G Bradley Publishing

This book, by history and photograph, recipe and anecdote, recounts the lately forgotten story of the Germans in Milwaukee and the profound influence these German-speaking immigrants and their descendants had upon the dynamic city of today. Author Trudy Knauss Paradis, with the assistance of E.J. Brumder, beautifully sets forth this extraordinary history; from the early German-speaking arrivals to Milwaukee County in the 1830s, to the vibrant “German Athens on Lake Michigan” which these immigrants and their children created, to the suppression of German identity following the two World Wars, to the renaissance of German ancestral pride of today. Together, Ms. Knauss Paradis, Director-in-Charge of Cultural Exhibition for German Fest Milwaukee and a child of German-born immigrants; and Mr. Brumder, local historian and scion of the Brumder German-language publishing empire, provide a well-rounded view of not only what it has meant and still means to be “German” in Milwaukee, but also an insightful portrayal of an often brilliant, culturally vibrant and always industrious community which has enriched Milwaukee at every conceivable level. As such, it is fitting that the foreword of this book is written by the late Frank P. Zeidler, the much-loved, German-American mayor of Milwaukee. Moreover, not only did the German immigrants significantly contribute to the commercial, industrial, cultural, religious, educational and social foundations of Milwaukee, they also brought Schnitzel and Sauerkraut to the coast of Lake Michigan. Thus, this book also highlights the culinary contributions of the German immigrants by turning an inviting light onto four of Milwaukee’s award-winning German restaurants, with each providing several recipes of their excellent and authentic German fare. These restaurants include Mader’s, The Bavarian Inn, Weissgerber’s and Karl Ratzsch’s. As an added bonus to readers, 22 German-American Milwaukeeans have opened their kitchens to share their private German family recipes, often passed from Oma to Mutter to Tochter or Sohn. German Milwaukee: Its History -– Its Recipes is a gorgeous book, a 200-page hardbound volume containing hundreds of rare historical photographs and dozens of present-day, exquisite food photographs shot by nationally renowned photographer Katherine Bish. Brought to you by G. Bradley Publishing of St. Louis, in cooperation with the Milwaukee Turners, German Milwaukee: Its History -– Its Recipes is the perfect book for those from Milwaukee or Wisconsin, German and non-German alike. Simply stated, this book seeks to bring to the reader the best that was and still is German Milwaukee; its successful history, its delicious food, its brilliant culture, its wonderful people, and its undying spirit.