Breakfast Brats

For WGBW and WISS News, I'm Lisa Hale.

A 72-year-old Appleton man is sentenced to two years in federal prison for failing to pay over a million dollars of employment taxes.

Douglas Larson owned and operated Mods International and Mods Client Services, which manufactured and installed residential and commercial buildings from shipping containers.

Court records show that over the 14 years he owned the business, he withheld employment taxes from his employees but refused to pay the money to the federal government.

Judge William Griesbach

says that the sentence would have been longer, but he took Larson's age and failing health into account.

Food insecurity is an issue in Northeast Wisconsin affecting children, students, and adults, but especially children, says DeLorean Walls of Brothers Helping Brothers, Wisconsin.

I get kind of emotional when I talk about that, especially with the kids when having food.

I was talking to a teacher the other day ago.

Most children come to school because they can get a breakfast.

then if a kid gets suspended, they don't get that.

Or on a spring break, on a summer break, they don't receive that food.

As federal programs are seeing funding cuts, Wisconsin food banks are set to lose over $2 million from the U.S.

Department of Agriculture.

Wall says people can help by donating to the Packers Superfan Food Drive, which will be held at First and Goal April 23rd.

Don't feed the turkeys.

That's the message from the Appleton Police Department.

Over the past couple of years, wild turkeys have caused traffic congestion and other problems in the city.

Aggressive birds have even attacked vehicles.

Police say the feathered fiends are congregating because people are feeding them.

And while police haven't started issuing citations for feeding the gobbling gobblers, that could be next.

I'm Lisa Hale for WGBW and WISS News.

For news anytime, visit civicmedia.us.

Welcome back to Mino and the Mayor.

Join the conversation now by calling 920-264-0606.

920-264-0606.

Now, once again, John Mino and Jim Schmidt.

Hey, thank you very much.

Welcome back.

worth the Michael Friedman simple life hospitality and we were I've not even kidding we have to tell Lisa thank you so much Lisa we were talking quiche last week and she made it for us and it's fantastic well

I said I was

bringing in

a quiche and then

yeah if we thought you were making one yeah

that was

kind of the way you said it

like you are a lot of people just delegated it so much hey can't believe Michael is making you guys quiche right yeah well you know and I

just had that I just had my slice

And oh my god, it's really really tremendous not

spinach bacon and it

the mushrooms no

mushrooms

spinach bacon cheese

the quality of it's good You got a good lot of ingredients in there.

You didn't

Sometimes you get it where it's just all egg.

You

know what I mean?

Right.

Listen, I had the idea.

I'm an idea guy.

Like some other people here sitting here.

I'm an idea guy.

I'm an idea guy.

I've

had some where you know you can just visualize what they taste like, where you can buy it.

Like, is it just the egg yolks or the egg whites, the carton of them?

And you just kind of pour that in and

say, jeez.

But then they add some...

Broccoli and that's but this stuff has the real deal.

It's real.

Yeah, it's delicious.

I had I actually had Lisa's lasagna the other day, too That's pretty special as well Lisa

You guys would be so proud of me though the way I eat now at restaurants and stuff So I go yesterday go risk right across street here Hagenmeister, okay?

Had a nice chicken wrap like I always have okay, and she says what do you want first side?

So what are the options just sweet potatoes, which I love sweet potato fries.

Yeah, so sweet potato fries chips or Regular french

fries.

Mm-hmm.

I said you live vegetable option Just we've got broccoli.

I said all of the broccoli

Wow, what?

Okay kudos.

All right.

Look at you.

So I'm talking about you.

Yeah,

and that's something

Well, I will say

this.

Cheesauce?

Right, that's what I'm saying.

Okay,

Michael, you want to just hold off here,

Mike?

I mean, we

don't have enough coming at me.

I need one more from the blind side.

Okay.

I asked her for some extra butter.

Pads of

butter.

There you go.

Okay.

Spread

on that.

No, close.

Close.

You got

it.

Butter's

good.

I mean, come on, it's

broccoli.

Butter's good

for you.

Yeah,

thank you.

No carbs.

Yeah, there you go.

So aren't you proud of me?

I took broccoli over french fries.

That's good.

That sweet potatoes though that's not out of those three They're actually pretty good for it right for being a potato but

broccoli's better

But if you had those three that was the best choice.

What's that new thing?

