Kohler Food & Wine Weekend: Celebrity Chefs, Spirited Sips & Martha Stewart Steals the Show

Kohler, Wisconsin may look like a quiet little village tucked between rolling fields and lake-speckled countryside — but once a year, it transforms into the Midwest’s most delicious food & wine tasting long weekend.

The Kohler Food & Wine Experience returned bigger, buzzier, and more michelin star-studded than ever, drawing celebrity chefs, wine lovers, and food-obsessed travelers for four days of nonstop sipping & sampling,

And yes — Martha Stewart herself showed up to make the weekend feel just a little more iconic.

This year’s Kohler Food & Wine Weekend brought together a powerhouse lineup of talent, with returning favorites Scott Conant and Martha Stewart anchoring the schedule alongside exciting first-time headliners Robert Irvine, Claudette Zepeda, and Kardea Brown.

They were joined by a vibrant roster of cookbook authors, restaurateurs, mixologists, wine experts and TV-famous culinary personalities who kept the energy high from morning tastings to late-night events.

Across the resort, guests bounced between a packed slate of demonstrations and hands-on experiences — from pasta-rolling masterclasses and taco-building deep dives to sessions on bold international flavors, pastry techniques, knife skills, cocktail craft, and reinvented comfort food classics.

Specialty pairings, wine seminars, chocolate-infused workshops, and chef-hosted lunches gave festivalgoers endless ways to sip, sample, and learn.

While the entire festival buzzed with culinary energy, it was Martha Stewart’s fireside chat that truly became the hot ticket of the weekend.

Relaxed, candid, and in her element, the lifestyle icon opened up about everything from gardening obsessions to Olympic adventures — and the packed audience hung onto her every word.

“Right now my passion is gardening… it’s all about gardening and trees right now,” she told the crowd. “I like to see what other people are doing in their gardens. It’s a pleasure, it’s a major hobby of mine. If I have a hobby it’s probably trees right now.”

She also spilled a little Olympic tea, revealing she’ll be joining Snoop Dogg for the Winter 2026 Olympics in Milan after the rapper’s wildly successful Summer Games coverage.

“Snoop’s involvement in the summer Olympics last year — he increased viewership by 79%, so of course they’ve asked him back for the winter Olympics,” she said, adding with a grin, “They asked me to come back — I did the equestrian events last time at Versailles. That was so much fun!” she shared, “This time he’s doing the whole thing but I’m just going for a few days to do figure skating.”

And when discussing the renewed interest in her 2024 Netflix documentary and the re-release of her iconic entertaining book, she lit up:

“More young people have responded to that movie than anyone else. In fact, Netflix told me that more than 200 million families have downloaded that film. That’s a lot of people. So, the kids now want the entertaining book!”.

Part of the magic of the Kohler Food & Wine weekend is the setting itself, with guests spread out across the village’s standout accommodations — from the iconic American Club, a grand, Tudor-style resort filled with crackling fireplaces, plush leather armchairs, curated art, and the soothing hush of guests drifting in and out of the world-famous Kohler Waters Spa.

Just down the road, the Inn on Woodlake offers a more contemporary, lakeside retreat, complete with morning strolls along the water and sleek rooms perfect for winding down after a day of wine flights, that also paired perfectly with the Inn's boutique relaxed atmosphere.

But the charm doesn't end at the hotels, the Village of Kohler itself is like a postcard come to life — think manicured green spaces, bubbling fountains, cozy cafés, design-forward boutiques and wide, walkable streets lined with tall trees with red and golden colored turned leaves just in time for fall.

The legendary Kohler Design Center doubles as both an architectural attraction and a museum of innovation, while hidden corners of the village offer spots to sip a latte, browse local goods, or simply take in the fresh Midwest air between delicious tastings.

Kohler (yes, that Kohler of the well-known luxury Kitchen and Bath brand) strikes the perfect balance between Hallmark-movie charm and high-end resort polish — crisp, cozy, and effortlessly elegant. It’s the kind of setting that instantly elevates the entire food-and-wine experience and turns the weekend into a true getaway rather than just another food and wine event.

From Martha Stewart’s fireside chat and intimate dinner to the wall-to-wall tastings, chef-led workshops, and marquee celebrations, the Kohler Food & Wine Experience once again delivered the ultimate fall escape — and one that's absolutely worth putting on your calendar for next year.