Pick up chef's 'Fork' for a culinary tour of Michigan

There's a new twist to Yogi Berra's famous malaprop: "If you come to a fork in the road, take it." What you actually should do is taste it, read it and watch it.

"Fork in the Road With Eric Villegas" (Huron River Press, $35) is a book you'll want on your coffee table (for its gorgeous landscapes and food photography) and in your kitchen library (for its fun recipes). It's a volume from which you'll want to take copious notes to guide your travels, inspiring you, perhaps, to custom-design your own culinary tour of Michigan -- or, at least, incorporate foodie stops into your travels. The book is a companion to Eric's award-winning PBS cooking show of the same name.

Five years ago, Villegas, a successful restaurateur, hit the road on a mission to meet artisan growers, ranchers, bottlers, producers and farmers. Tirelessly, he toured their facilities, purchased their products and put his classical French training to work, using local ingredients to create a collection of recipes highlighting Michigan cuisine.

Enjoy Villegas' amusing and energetic celebrity persona as "unkle e" as you follow his foodie trails in Michigan. Time a trip to coincide with one of the chef's favorite food festivals.

These include the Annual National Morel Mushroom Festival in Boyne City (May 15-18). But if you're unable to successfully hunt morels in the wild, "unkle e" suggests visiting Gary Mills and Kris Berglund, who are growing morels indoors. "Using local ingredients such as sawdust, bark and composted leaves, the savvy scientists have set up shop as Woodland Exotics in western Michigan and have been offering morels and other exotic mushrooms since 2005," Villegas writes.

He also enjoys the funky annual Gizzard Fest at Potterville (June 7-10), a sleepy town of about 2,100 that draws 16,000 when it becomes "ground zero for crispy innards." According to Villegas, "Joe's Gizzard City batters and deep-fries these provocative poultry parts, offering an afternoon you soon won't forget -- even if you want to."

Another favorite gathering is the Posen Potato Festival (early September), which has been going for 56 years. Simply stated, "Michigan does the spud proud," writes Villegas. He credits the cool, moist climate and deep sandy/loamy soil that make the state the leading producer of new red skin potatoes as well as "chippers." The festival features potato pancake breakfasts, a potato dish contest and polka dancing galore.

A good place to launch a culinary tour is Restaurant Villegas at Okemos, in the Greater Lansing area. The chef-owner's philosophy of using local and regional products guides his stylish restaurant.

Try smoked pork shoulder or beef brisket cooked slowly for 14 hours, or French-style gnocchi tossed in a wood-roasted butternut squash cream. Accompany your meal with wine from a Michigan vintner, or choose Michigan-brewed beer or hard apple cider. As you plan an itinerary for a visit to Michigan, consider these foodie stops suggested by Villegas:

• Paczki (pronounced POONCH- key). Visit the famed Polish enclave of Hamtramck for what basically is a deep-fried, jelly-filled doughnut, often with prune, raspberry or vanilla-cream filling. They're especially popular in the days leading up to "Fat Tuesday," after which Polish Christians renounce confections for lent.

• Balaton cherries, Engle Ridge Farm, Williamsburg. Developed at Michigan State University, this cherry is larger, firmer and sweeter than the Montmorency and offers the best of both worlds -- sweet and tart, perfect for eating fresh and for cooking, too. Although production is limited, Engle Ridge is growing and taking orders for this variety.

• Honeycrisp apples. Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm, Eau Claire. Although Honeycrisp apples are widely available in Michigan, this grower is especially worth visiting because of its more than 200 varieties of heirloom apples (including one tree with 16 varieties grafted onto it). Honeycrisp is a large, sweet fruit with a crisp texture. It is ideal for galette, an apple tart with a pizza-like appearance.

• Hard apple cider. Almar Orchards, Flushing. Jim Koan is on a mission to keep organic sustainable agriculture in his family, which has owned these orchards for 55 years. His hard apple cider was Michigan's first, a delicious drink plucked from America's history.

• Vodka. Round Barn Winery, Baroda, and Grand Traverse Distillery, Traverse City. Now add Michigan to the world's vodka makers. Round Barn creates vodka from grapes; Grand Traverse uses rye.

• Raclette cheese. Leelanau Cheese Company at Black Star Farms, Suttons Bay. Made in small batches by Anne Hoyt, aged Raclette is considered by cheese pundits to be one of America's great cheeses.

• Raw milk cheddar. Steve-N-Sons Grassfields Cheese, Coopersville. This cheese maker earns a rave from "unkle e": "Of the things I love about what I do are those that allow me to meet incredibly talented people with a generous spirit and love for food. This company makes an amazing product. Aged a minimum of 60 days, these raw milk cheeses are incredibly delicious and good for you, too."

• Farm-raised saltwater shrimp. Shrimp Farm Market, Okemos. In 1994, Russ Allen pioneered the raising of saltwater shrimp indoors (hundreds of miles away from the sea).

If you go

Information: Travel Michigan, (888) 784-7328, www.michigan.org; Restaurant Villegas, (517) 347-2080, www.restaurantvillegas.com.

Mileage: Northeast from Chicago, Boyne City is about 350 miles; Potterville 205 miles, Posen 495 miles, Hamtramck 285 miles, Traverse City 320 miles, Eau Claire 105 miles, Flushing 270 miles, Suttons Bay 332 miles, Coopersville 185 miles and Okemos 225 miles.

MikeMichaelson is a travel

writer based in Chicago and

the author of the guidebook

"Chicago's Best-Kept Secrets."