I said I was gonna grow We'd no no remember Todd We had that we had the guy on he was talking about this unbelievably great vegetable.

It's a root vegetable It's really good for you.

We had a lady on it's something we'd never heard of so that's like a potato

And you can like roast them and it's like so healthy.

It's

you turn up right?

No, it's like a turnip.

It's a root.

It's a root of a

rutabaga.

Nope.

Nope.

Keep going.

I don't think I'd ever

heard of it before.

What is

it?

Fennel.

No.

No.

Uh, was it Yucca?

Yes.

Thank you.

Yes.

Yucca.

It's like a sweet potato.

Isn't it?

I think I don't know.

It's a little like a potato.

I will say this, that Reggie at Caribbean Taste down in Appleton, right?

He makes that now, and he makes them into fritters.

Oh my gosh, they're so good.

I think it is a Caribbean thing, because there's a Peruvian restaurant in Madison that does Peruvian roasted chicken, and he does Yucca fries.

Yucca

fries.

I didn't know Peruvians had their own type of food.

Yeah.

Wow.

Yeah.

Jacob Vandenplatz says rutabaga.

No, not that.

Because we

were talking about that with the pasties.

Right.

Okay.

Right.

But what a rutabaga is.

So it was something different.

But what you said, Yucca.

Yeah.

That's what it is.

Rutabaga.

Is it the same as rutabaga?

Is it Yucca?

No, no.

You said, you said rutabaga.

What is it?

Okay, whatever.

All right.

All right.

Speaking of pasties, there's a pasty shop off of Lionville Road I noticed the other day when I was driving by.

Is it really?

Yeah.

Yeah, off of Wineville.

Yeah, I've never noticed that.

Yeah, I don't I don't know if they're any good Welcome to

food chance.

Yeah We just sit around talking what we like and we don't like the entire show.

Yeah, the whole show.

Hey Michael is one more

Time, though, about simple life hospitality.

Tell

people what, you know, what you guys have to offer.

So we, you know, we're a full service vacation.

And again, I

know maybe those people aren't listening, but those people's relatives who maybe don't want somebody staying with

them for a week.

We still have homes available for the draft that are obviously available for rent, whether it's Wednesday through Sunday or just Thursday, Friday, or whatever your needs are.

We have a really nice selection of homes still available here in

Green Bay.

Immaculate,

they're great.

They're awesome.

And they're close to Lambeau and or walking distance or a very short Uber ride.

And then we have a really beautiful selection of homes in Door County for those individuals who wanna be participating in the draft, but maybe for the weekend, they wanna have a little Door County experience, which I think is great.

Absolutely.

And yeah, but we're a full service vocational management firm.

We manage close to now like 150 homes, mostly in Door County.

Northwoods here in Green Bay, a couple in Florida and a couple down in Lake Geneva.

So if people are going to be going to Florida or even the Lake Geneva's or the world and things like that, can they just get on your website

and see all

the

different

spots

in the country?

Absolutely.

Because if I was going to Florida,

I

would check out your place first

before

I

would look out.

Any other?

Are you a good website?

Yeah, and it's actually, and it's improving actually.

We're in the middle of a complete website revamp.

But yeah, I mean, you can go to our website, simpleliferentals.com.

And what's nice about it too is we break it down.

So if you have pets, we have pet friendly homes, we have about 40 of those.

And it just really depends on what you're looking for, budgets from...

affordable, I don't say economy, but affordable all the way up to some beautiful luxury homes down in Manitowoc.

We just picked up a beautiful home that went live yesterday in Door County that has part of a lavender farm connected to it.

So we're growing and having a lot of fun.

And be on the lookout for us too.

We are gonna grow and potentially go into other destinations throughout the U.S.

coming up in the next couple of years.

I'm gonna sound dumb probably.

What's lavender?

Yeah, what's a lavender farm?

That's Dorkoni girl lavender Dorkoni lavender right like Washington Island, Washington Island Dork lavender

That's what they're known for.

I'm

lost here.

You didn't know

that?

Is it a plant?

Yeah.

I mean, I know the smell

of lavender or the color of lavender.

It's a plant.

It's like a whole field.

It's like a field of dandelions.

I'm going to get you some lavender soap.

Wow, where have I been?

I don't know.

I know nothing about a lavender.

