Batter up! You don’t have to be from the Midwest to feel like a part of the community we’re talking about today—that’s because our beloved Friday night fish fry welcomes people from around the world to sit across the table with each other at parish schools and fellowship halls, to supper clubs, taverns, and community centers to enjoy golden-fried or lightly baked fish alongside classic sides like coleslaw and potatoes.

Who better to talk with me about this Lenten tradition than Ron Faiola? He’s a filmmaker, director, and author who, in addition to his movies and books about Wisconsin supper clubs, has produced two movies about fish frys in Wisconsin. All four of his films were licensed and broadcast on PBS for several years.

We’re covering everything from which side of Wisconsin serves rye bread at their fish frys, and how to know if you’re getting real lake perch, to how to find a fish fry in your community and why you want to skip the fork and eat fish with your fingers.

Ron Faiola

https://wisconsinsupperclubs.com

Club List

Movies

Facebook: Wisconsin Supper Clubs

Instagram: @wisconsin_supper_clubs

Wisconsin Supper Clubs—Second Edition (2023)

The Wisconsin Supper Clubs Story, An Illustrated History With Relish (2021)

Wisconsin Supper Clubs: Another Round (2016)

Wisconsin Supper Clubs, An Old Fashioned Experience (2013)

It’s Lent. Do You Know Where Your Fish Fry Is? (Atlas Obscura article with Ron Faiola)

Staci Mergenthal

RandomSweets.com

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Website randomsweets.com

Instagram @potatoesandmittens

Instagram @randomsweets

Facebook Random Sweets

Pinterest @staciperry

Email: staci@randomsweets.com