You haven’t really lived until you’ve experienced a Wisconsin summer. It is absolutely one of the most gorgeous places in the Midwest with an abundance of friendly faces and unbelievable food. Everything is uniquely and unapologetically Wisconsin. I don’t drink much, but I always order an Old Fashioned when in Wisconsin. I don’t eat a lot of fried foods, but I crave cheese curds and battered fish. I don’t watch a ton of football, but I love the Badgers and Packers. It’s just part of the culture. When in Rome as they say.

Read more about Madison’s Very Asian Week

I lived in Madison for three years when I anchored and reported for WISC-TV, the CBS affiliate legacy station in the capital city. I have loved all of the cities I’ve worked in, but Madison is a very special place. It was where my husband and I had a lot of personal growth, and it became a symbol of new beginnings for us. We love the city so much that occasionally I cry ugly tears. It’s really a utopic place.

So, when we decided to take a family vacation back to Wisconsin this July, we contacted our friends. I reached out to my dear friend Alice, who is an amazing food influencer and digital content producer — make sure you become one of her massive followers on her page, the Hip Foodie Mom.

She now lives near Philadelphia, and immediately responded — “I’m in.”

Next call was Andrea Behling, the superhero editor of Madison Magazine. I worked alongside Andie when I worked at News 3 Now. They gave me a little food column called Sip and Savor… where I’d drag my friend Hannah to restaurants and try out their dishes. It was a dream column—short, sweet, and delicious.

Andie was excited about the possibilities. She started convening restaurants and food businesses, asking them for their participation. More than a dozen added Very Asian specials to their menus and committed a portion of the proceeds to the Very Asian Foundation.

I reached out to my former colleague and friend Adam Schrager, who also happens to be a Very Asian girl dad. He is now a storyteller for American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, which is based in Madison. I used to love going to AmFam events in Madison because there was a pretty good chance I’d get to hear from someone amazing — JJ Watt and Russell Wilson were just a couple of the company’s brand ambassadors. This year Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers is also added to the list (and he happens to be #VeryAsian!) My point is, American Family does a lot of great work outside of its main business, and I think people in the capital city are grateful for its contributions.

Immediately, Adam put me in touch Shayna Hetzel and Kaila Pederson — two amazing women leading AANHPI efforts, social impact, and innovation at the institute. Shayna was even recognized as one of the most influential Asian Americans in Wisconsin this year by Madison 365. They opened up space for us at The Spark, and they announced the institute would be giving a $10,000 matching donation to the foundation.

Alice called more people — Mike Moh, an amazing actor and martial arts expert based in Waunakee, Tory Miller, a James Beard award-winning chef who also happens to be a Korean adoptee, Francesca Hong, a state rep who is a mom and a restaurateur, and Gabe Javier, associate vice chancellor in the dean of students office at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I asked if we could also include News 3 Now evening anchor Charlotte Deleste as our moderator, an award-winning journalist and dear friend of mine (who also happens to be from St. Louis and interned at my current station, KSDK, 5 On Your Side!)

Along with our Very Asian restaurant week, we came together for a panel discussion and networking event at The Spark in downtown Madison. I was fan girling over our panelists and in awe of the crowd. We had superstars in our audience — some who are also bravely navigating their jobs as a “first”. I met the first Teacher of the Year in Wisconsin Kabby Hong, who also happens to be the first Asian American teacher to be recognized at that level. I met a woman named Linda, who was recently named a healthcare director at her agency and also happens to be the first Hmong American in that position. These are people who do the work, do it well, and happen to be carrying an extra responsibility of trying to represent their full humanity — we talked about what an honor that is as well as an extra load to carry.

We had a sellout crowd at the event — we were so lucky to be served Chef Miller’s japchae (he told us he cooked it all day!) And we hired a great photographer, Larry Chua to capture the moments. The panel was called Very Asian and Very American, which was fitting as we are closing out the 4th of July week. Our panelists shared personal challenges during the pandemic, thoughts on raising the next generation, ways to make actionable and intentional change, and left us with lasting thoughts — I loved what Gabe Javier had to say about bringing our full humanity to spaces. He said he tells young people to “be bold” about being who they are. It was a theme that resonated through the night.

We are so truly honored and grateful to everyone who showed up, made the drive to Madison, flew in from out of state, and worked tirelessly for this quick-turn, amazing event. As I write this, we still have one more day left of our Very Asian week in the city. We are leaving it with full hearts and cannot wait for this to turn into a yearly event — we know we will evolve, grow, and make space for our very big community and allies. Thank you forever friends. On Wisconsin!

— Michelle