But you

know what lavender

smells like.

Sure.

So I'm going to get you a lavender bar of soap or some lavender body wash.

That'd be nice.

Oh yeah, you like that.

You could grow some out on your deck along with the other stuff you're on.

That's not a

bad idea.

That is not a bad idea.

But you've seen photos

or

pictures.

It's purple.

It's like lavender

color.

I

mean, it's like a poppy field of

lavender.

I literally have never seen that.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's amazing.

And I didn't know

Door County was like the capital.

Well, Washington Island.

Oh, I've never been to Washington Island.

Washington Island is the largest lavender farm or area in the Midwest.

It's incredible how big it is.

When

you go into the art galleries in Door County, there's always pictures of Washington Island.

Next time I go to an

Art Gallery in Door County.

I will look for that picture.

We're not holding our breaths on that one, John.

But

there are a lot of those pictures.

Yeah, absolutely.

So we have some great homes and we're excited by what we're doing as a company.

And we're hoping this draft still turns out well for everyone.

And I think it will.

I really think it will.

We're remaining positive and we're doing the best we can.

And again, I'd say if you're coming up here and you have a great day and a great experience, stay an extra day and enjoy what's happening.

I'm gonna

jump on what you just said there which is exactly we because I still get it from people in from the hey, what's going on?

What's yeah, we're doing the best we can I'm giving you I'm not hold none of us are holding back any information

No, we are and a couple mistakes, and I don't know that we're gonna have a draft again, but even if we have a big event again one is Just giving out the information needs to be more consistent.

I

think

the other thing is that

When they announced the draft, we talked about bringing in the ships for extra hotel rooms.

We

talked

about the EAA campgrounds.

There's a

thing in the paper of the biggest busts.

I guess I forgot what they called it, which we shouldn't have talked about it because, and then these people that really, Michael, you guys have always been really fair with your pricing.

There's people who- Very fair.

But there's some people that put some really greedy prices out

there.

And

I think people are like, what?

Yeah, I don't know if it's necessarily greed is so much as not understanding.

10,000 a night isn't greed.

Well, there are so many rumors floating around.

That was a rumor part of it.

There was such a big rumor.

And I think a lot of it was pushed in the sense that there's going to be hundreds of thousands of people here.

There won't be any hotel rooms available.

People are going to need a place to stay.

And you know what?

I mean, listen, we talked to a company the other day.

Their employees are staying down in Milwaukee.

They're busing them up to

two and a half hours every day back and forth because the hotels there were that much cheaper.

I mean, it is what it is.

You know, unfortunately there's, there's nothing we can do.

The Ostoff, that's a resort in Elkhart Lake.

You know, you've been there.

They're shuttling people.

Yeah.

That's nice, right?

Well, I will

say this though too.

It's no rush.

You

really don't have to be here till five.

I mean, you want to get here early and go through the NFL experience, but you know what I mean?

It's not like...

the day's flexible.

Yeah, I think the day's flexible.

I mean, we're planning on starting our day that Thursday around one.

Right.

But just to experience it, walk around, see what's there, obviously, you know, get our place to stand.

We couldn't afford the seats, but, you know, we... How was your three-week junket to Sicily?

Oh, it was... It wasn't three weeks, first of all.

It wasn't a junket, but I don't know what a junket is, by the way.

I know, but

I want to take

one sometime.

A junket.

I just want to go...

I want to use the

word analytics and circuitous and junket.

If we go on a junket, I would go on a junket with you and Jim and Todd.

Thank you.

Let's go on a junket, the four of us.

I think that would be fun.

I do too.

But yeah, it was good.

Trip was good, learned a lot, helped some friends out who are in the business as well, got some downtime, which I really needed and just saw a beautiful part of the world.

Did you see any of those houses

that you can buy for like $100?

No,

they're not $100.

But interesting enough, real estate there is very affordable.

You can buy a nice home there, or build a nice home for a few hundred thousand dollars.

And the young

people didn't want to stay in the country where people from America were like, oh my gosh, we want to go to the country.

And all the young people in there were like, screw this, we're going to work

on the

cities.

Yeah, no, it was beautiful.

We were in a little town called Shefalu.

Actually, the mayor's ship is up in two years there.

So my friends from Sicily are like, we want you to run for mayor of Sheffalu.

I said, I've got someone who can help me be like, little puppet regime, little puppet regime.

