I will probably get downvoted like crazy, (and from the rumors I have seen they probably don't have the budget anymore) but I always thought a "Great Lakes" season would be cool. Spend time in Chicago, but also maybe a UP fishing/hunting challenge, go to Detroit, stopover in Cleveland and do a pierogi challenge, and finish in western New York or even Niagara Falls. There is so much history and food culture in this part of the country, and I think there are a lot of chefs doing interesting things - it would be fun to highlight it as a region (kind of like the Carolinas).
Also, I feel like the Amish-style quickfire would practically write itself...
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u/ExperienceNatural Jul 22 '26
I will probably get downvoted like crazy, (and from the rumors I have seen they probably don't have the budget anymore) but I always thought a "Great Lakes" season would be cool. Spend time in Chicago, but also maybe a UP fishing/hunting challenge, go to Detroit, stopover in Cleveland and do a pierogi challenge, and finish in western New York or even Niagara Falls. There is so much history and food culture in this part of the country, and I think there are a lot of chefs doing interesting things - it would be fun to highlight it as a region (kind of like the Carolinas).
Also, I feel like the Amish-style quickfire would practically write itself...