Local Wisconsin food and beverages featured at U.S. Open

STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAW) - Local Wisconsin food and beverage is something that U.S. Open organizers are highlighting as part of the fan experience.

People from all around the country are visiting this championship, and local farmers are excited to be able to show off their products.

Wisconsin is the nation’s leading producer of cranberries and is one of the leading potato-producing states. At ‘Experience Wisconsin’ they’ve combined the two for people to enjoy.

“Agriculture is one of the very important areas here, and so they brought the cranberry growers, and they brought the potato growers. In fact, they made this special salad with the two together,” said Dianne Somers, financier for Plover River Farms.

The potato salad was made by the USGA chef. These two products you might not first think to put together, but people here seem to be enthusiastic about the combination.

“Which is a great mash up if you will, of potatoes and cranberries. It was a really delicious treat for me, and I snacked on some this morning,” said Heidi Slinkman, business manager at Gaynor Cranberry.

This is the first day booths are open at ‘Experience Wisconsin.’

It has been very busy. We’ve had people stop constantly throughout the day. So, it’s enough time to give us quality conversation time to help answer questions and share our story a bit more,” said Slinkman.

Both the Somers and Slinkman are proud that their food is incorporated in the potato salad today.

“You know there’s talk of about 50 – 75,000 people some days. So this is going to be a good venue for us. To meet people and they can know who we are. It’s going to be fun,” said Nick Somers, owner of Plover River Farms.

They hope to talk with and share their products with many more people.

“It’s just so nice to include our local businesses, and our local areas of interest. Which I don’t know if I’ve always seen that at other golf tournaments,” said Dianne Somers.

Steve Marino, the Championship Sales Director of the US Senior Open said that “Being right here in central Wisconsin we wanted to cater to the local community, cater to all the wonderful agriculture we have here. Really try and highlight some of the best food and beverage options from around the state, and what Wisconsin is known for.”

The booths will be open until Sunday. In addition to experience Wisconsin, you can also buy a ticket to PJ’s Restaurant. A ticket gives you access to all inclusive food and an open bar. They have a rotating menu throughout the week. Food and beverage options are from around the country, ranging from local Wisconsin Cheese Curds, to Philly Cheesesteaks.

There are two different tickets available for PJ’s Restaurant:

The PJ’s Champions Club - Premium ticket ($500) includes access to the 17th Green Shared Skybox and VIP Off-site parking as well as access to the luxurious clubhouse and complimentary gourmet food and beverage.

The PJ Champions Club ($325) is a shared hospitality experience at PJ’s - SentryWorld. Entertain your guests and network with other prominent corporations in the luxurious clubhouse. Complimentary gourmet food and beverage is included.

Copyright 2023 WSAW. All rights reserved.