Can I be one of those guys?

You can be, you can sit in the area.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh man, that'd be awesome.

Wouldn't

that be fun, small community like that?

Todd!

I have to tell you this, so Lisa and I are sitting here listening to you three and we're just shaking our heads.

They're like three teas in a pot in that room right

now.

Could you imagine

that?

Who knew Michael was so much like

us?

Who knew Michael was normal

like us?

Into the Wu-Tang

Clan like you guys.

Get over to this side of the glass, Lisa.

Wow.

Michael, can't thank you enough for the great hospitality you've given us.

Listen, this isn't going to end, so we're going to work on some other things with you guys.

And as I shared with Todd, I know the draft's in a couple of weeks, so we're still talking about doing some other things maybe before the draft at one of our homes.

So we'll keep to be determined.

This is going to be fun.

Thanks for all you're doing.

And this is we need quality businesses in Green Bay.

You're one that we have here

now.

Well, I live in Madison, but I feel a part of this community.

And that's why that's why I want to support everything.

You

bet.

Yeah.

Michael Friedman, simple life hospitality.

Please look them up if it's not for the draft, some vacation.

They're awesome.

Mine and the mayor back after this.

Thanks.

WGBW 98.3 96.5 FM WSS and of course the Civic Media app 21 degrees in Green Bay 24 now to 21 in Oshkosh forecast today mostly sunny high in the low 40s at least right now there isn't much of a wind unlike yesterday which was horrific that went wasn't it just a nasty

nasty day it was cold yesterday yeah that one's behind us

yeah once again today is Zulover's day empanada day

Library Workers' Day National Wildlife Week.

Who was, okay, Empanada.

What was that song Frank Sinatra had?

The girl from Empanada.

No, Iponina.

Iponina.

And the

girl

from Empanina.

Yeah, that's

not, yeah.

Pretty close.

Let's do it.

The girl from

Empanada.

Right, I won.

two, three, Linda girl from empanada.

No, not with me, Todd.

Todd just did one of those things where he just

kind of

walk away from

that.

Pretty cool thing that Michael's doing and trying to get.

people to, hotels are great, hotels are doing well, but he's got so many options for the hospitality.

I would love to look at some of his places, you know, outside of Green Bay, obviously, but the Florida's, the Lake Geneva's and places like that.

I'm excited about having those places.

And

did you hear what he's doing down in Nashville?

Yeah.

That's a great

thing.

Yeah, that'd be fun too.

So

a lot of people.

You know what I'd be willing to do?

I'd be willing to move to Italy and run a branch of his in Italy.

I'd be willing to do that.

Todd I wonder how he'd feel about

it.

Good?

He'd feel good about it, I

think.

Well, he's loved the building, so we could talk.

Yeah, that Italy thinks you bring that up a lot.

You should maybe look at that.

I would love that.

I mean, I think I would love that.

You know what I mean?

Yes.

But I heard in Italy a lot of, like, if you go to England or France, they speak English.

Okay.

Well, of course, England.

But I'm saying, I'm just saying in Europe, if you go to...

You know cuz I mean we're in Prague in which went to a bus station We're trying to get some information and they it's like that.

We don't speak English.

Yeah, but French a little

how are they?

No, they like French,

but German speak English Yeah, like nothing right with no problems, but Czechoslovakia does not What is Italy?

I Think when you get out of Italy, I don't know I've only been

Rome they were because I'm watching those shows where they're remodeling.

Yeah, those things and a lot of the workers don't speak English No,

and I was gonna say when you get out because those those homes aren't

no, they're all right

No, not at all way out, right?

So I think when you go way out No, I don't think they have a huge desire to speak

to speak English.

No, I mean that would be a little bit tough

You know Italian

none at all

No,

I get my but you know what my dad and my grandma always spoke Italian to each other

My mom and some of her sisters would speak Italian to each other, but my dad and mom didn't speak Italian to each other because they were such different dialects.

Yeah, isn't that crazy?

You know what though?

I You do that full immersion.

I'll bet you six weeks you could

right, but I mean I'm just saying as far as they grew up Yeah, they had like real different you never I never knew that about Italy.

Yeah, but I wish I would have learned Yeah, but yeah, I still I my dream is still to retire in Italy

So I thought you're gonna go you're on the clock.

