By Nancy Christy and Neil Heinen
Madison Magazine
Special To Channel 3000

We have become nearly as numb to yet another national publication praising our wonderful Dane County Farmers' Market as we have the many other "Best of" lists to which we've become accustomed. We're spoiled, and all the more so by the inside scoop that, unknown to outside observers, we have not one great market but a half-dozen at least.

Still, we've yearned for the one market we don't have: a year-round, indoor market, in a place built for just that purpose. Indoor markets, the genuine articles at least, are one way we connect to place. They give us a sense of the unique geography and culture of a place and, for our money, the quality of life. The best combine the authenticity of the products offered with a physical setting that become inextricably intertwined. One cannot imagine the Seattle market being anywhere other than the one-of-a-kind collection of buildings starting at First Avenue and Pike Street. There have been farmers' markets at 12th and Market streets in Philadelphia since 1860, but an institution was born when the Reading Market opened in the Reading terminal building in 1893.

So when we heard that a permanent, indoor market was to open in Milwaukee, in a perfect spot in the historic Third Ward near Commission Row, which was the hub of market activity in Milwaukee in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, we were more than a little excited. We were envious. Certainly the exterior raised our expectations. The architectural design seemed to capture the nexus of the modern and traditional that fit the purpose. And we were pleased by the entirely appropriate tribute paid to the late culinary giant Madame Kuony, by naming the facility's demonstration kitchen in her honor.

We eagerly began to make plans to visit and, in fact, bring guests, including some Slow Food visitors from Italy. Now, it's not easy to create an institution. We acknowledge that. A new market, especially in a new building, does not open with the patina of a St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, which has been around since 1803. That said, we were disappointed. The Milwaukee Public Market lacks depth, food authenticity and quality. There's nothing that really distinguishes the market as uniquely Milwaukee. There's a stall selling products from Door County and Sheboygan and some Milwaukee products like Sprecher beverages, but nothing from historic Milwaukee businesses like Usinger's, and nothing that reflects the city's history and culture. Fields Best had a nice array of organic produce from the Fields Agriculture Institute in East Troy, but the dairy products were pedestrian, as were the baked goods. C'mon, in Milwaukee?

It's early, and there were several vendors who had yet to open their shops. Still, we took it as a bad sign that more people seemed to be there for a sandwich than for shopping. On the other hand, that same weekend we visited Madison's three indoor markets, including the "alternative" West Side Community Market at Westgate. That's right, Westgate. An incongruous location to be sure. Yet it's there we found pasture-raised chickens, organic eggs and produce, and artisan chocolates. And the growers and producers were right there. The recently vacated University Book Store seemed an afterthought for the indoor Hilldale market, lending credibility to reports of management issues. The vendors there deserved better. But Monona Terrace was a nice location for the Dane County Farmers' Market, the comfortable atmosphere supporting the concept of a Community and Convention Center. And at all three locations there was the sense of vibrancy and community, of quality and care that make public markets so attractive. We eagerly await this community's conversation about a permanent, indoor market of our own. We're clearly "big enough" now to support one. And we already have an abundance of the most important ingredients. We also have a valuable lesson just down the road in Milwaukee: façade alone is not enough. You need substance to have the genuine article.

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