Sheboygan, WI, Is Rooted in Brats & Cheese
Brats and cheese aren’t just staple foods in Sheboygan, WI; they are part of the region’s history, culture and personality. In fact, many residents are quick to share the influence these tasty bites have had on their lives.
Brats Mean Business Here
Meet Jay Cook. After fixing cars for 30 years, the auto mechanic changed careers. He started working on Saturdays at Brockman’s Meat Market to learn how to become a butcher.
“The customers are always in a good mood,” Cook says. “Not like with cars, where no one is happy about repairs.”
In 2022, he and his wife, Lisa, bought the revered Sheboygan store from Brian Brockman, whose family founded the business in the early 1950s.
“I guess we’re what you’d call a tradition,” Cook says of the market.
Sheboygan, WI, is famous for brats. During the 19th century, many German immigrants settled in Wisconsin and introduced the bratwurst, a link sausage made from freshly cut pork, veal or beef. After a friendly competition with Bucyrus, OH, in 1970, a judge ruled that Sheboygan, WI, be called the “Bratwurst Capital of the World.”
The beloved Brockman’s plays a role in maintaining the accuracy of this nickname, as the store produces plenty of tasty brats.
Brats Are Everywhere in the Sheboygan, WI, Area
In nearby Sheboygan Falls, what started as a butcher shop in 1945 now markets brats – not to mention numerous other kinds of sausage – to the world. Johnsonville has grown into one of America’s most popular brands of sausage. The company sells its products in more than 45 countries. Across from its corporate headquarters is Johnsonville Marketplace, a shop that sells every type of product the company offers in the U.S.
Another destination store in Sheboygan County that’s popular among locals is Miesfeld’s Triangle Market in Sheboygan, which has a full-service meat counter. And, of course, its specialty is brats.
“We offer dozens of fun ones, such as mac and cheese, apple kraut, and mushroom and Swiss,” says Tiffany Ingelse, the market’s general manager. “With our German heritage, I think the bratwurst has become more than just a sausage to us. It’s a social food that’s now incorporated into everything we do, from ‘frying out’ with family and friends to brat frys for local organizations.” (FYI: “Frying out” and “brat frys” refer to grilling brats. It’s a beloved quirk of the Sheboygan area.)
The Region Is Big on Cheese
Drive 15 minutes west of Sheboygan, WI, and you’re in the “Cheese Capital of the World.”
“Plymouth has had a major cheese involvement since the 1930s, when there were several cheese companies,” says Mary Hauser, executive director of the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce.
“The National Cheese Exchange started here before eventually moving to Chicago,” she says. “Today, we have cheese production, processing and storage to the effect that 14% of the country’s cheese comes through Plymouth in some capacity.”
That means there’s a lot of cheese to learn about, taste and buy, and a great place to start is the Cheese Counter and Dairy Heritage Center, where Jenna Schram is the manager.
“We’re a retail cheese shop, lunch counter and museum that’s dedicated to the history of dairy farming and cheese production in the area,” Schram says. “Cheese is woven into the fabric of Plymouth. We show the love of cheese in our festivals, businesses and public art – not to mention you can find cheese curds on almost every local restaurant menu.”
Plus, according to Hauser, “Talking about and eating cheese is a daily thing” in the region.
And there’s a lot to discuss. The area is home to Great Lakes Cheese and Masters Gallery Foods, large cheesemakers that supply bulk products to other national companies. Another major player is Sargento, which makes well-known grocery products. In fact, it was the world’s first company to sell prepackaged sliced and shredded cheese.
Another Plymouth-made brand you might find in your local store is Sartori Cheese, which crafts artisanal cheese, such as parmesan, asiago and Italian-influenced white cheddars. And if you’re looking for some of the freshest cheese curds in the county, drop by Gibbsville Cheese’s factory store every Wednesday after 2 p.m., where the family-owned business also sells fine cheese and spreads.
Brats and cheese are the stars at year-round festivals in the Sheboygan, WI, area too, like Brat Days, the Cheese Capital Festival, the Cheese Capital Wine Walk and the Sartori Big Cheese Drop on New Year’s Eve.
“Our city really comes together over the brat,” Ingelse says. And that goes for cheese, too.