I know.

Well, I'm that's gonna

be my summer place summer place and then it

gets hot in Italy I've heard yeah, so I would I would spend the summers in the UP in the winters in Italy Might be a ski instructor in the Alps

something

like that.

Oh Okay, yeah, but

we talked also you're on the clock.

Yeah, I know I am on the clock There's not even a question.

So I do have a question for you guys.

This was brought up to me You know Sean Katzbeck was in here yesterday from the internet

He might be able to work it out for you guys to go and maybe do a little welding at the ship.

I'm in.

And he wanted to know if you guys were in for that.

I'm in.

What you thought.

I'm in.

I'm in.

I'm in.

For those of you not watching at home, Jim is giving side-eye to Mike.

I'm in.

I'm

in.

That's one of the things that we do.

I'm going to get my welding degree.

That's

not something

you just do.

And you know what I'm doing in my head?

I'm turning back the clock.

Let's go fly a plane.

I'm turning back.

I'm 49.

I'm 48.

How old am I?

I'm 48.

I'm 48 years old.

All right.

OK.

I don't think welding is something you just let's go do that.

No, I'm going to take lessons.

OK.

If we take lessons and get trained, I would look at

it.

Can you get me into NWTC?

Because I think there's a waiting list.

Yeah, there probably

is.

Yeah.

But you always try to discourage me that I have to know math.

Yes.

But it's not discouraging you.

I'm telling you, that's a

fact.

You're discouraging yourself because you're like, I don't know,

Matt.

All right.

I'd love to be one of those shipbuilders.

Look, those are great, great jobs.

And we talk about the trades of plumbing, electrician.

That is a longevity job.

I

mean, you

show up.

Can do that for the next 30 years.

Yep.

Yep.

Got this here just like Italy.

We have different dialects in this country.

Have you ever been to Missouri?

It's very difficult to understand people there, Gizmo.

Missouri,

I wouldn't think Missouri would be- Oh yeah, there's parts of it.

Really?

Once you get down to like just south of Chicago, that accent starts kicking in, that southern accent, and Missouri is always Missouri.

Really?

Yeah.

You know, when they have those tornadoes in the interview, those people- No, not really.

They're

like,

wow.

Yeah.

I think they're from like Alabama or something really far away and they're not that far

away You'd think that you grow up with geography class in all the way through right you have geography classes You'd think you have a better perception sometimes of states and where they are I remember I did a St.

Norbert football game in Jacksonville, Illinois against the Illinois College and You would have thought we were in the deep south in the southern

That's a long state,

though.

But you know what I mean?

They had nothing to do with the Bears or Cogger,

or St.

Louis

Rams, St.

Louis Cardinals, St.

Louis, whatever.

Even

Ohio's that way, though, too.

You're down in Cincinnati.

There's that Southern drawl and stuff down there.

It's just right across the board.

And there are airports in Kentucky.

Yeah.

But if somebody's to worry from Illinois, oh, way up north, huh?

But if you say Kentucky, oh, way down south, but Kentucky's further north than Illinois, a lot of parts.

That's, this is the song.

Oh, this is your- Yeah, girl from Empanada!

Frank Sinatra did this song too.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Listen, here.

Wow.

What?

It's Empanada.

It really is.

Oh my god.

Okay, we gotta get the show back on track in a couple minutes.

We gotta start a quick break.

Coming to Northeast Wisconsin live from the Civic Media Studios and featuring TV and radio broadcast veteran John Minow along with the City of Green Bay's longest-serving mayor Jim Schmidt.

This is Minow and the Mayor.

And here are your hosts.

John

Minow, and Jim Schmidt.

Hey, thank you very much.

Welcome back.

Hour number three, Minow the Mayor, 97.9 FM, WGBW, 98.3, 96.5 FM, WISS, of course, the Civic Media M. Also AM.

Give AM a try if your signal isn't really good.

1100 AM for WISS, and 1590 AM.

So give it a shot, get a texture.

Johnny, I've been trying to get you to come help me repair dumpsters for months.

Just finished welding a new floor in a 20-yard box.

You could weld and be a truck driver on the same day.

Tori, Tori, I'm in.

Just, I got gout, and I got some other stuff going on, and as soon as that's... As soon as that's good to go, I thought that was Todd giving me a bell about the thing.

Nope.

