From the New York Times:
New York has a Little Italy, a Little Tokyo, even a Little Pakistan. And if the restaurateur Gabriel Stulman gets his way, there may soon be a Little Wisco - as in Wisconsin - added to the mix.
"Wisco" might be an appropriate term for a Sconnie hood in New York, since, in my experience, it's generally only a term that Coasties use to refer to the state or university.
In the last two years, Mr. Stulman has opened three buzzed-about restaurants in the blocks around Sheridan Square: Joseph Leonard, Jeffrey's Grocery and, two weeks ago, Fedora, his sleek modernization of the 94-year-old neighborhood warehouse.
Each is staffed with scruffy young expatriates from the Badger state. At Fedora, for instance, there's Brian Bartels, a partner known to clap when friends walk into the room, and the manager Adam Benedetto, known for his three-piece suits and easy hugs. There are also the Steger sisters - Rachel, Kaila and Shawna - who exude the friendliness you'd expect from natives of Glidden, Wis. (population about 1,000). It's as if the Upper Midwest were transplanted to the West Village.
"Here I am, a guy from Wisconsin who wanted to work with a bunch of his friends from Wisconsin," said Mr. Stulman, 30, who spent his childhood in northern Virginia and graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2003. "Now, it's becoming a self-perpetuating machine. People have come here straight from college and said, 'I hear you hire people from Wisconsin.' "
You have to wonder, is employment really only restricted to people who've lived in Wisconsin, or could a local who's watched Fargo as good as a native Rhinelander?
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