Yesterday, Milwaukee Record hosted its inaugural “Casserole Call” event, which brought a variety of area businesses to Central Waters Milwaukee Taproom for a hot dish bake off. A total of 10 local restaurants, bars, specialty grocers, and meal delivery services competed for the title of “Milwaukee’s Best Casserole,” as voted on by the nearly 200 people who attended the first-year event that helped raise money for Kinship Community Food Center.
We had a great time tasting delicious and altogether inventive casserole samples, drinking some Central Waters beers, and chatting with folks who came out to the event. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did if you attended or participated as a vendor. We’re planning to bring it back in the fall of 2024, so look out for that!
Okay, without further ado, here are the results. [Drum roll, please!] The votes have been counted—and recounted, just to be sure—and it appears as if one casserole competitor is the cream of the crock pot. The winner of the inaugural Casserole Call is…Red Maple MKE!!!
The bar’s Asian-inspired, meatball-infused, and gravy-topped take on casserole earned almost a third of all votes that we cast by those in attendance. Second place honors go to The Real Good Life! Third place was a very close call between a bunch of businesses, with Trouble Makers Cocina narrowly edging out the competition to claim bronze. We’re proud to say every participant’s casserole got votes from the public.
For winning, Red Maple will receive a Casserole Call Trophy™ we’ll be delivering to them in early 2024. They also get some ad space on this very website and, best yet, the right to truthfully say they’ve made Milwaukee’s Best Casserole of 2023. (We’re told that those interested in trying it can stop by Red Maple tonight for free samples of their leftovers.)
Thanks to everyone who participated in the first Casserole Call, to those who attended, and to Central Waters. We’ll be bringing more casserole your way in late 2024. In the meantime, check out some photos from Sunday’s event.