That was our buddy Dennis from the Glam Band.

So Tori, I'm in.

Just let me get some physical things, take care of it, and I'm totally in.

Special thanks Michael Friedman, Simple Life Hospitality, great things going on with him and just a tremendously good guy.

Him and Lisa are just awesome.

Nick, cheese curd, Nick.

Uh, if you're going down to the draft, you got to go to the back of the stadium view.

Glam Band will be playing down there and Nick will be slinging cheese curds and phenomenal brats from Peltkins.

So stop on down there.

Now we got to talk about something else taking place.

A good friend of ours, Thomas Swearingen, favorite chef contestant, best of home.

And you were here last summer.

I think it was Thomas.

That is, that is correct.

And I think we talked that day.

We talked more about your.

Incredible and we have to bring this up before we talk about the contest your incredible military career how you graduate from high school I want to say 92 yeah, and then you decide you went from just you had a cooking class in home boys home back and then you Few years later yada yada yada.

You're the main chef for the Department of Defense.

Yep

secretary defense William Perry.

Yep secretary defense William Perry and William Cohen During Bill Clinton time.

That's incredible

That's that's amazing.

How did that happen?

So I Was supposed I was telling a story the other day my first studio assignment was supposed to be in Turkey Okay, I go through my culinary school in in Denver, Colorado.

No, no no support or

What do they call it?

Experience?

No.

Well, no, because I was asking my instructor, how do I get my plane ticket stuff to Turkey?

It's like, well, they canceled the orders.

I end up in Virginia, Langley Air Force Base.

OK.

Airmen of the Year.

My bosses were going to the, so Langley's headquarters for Air Combat Command.

So my bosses are going to the Pentagon.

How about me?

So I interviewed in the Pentagon at the age of 20.

Um, I got where?

What high school?

Uh, from O'Connell Falls.

Okay.

Yeah.

So I'm, I've grown local.

So that's all, I mean, small town guy, you're the Pentagon.

Yeah.

So like my eyes are wide open at 20 years old.

Um, I actually got hired by three kitchens there.

Uh, went to the secretary of the air force, the secretary of defense and, uh, joint chiefs of staff all in one day, three interviews.

What are they at?

Like, I'm curious, what do they ask you?

Like what?

What does water boil at?

What are the questions?

It's got to be more on nutrition.

Well, the questions on there is, so why would you want to come to the Pentagon from a small town?

So, and then they're asking like our interests, not about my education, because I'm military trained.

So they kind of know what my background and stuff is, but we had a couple of people there that went to the CIA Culinary Institute in

New York.

There

is a

CIA

Culinary Institute.

I did not know

this.

A

lot

of

secret recipes.

The secret sauce.

Don't try to get that one.

It's $100,000 school.

I'll tell you that.

Wow.

Which is why they had to come into the army paid for it.

So they built up that college debt.

So they wanted college relief.

Well, you go to the service.

I'll be darned.

That's awesome.

So you went from there to?

So I was there for three years.

Okay.

Um, so three years, uh, and, uh, I left when, uh, so the Green Bay Packers were, uh, winning a Super Bowl 95, 96, I'm going to go back there and vacation.

So hindsight 2020, I'm coming back during the snow.

Of course.

So, uh, I worked at UWGB and, um,

One of my first job back in Green Bay was Gipper's Bar and Grill.

Oh, no kidding.

So I was there for quite a while.

My wife is a teacher.

So I met her from UWGB and her first teaching job was in Wabino.

Oh, of course.

So they were looking for, in my background, I wasn't a nutritionist, more of a food artist.

Okay.

So they asked me to apply.

I applied.

I've been there for 10 years now.

Um, and I, I used to like working for the high school kids, um, college age would be my young troops, my young airmen.

Um, but then I like, uh, uh, working with the elementary, I thought would be a little bit more challenging.

That's the best job I ever.

Best job I ever had in my life.

I'm gonna retire from that one.

Wow,

that's cool.

And this coming from a guy that was at the highest echelon of our military with a CIA and whatever, whatever.

So yeah, those kids are more fun.

My daily patron was General Colin Powell.

Wow.

So the menu I just made this last weekend for the clubhouse opening.

Yeah.

It's a stuffed tarragon chicken.

That was a recipe I got from

Event with

he was Jamaican or something wasn't

yes.

