Pennsylvania Kitchen: Behind the Scenes with Mike Madaio

Since starting our Pennsylvania Kitchen video series, we’ve had the chance to meet so many amazing Pennsylvanians from all different corners of the local culinary world: chefs, business owners, chocolatiers, cheese makers, and now, an author! We had the pleasure of welcoming Mike Madaio, a Philly-based freelance writer and blogger, who’s done all sorts of projects, including writing for popular PA publications, like Main Line Today and Edible Philly, as well as national outlets, like Wine Enthusiast and VinePair. He frequently teaches consumer-focused wine classes at What Am I Drinking?! in Bryn Mawr, PA, and he has achieved Italian Wine Ambassador certification from the Vinitaly International Academy.

In addition to all of this impressive work, Madaio has something even bigger in the works: the release of a new book, Lost Mount Penn: Wineries, Railroads and Resorts of Reading, a history of the oft-forgotten Berks County wine house culture of the 1800s. The book comes out on November 18, 2019, and will give readers the chance to explore the fascinating society and culinary culture that made Mount Penn in Reading one of the best known resort regions in the country in centuries past.

Follow along with Mike’s own culinary and vinous adventures via Instagram and Facebook, and stay tuned for the very interesting and very Pennsylvania-specific recipes — Berks-Style Chicken and Waffles and Dutch Stuffing — that he shared with us in the Pennsylvania Kitchen!