“We are passionate about ingredients and what the farmers and foragers from our community bring us to work with. We only use sustainably raised animals and fish products from local producers. If we do bring in seafood for a special event we will only work with sustainable United States fisheries. All the meat we use in the restaurant is from small family farms near us – we work with a network of over thirty farms all from the surrounding area.”

Asparagus with sauce gribiche, breadcrumbs, and spicy salami; shaved rare beef heart with juniper tarragon aïoli; pan-seared whitefish fillet with salt-baked celeriac, katsou dashi, and preserved lemon salsa verde.

If you are wondering how a tiny fine dining restaurant thrives in the college town of Madison, Wisconscin, it’s the work of a group called the Underground Food Collective – helmed by the fearless Chef Jonny Hunter. Hunter and his team source ingredients from all around the area and use them to create beautiful, flavorsome food. The collective supports employees as much as farmers, maintaining a positive work environment led by several women in management. The results are incredibly creative; delicious plates of food, often every bit, from salumi to fish sauce, made in-house.