He was yes.

He was

yep That's cool.

Okay, so yada yada yada fast forward to you sitting here with us right now talking about an event.

Yeah, so um the the culinary thing that's going on the favorite chef 2025 At that school that I work at I was interested in this competition for the prize money our support group staff the cooks the

cleaning people, custodials and the maintenance people pooled together and we have a scholarship.

For the last four years, we've been giving away $3,000 to a graduating senior from Wabino School District.

So part of this, if you vote, you could vote every 24 hours on the favorite chef.

And so right now I'm in first place and I'm pretty much guaranteed to win the first round.

So I'm gonna make the top 15 starting next week.

You can continue to vote until June 5th.

And then at that time, that $25,000 will go to our fund, which will fund that scholarship for the next couple of years.

And then I get to go to New York to compete or to have a cooking thing with the Taste of Homes.

I mean, this is big time.

Yeah, they're bringing your right to New York.

Explain what Taste of Homes is.

Taste of Homes is a culinary magazine.

Like for most part, you can gather recipes, you can get, so that's a nationwide or global magazine.

So in today's day and age, I'm assuming this competition is not just local, it's not just Wisconsin.

This is almost a global competition.

So if you look at some of the entrance, you can post your recipes, you can post your food art.

Most of that stuff is from,

New York, it's from Chicago, so I'm coming from a small area, which is, I'm thankful for you guys inviting me.

It's getting my information.

Glad to have you here.

New York, Chicago, Wabino, that's not...

We don't even have a stoplight in

Wabino.

So there's two things here, right?

One is to get you to the top 15, right?

And that's...

what we can vote for you.

And what's the website or what's the, tell me what we go to.

It is a favorite chef top, favorite chef 2025.

And now it's, it's, it's based off of social media.

So Facebook and.

All

right.

So favorite chef 2025.

And we just go in there and your name's there.

My name, yeah, you can, you can look up for Tom Swaranger.

Okay.

And we vote for you there.

We can also donate for you

for your cause.

So every, every.

24 hours, you get one free vote.

If you want to donate money to the James Beard Foundation, I think every vote, every dollar gets you two votes.

Okay.

So, and they have links and stuff for that.

All right.

I would be clear here though, if so, if I, we donate $10, we get 20 votes.

Yep.

And that $10 goes to

James Beard,

which is

is a, is a organization for like James Beard was

a cookbook writer.

He was one of the first people to start like the food network stuff, so stuff online.

And so this is, we're talking, so he's one of the first people to do the food on TV.

Okay.

All right, great.

Hey, tell me a little bit about the golf course.

Oh, see, yeah.

So we're, we've just opened Pine Hills, the supper club hours.

So that's Friday, Saturday, and we do a Sunday brunch.

So we're open five to nine.

Uh, and we're part of the north star.

So if you come out, uh, north star casino, so if you come on out, uh, you, um, do our son, say you do a Sunday brunch, they get, they do a free play.

So you get a $10 free play for any purchase that you do.

Uh, we are, we put that on a game.

We bet the free play.

All that to the NFL season.

So we're, uh, we're waiting for, uh, it'll probably be next week.

I'm thinking we're going to get.

60 degree weather right now 75 our fairways will be open green and lush So we're looking around the 15 16th.

Hopefully the golf course will be open and where do you do the brunch?

The brunch is right in the clubhouse.

Um, so we're about 10 minutes from the from the casino.

Yeah, um 18 hole golf course We hit this last weekend.

We had a prime rib smoke pork loin

For brunch?

For brunch, beef tips.

I'm out front doing an omelet station and I'd be glad to share my military stories with you.

I'd love it.

Fantastic.

Wow.

And tell them exactly where you guys are.

So just outside of Gresham.

Yeah.

Bowler?

Bowler, between Bowler and Gresham.

Yep.

So we take 29.

Yes, 54.

29.

29.

29.

Right.

Yep.

Okay.

And.

So 29 is about 45 minutes drive.

Okay.

Yeah.

West of Green Bay on 29, and then get into Gresham, and then Highway, I think it's Highway A. We'll take you all to, we'll take you out there.

Okay, if you've been on the military long enough, you can tell us some secrets about guys.

Oh, I got, I got one of those.

Okay, go

ahead.

about Bill Clinton.

So I

was there.

Wow, you're the only one.

