride is a “ride-at-your-own-pace” 30 mile loop with stops at local farms and a brewery. Each stop features fine, farm-fresh foods cooked for you by local chefs from popular restaurants such as The Marq and The Steinhaus.

For more information, pictures from past Rides, and how to sign up visit: culinaryride.com.

Cyclists will enjoy the backroads, farms, good food, and craft beer from the Marquette area for a culinary bike tour. (photo courtesy of culinaryride.com)

See the happy healthy lifestyles of free range animals like this chicken farm.(photo courtesy culinaryride.com)

by Rachel Mills

Rachel Mills is a professor of English at Northern Michigan University where she received her BS in English, MA in Creative Writing, and MFA in Creative Nonfiction. Her current writing focus revolves around looking at food from a universal perspective-- the history, culture, and traditions surrounding both her family's food traditions, and those of other cultures.

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