2WLI1101HD Zócalo Food Park Transcript

- Announcer: The following program is A PBS Wisconsin Original Production.

- Angela Fitzgerald: Coming up on Wisconsin Life, a mini-golf tournament teeing up fierce competition, a conductor bringing harmony to an orchestra, a florist arranging community connections, and a race car driver bringing equality to the track. That's all ahead on Wisconsin Life.
[uplifting guitars, strings, piano, and drums]

- Announcer: Funding for Wisconsin Life is provided by the Wooden Nickel Fund, Mary and Lowell Peterson, the ACV and Mary Elston Family, the Obrodovich Family Foundation, the Stanley J. Cottrill Fund, Alliant Energy, UW Health, donors to the Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programs and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

- Hello and welcome to Wisconsin Life. I'm your host, Angela Fitzgerald. We're checking out what's cooking at Zócalo Food Park in Milwaukee, a vibrant spot celebrating food, culture, and community. This food cornucopia is located on 6th Avenue within the historic Walker's Point neighborhood.
[bustling salsa music]

"Zócalo" is the native Mexican word for plaza or public square, and that's exactly what's here, housing a collective of food trucks offering a myriad of cuisines. Visitors can enjoy the flavors of Puerto Rico, South Korea, Japan, and Mexico. There are spicy chicken sandwiches, tacos, sushi, ice cream, and an indoor tavern. 

The space was established to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their food endeavors while creating a gathering place for a community. Zócalo's incubator program expands that mission, offering a space and business guidance for budding entrepreneurs. It's a great way to celebrate Milwaukee's entrepreneurs while digging in to some tasty treats. 

We'll try the food here in a bit. But first, let's head to a mini-golf course in Door County, where players are bringing their A-game to the green.
[shimmery music]

[water lapping rocks]

- Angela: Visit the town of Ephraim in Door County and you'll discover the sights and sounds are pretty much par for the course.

- Tracy Opper: The harbor, the bay, everything is beautiful. It's one of the best sunset spots when you're downtown. Really good place to be, to live, and to visit.
[waves splashing]

- Putter around further north, however, and those sites and sounds take a dramatic swing.
[upbeat, playful pizzicato]

[thwack]

[clack]

[teasing pizzicato with light tension]

[metallic clatter]

- Welcome to the Red Putter!

- Tracy Opper: I love to play mini-golf. I love to watch people play mini-golf.
[golf swing whips air]

- Meet Tracy Opper. She and her father played their first round of mini-golf at the Red Putter in 1992.

- Tracy: His name was Bob Yttri. He would tell you his name was Bob with one 'O'.
[laughs]

- Soon after, Tracy was told that the Putter had been sold. Who bought it was a bit of a mystery to everyone around town, to everyone except Bob with one 'O'.

- One of my friends started telling me, like, "Oh, no, somebody bought the Putter! "What are we going to do? I hope they don't change it!"

And my mom and dad were sitting there one day, and my dad just got a big old smile on his face. And my mom looked at him like, "You didn't! You didn't buy it without telling me, did you?!?"
[chuckling]

- He did indeed, and for the next 24 years, the Red Putter became a serious passion for Bob.
[man laughing]

- Chris Otter: It's serious and not serious at the same time.

- Chris is Tracy's husband. Some would say he sort of married into the business.

- Tracy: We had our wedding reception here, and it was fantastic. They played mini-golf all day, and it was-- it was such a fun time.

- As time passed, the Putter became so popular the idea of a tournament was brought up.

- Chris: The gist of it is, basically, there were some people bragging about their scores. The short story is Bob said, "Prove it!" And he said, "I'm going to make them prove it. I'm going to set up a tournament."

- Thus, the Red Putter Pro Tournament was born.

- So many people will come here and say, "Oh, you have a tournament?" And we're like, "Yeah. You got to qualify to get in." "Oh, sure, what's qualifying?" Well, you got to get one under. You know, it's 41," and... "Oh, sure, absolutely, you know." They'll be all cocky about it. 

They'll go play. They'll come and set their putter down, like, "I'll see you tomorrow," and then, they'll leave.

You know, this place, it seems unintimidating until you're playing it. And then, you get halfway through, you're like...

- Golfer: Oh, too hard!

- It's intimidating.

- The tournament is made up of three rounds. The person with the lowest total score is declared the winner.

- Yeah, nice!
[laughter]

Nice, buddy!

- They receive a trophy, a cash prize, and something that could only come from the mind of Bob.

- Chris: He ended up watching the Masters, and he called up Tracy, and he said, "They keep talking about this green jacket. What's with the green jacket?" So, she explained it to him. There was a pause on the phone, and all of a sudden, she went, "We're getting a red jacket, aren't we?"
[laughter]

- That's right! The winner of the Red Putter Pro Tournament gets their very own red jacket.