It's gotta be good if nobody's heard this one.

I was 22 years old when Bill and Monica were messing around.

So secrets.

Well, Monica was there on.

Did you know it?

Did you know it at the time?

No, but we heard about it.

Well, that's what I mean.

Was there rumors going around?

Yeah, because we work with Secret Service.

OK.

So before most of that, before most of that.

These guys are so

tight.

Clear the rest of our schedule for the rest of the week.

So those guys were obviously trying to get her out of the White House.

Sure.

Um, and she is on, um, she was on a student, uh, she was intern.

So she was an intern.

So if they didn't want to, if you kick her out of there or fire her, she's gonna- Turn down

that

damn music!

She's gonna hold that thought right

there.

We have to,

yeah, we gotta vet this story first.

Untold service from the White House.

More

after this.

Mino and the mayor here on a Tuesday morning with Thomas Swerngen, favorite chef consultant.

We'll talk more about that.

But first, some inside stories from when he worked at the White House.

Yeah, so we were talking about when Monica and Bill were having their affair.

So she's an intern, and the Secret Service obviously knew what was going on, wanted her to...

not fire her, but remove her from there.

So she's part of DOD, so she's going to, they're going to get her job in a Pentagon somewhere.

At that time, the National Enquirer is doing, we'll give somebody a million dollars with a picture of Monica in the dress.

So we do- I've got one.

I looked.

Wow.

We would trade, so if we're doing caterings in the Pentagon for the SecDef,

He had a civilian photographer that would trade we'd trade food like what our lunch was for pictures So she would develop them bring them up

put dates on the event that we had.

Just for ourselves basically.

So we're giving you food every day.

We would love a picture.

That was before cell phones, 92, 93.

Nobody had that kind of technology.

So we were trading food for that.

I went through every single picture, like three years worth of pictures.

I'll trade, I would have gave Bill up in a heartbeat.

22 years old, give me a million dollars.

O'Connell falls on

that one.

Riverside, you know, kind of falls.

Right.

Wow.

That's

cool.

Did somebody cough it up?

It never got, well, I think what happened with it is she, they confiscated it.

They still have it.

The

dress.

Yeah.

Oh yeah,

I know.

Yeah, I just, okay.

Yep, they still have it.

Wow.

Did you ever see her like around?

Again, like, so she's an intern, she's running to get somebody's food.

Right.

So I wasn't sure if she was in...

Office of the Secretary of Defense, so OSD.

So like OSD is like a private membership.

These people didn't pay money for food.

They just signed their name.

Like you're at a country club.

So they just, you give them a, you give the member the card, they sign their name and their office pays for it.

So they would have sent interns.

I've never seen her in there.

So she obviously didn't get to the SecDefs office.

Wow.

That's amazing stuff.

What an experience you had.

I got to ask, like Colin Powell, do you have a favorite food?

I mean, do these guys have

bacon

cheeseburger?

Really?

I remember, like, 21 years old, but one of the first months I was there, they put me on the grill station, so we would rotate throughout the kitchen, so we're not doing the same thing.

So, runs up.

He's eating lunch with the sectif in the office, so it's a

good china everything running up there i'm making there like you better do a good job with it that's general paul's uh that's his cheeseburger well i'll be bacon

cheeseburger

that's

uh you

know there

must be something magical about bacon cheeseburgers because ridden joe vertigan's book uh he had been a uh a guard at the prison here in green bay for years and years and years he wrote a book about you know life the reformatory yeah and the whole thing it talked about one day the um

the inmates were really upset about something, so they weren't going on strike.

They wouldn't do anything, wouldn't do their work, wouldn't come out, wouldn't do anything.

And they said, okay, Thursday night, making cheeseburger night, is canceled.

The protest was

canceled.

The hunger strike was over.

So we just had an ice storm up in Wabino.

Last Friday was the first day back since, because we had spring break and then the ice storm.

I lost all my produce, but my freezer was awesome, right?

So that's the first meal.

I bought an event grill for the school.

My first meal for the students on Friday was a half pound bacon cheeseburger.

Oh, I bet they love it.

I did not hear one complaint.

That's awesome,

man.

What

a great

career.

A guy like that who could order anything.

He wanted and, you know, that's just a something that

we

would all eat,

right?

I mean,

that's pretty cool.

It just kind

of

shows.