- Tracy: We've had stories of people wearing it to prom or for graduation pictures, so that's always fun to hear about.

- Sadly, Bob is no longer with us, but you don't have to look far to see that his presence is still felt.

- Tracy: He became so well-known. He had been a bartender for a number of years, and I think that kind of personality came out, like, over the counter. Whether it's the bar or the mini-golf counter, kind of the same thing. You're talking to people. He meant a lot to a lot of people.

- The Red Putter remains in steady hands.

- I guess we always knew we'd want to keep it in the family. It's a great, fun business to have.

- If I ever looked at this place as a business, I would-- It would change my opinion of it. But this is just a place that I hang out.

- And that's exactly the way Bob with one 'O' would have wanted it.

- Tracy: It's a sport that's for everyone. You know, whether you're young and can barely hit the ball or a retired person just looking for something fun to do, anyone can play and anyone can enjoy it. You can have fun; you can get serious. You can get too serious. But it's a good sport for everyone.
[quirky, upbeat music]

[shimmery music]

- Angela: Now we join a composer in Sheboygan, setting his own tempo while leading an orchestra.
[lively orchestral music]

- Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi: Articulate bass, articulate. The conductor is the convener of everybody that is in the orchestra. The movement is upward. The string has room to vibrate.
[orchestral music]

- Angela: The maestro leads the symphony.

- Coordinating 90 people, everybody with their own life story.
[harmonizing]

§ Na, na, na, na, na, na, na § to the middle of the bar.
[lively piano music]

- Angela: Preparing them for opening night.

- Mussi: To be centered in the moment. One, two... I don't know-- that's not an accent.
[lively orchestral music]

- Angela: No detail too small.

- That person that helps you unify the interpretation of a piece of music. Do an accent that is just, like, so accented that I say, "Yikes!"
How long is long?
How short is short? 
Think, it's punchy, but it's also short.
How fast is fast?
[lively piano music]

It has to be punchy without being crunchy. I'm running out of adjectives here. 
The conductor comes and leads with vision, with musical concept.
[lively piano music]

[delicate music]

- Ernesto: Good.

- Angela: Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi is the conductor and music director of the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra.

- I'm also in charge of shaping the sound of the orchestra. Not just the sound of one concert but the sound in general, the sonic identity, if you will, of the ensemble.

- Joe Milicia: He's sharp, he's dynamic, he demands our best, and I think, and he gets it. I think we're playing better now than we've ever played before, in my experience. § §

- Angela: Clarinetist Joe Milicia's experience with the symphony goes back to the 1980s. His knowledge goes even deeper as orchestra historian.

- We're the oldest continuously performing orchestra in Wisconsin history.
[lively orchestral music]

- Angela: But being more than a century old doesn't mean being old-fashioned. Ernesto has expanded the repertoire. § §

- This week, we are performing "Fiesta" by Peruvian composer Jimmy Lopez. In that piece, he draws music from different walks of life. Afro-Peruvian music, folk music from Latin America, classical music, and techno music-- EDM, if you will. Electronic Dance Music.
[dramatic orchestral music]

Put all that in the blender, shake it really well, and then you have this incredible piece of music. All right, everybody, let's take a break. Thank you!

- Angela: A piece of music from a fellow South American that resonates with Ernesto.
[piano music]

- I was born and raised in Paraguay, South America. I was a member of the National Symphony Orchestra of Paraguay at a very early age.

- Angela: Growing up, Ernesto was exposed to all kinds of music, but classical would come to hold a special place for him.

- Sundays, we always has classical music. In fact, that brings me back memories from childhood and breakfast being prepared, the bread being toasted, that moment in the weekends that we can just take time and, you know, bond, which is a beautiful thing to do with your parents or your children, if you're a parent.
[fast piano music]

- Angela: Ernesto found similar warmth and connection through music when he began his formal musical education in the American Midwest.

- I've always loved the Midwest, the people, how kind, how warm they are. I decided to dabble into conducting. It involves my two favorite things, which is music and being around people.
[lively orchestral music]

[street sounds]

[warm up music]

- Angela: And with the opening night of the Sheboygan Symphony season comes the chance to touch many more people with the power of music.
[audience clapping]

[orchestral music]

- I start to work backwards from the audience perspective.
[lively orchestral music]

How am I gonna touch the audience? Making sure that we are bringing out every drop of juice that the music has to offer.
[precise piano]

[lively orchestral music]

Our audiences are, you know, touched, impressed by the sounds that you hear, because when you come to the concert hall, not only do you get to see the musicians, hear the music, but in a way, like, your bones are vibrating in sympathy with the music.
[lively orchestral music]

You have to make music in a way that will touch people's souls.
[lively orchestral music]

[cheers and applause]

- I am enjoying the sights, sounds, and tastes here at the Zócalo Food Park.
[energetic instrumental]

Before digging in, I sat down to chat with co-owner Jesus Gonzalez to learn more about how the idea of this food park was cooked up.

- Jesus Gonzalez: I decided to start a little food business out of a food truck. And through that first year of being open, I started to meet other food entrepreneurs in our city.
[clapping high five]

And I realized there is a vibrant community, but we just don't have this location, this plaza where we can all come together and grow.

- Angela: That seed of an idea grew into a thriving business, uplifting food entrepreneurs while building community in this historic neighborhood.

- We're in Walker's Point, which is-- To me, it's almost like the Ellis Island of Milwaukee because there's been so many immigrant groups that have come through this neighborhood. Most recently, we've had an influx of Hispanics come into this neighborhood, Latinos.

- So, can you tell us about that incubator space model that you all use?

- Nowadays, if you wanna start a restaurant or a food concept, you're looking almost at about half a million to a million of investment to go that route, but if we can provide someone a food truck, they can start their business for about anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000.

- Big difference.

- Big difference, right? So, it just, it opens up the playing field.

- So, that increases access, like you said, to ownership, having your own.

- Absolutely.

- So, is that reflected, that spirit, in the diversity of the participants you have within this food truck park?

- Definitely; I mean, we have such an array of diverse offerings. It's the fabric that makes this country, right? I mean, this is Milwaukee. When you come to the Zócalo, you see the different faces that makes Milwaukee "Milwaukee."

- Woman: ¿[Inaudible], por favor?

- Angela: It was time to celebrate the different flavors of Milwaukee.

- We're here for a pickup.

- Angela: Starting off with... pizza.

- Nice and crispy.

- Angela: Mm-hmm.

- Great mushrooms. It's awesome!

- This is really good.

- The arroz con gandules, which is very traditional, the pernil, and then, the tostones.

- Mmm! So, do you eat everything together or... Is that the intention?

- Listen, it's all fair game.
[Angela laughing]

- I just wanna say compliments to the chef.

- This is our Sandu, our incubator for the year.

- Oh, really? Very nice.

- Let's take the first bite

- It's delicious without being, like, overpowering with the spiciness level. Very, very good.

- Ernesto: I can eat this all day.

- Mm-hmm! Okay, so we have some delicious-looking Mexican street corn.

- Mexican street corn, yes. This was actually prepared by my mom.

- Aw! Mm, this is good. Shout out to your mom. Very, very good. Thank you for the introduction to all the amazing foods you all have here at Zócalo.

- Thank you! I'm glad you came by, met all these cool food entrepreneurs, and hopefully, you come back soon.

- Absolutely, definitely coming back.

- Cool, awesome.

- Thanks.
[shimmery music]

We meet another Milwaukeean working to elevate their community not through food but with flowers.
[truck engine roaring]

[upbeat, soulful music]

- Mikel McGee: I like how unique flowers are. These look like little, like, Peeps to me. They're very just fuzzy. There's just so many different varieties. They're all just so special in their own way.

I'm Mikel McGee, and I am the founder and lead florist of 414loral. So, we've got in some Anthurium. This is one of my absolute favorite flowers. I love the different textures. I love the different aromas. Okay, so we've got sweet pea, and we love this because of how whimsical it is.
[wrap crinkling]

When I'm arranging, I really like to take note of that; how each flower plays its role in making the overall arrangement beautiful.
[buoyant soul music]

Now, I'm gonna go in with some linear flowers to give it some height. Just the way that I feel when I'm in the shop and here, in general, I feel like this space has a lot of really good energy and that's something that I want to share with the community.

So, when this space opened up, it kind of seemed like a no-brainer to try to get in here, especially with it being so close to the old shop. I knew I really wanted to stay in Bronzeville on King Drive.
[optimistic soul music]

Just the history of Bronzeville, where we are, history of King Drive or 3rd Street. It was known for being a hub for Black entrepreneurship and that's something that's so special that I get to be a part of a new generation of that.

We have a lot of different events and opportunities for people to come in and work with flowers. We have a flower club, our Build Your Own Bouquet bar, a monthly design workshop. We're on a mission to just see our community flourish.

- So, you notice we're in a very beautiful space today. We're surrounded by flowers, right?
[funk music]

- We've never had an all-male workshop. We really didn't know kind of what to expect if the fellows would even be feeling it, if they would want to be there.
[clapping]

[speaking indistinctly]

- Put your hands down! This is for you. These are for you to take home!
[laughter]

- You could tell that everyone was just really present, and everyone wanted to be there. And that was just so inspiring. Hey, Harry. So, Heal Black Man is founded by Harry Evans.

- This may be something that make you feel good,

- Mikel: He started the organization as a way to show Black men alternative ways to heal. And his intention for creating this event was to show men that you deserve flowers, too. Okay, which one do you want? Brought two different varieties.

- That one because it's different textures.

- There you go. I think it was pretty evident to everyone who was at the workshop just how present everyone seemed. It's more than just a flower shop. It's a space where people can come to connect and bring a little bit of joy into their lives with flowers.

- One, two, three, 414!
§ §

[shimmery music]

- Angela: Our last story takes us to West Salem with a race car driver encouraging others across the finish line.
[engine thrumming]

[driving rock music]

- Announcer on PA: [Inaudible] here with us at La Crosse.
[race car Doppler Effect]

- Good luck!

- Bentley Knaack: It's excitement, it's fear.
[announcer on PA]

- It's exhilaration. It's a vast array of emotions.

- Angela Fitzgerald: Behind the wheel of her race car, Bentley Knaack is managing those emotions and much more.

- Bentley Knaack: There's just so much going on at that time-- the speed of the car, the roll of the car, whether it's losing traction or not, and it's nose-diving, and it's sliding.
[tires squealing]

And then, we're picking back up out of turn four, and I can accelerate like a rocket.

- At La Crosse Speedway, Bentley races for herself and those who see the track as open to all.
[announcement, engines revving]

- It doesn't matter if you're straight, gay, trans. Doesn't matter what you are, who you are, that you are welcome in the sport, that if you strive to achieve in the sport, you will. As it says on the car, "Beyond Gender."

- The car, decorated with inclusive stickers, is also the color of the Trans Pride flag. That visibility conveys a message.

- It keeps it fun, and it's easy to notice, so people spot it everywhere. I eventually want to make one that's a rainbow-colored car. I would love to.
[laughing together]

- Oh, that, oh, okay. Must have came off in the Double-O.

- That inclusive message helps Bentley build a team of people new to the sport. Ryan Isensee is happily along for the ride.

- Ryan Isensee: She recruited me kind of after we started talking and hanging out more often. You know, those types of friends if that just you meet someone and they click.

- Their team is called Equality Motorsports, and it's open to all.

- Bentley: There's got to be more people like me out here that like cars and like to go fast.

- The LGBTQ+ community supports the team, and the #77 car is a fixture at Pride events.

- Bentley: We got a lot of visibility this year.

- Ryan: The support is there in La Crosse.

- It’s the last hurrah.

- The team is wrapping up its first full season racing for Pride at the La Crosse Speedway.

- Announcer: It all comes down to this!

- Bentley: Very nervous...

- You got this, though!

- This season was just basically my season to come out here and breakthrough and show people what I can do.

- Announcer: Bentley Knaack in the 77!

- Bentley has shown what she can do, who she is, and who she represents. But it wasn't always easy.

- Bentley: Entering that space was difficult for the first time out there, really.

 Once you break through some of the tough exteriors of some of the drivers, you'll see that they're just like you. They go home, they work hard, they put their money into their car, and they come out here and put on a good show every week for people.

- Tonight's show reveals how the team performed.

- Our goal was to, for the first year, at least finish in the top ten. We finished tenth-- exactly tenth, but we finished.
[chuckles]

- Angela: With the race done,
[applause, announcement]

Bentley can, at last, ride those waves of emotion.

- This is crazy! Over the moon... Emotional.

- Ryan: Just watching someone do what they love to do. If you love to do what you love to do, you're going to do it well. And everyone with you is going to have a great time.

- Bentley: It was a blast. I'm very grateful and very happy for all the people that I've had helping me get here.
[high-octane rock music]

[cheering]

§ §
[shimmery music]

- We've shared the lives of people from around Wisconsin while enjoying the diverse flavors found here at Zócalo Food Park in Milwaukee. Discover more from around our state by visiting WisconsinLife.org. 

Reach out to us on social media or email Stories@WisconsinLife.org.

I'm your host, Angela Fitzgerald, and this is our Wisconsin Life. Catch up with you soon! Bye.
[uplifting guitars, strings, piano, and drums]

- Announcer: Funding for Wisconsin Life is provided by the Wooden Nickel Fund, Mary and Lowell Peterson, the ACV and Mary Elston Family, the Obrodovich Family Foundation, the Stanley J. Cottrill Fund, Alliant Energy, UW Health, donors to the Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programs and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.