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School is a place often
regarded by entertainment
outlets as a place for kids
and teens to explore their
passions, to reach out to
the new community around
them and attempt to find
happiness through a series
of extracurriculars, wheth-
er those include physical
activity, knowledge-based
discussion or performance.
One of the most consis-
tent extracurricular themes
seen in youth-centered
movies and television,
however, is that of the stu-
dent-led band.
Young rockers were de-
picted in classic nineties
television series like Daria,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
and Saved by the Bell, and
these shows influenced a
generation of high school
bands.
Today, the high school
band has maintained, and
even blossomed in, its pop-
ularity, with several groups
passing through the halls of
North High over the past
few years, from Eminence,
to Strawberry Jam Band
and to Indecision.
Jando Valdez, a sopho-
more who plays bass in the
student-led rock band Spe-
cific Ocean stated, “It’s a
very different experience,
where you get to be very
close with three or four
people.”
Much like being involved
in an athletic activity, being
part of a band requires mu-
tual collaboration, to which
Valdez can attest. “Being
in a band is a lot of collab
and a ton of teamwork, and
when we don’t get along
it’s very hard to make new
things together...but I also
think being in a band really
helps to get over that. We
learn to make compromis-
es, making sure we can all
express ourselves.”
Altogether,
rock-bands
are a classic part of the
high school experience,
and young musicians help
to bring an added layer of
culture to the school com-
munity while tapping into a
greater feeling of connect-
edness and creativity with
their fellow bandmates.
Popular local restaurant
Stone Cellar Brewpub
drew some high profile at-
tention recently as it had
several dishes featured
on the Travel Channel’s
“Food Paradise.” The dish
drawing the most attention
is the cheesy Beer Mac n’
Cheese.
Chef Hector Hernandez
had this to say about the
dish: “it’s definitely one
of the cheesiest and most
unique mac n’ cheese dish-
es in the dairy state.”
The show aired about a
month ago, highlighting
the process through which
the Beer Mac is prepared.
First, olive oil is applied
to a sautée pan and slices
of Andouille sausage are
added to render down in
the oil.
Second, Stone Cellar’s
house-made Alfredo sauce
is added so that it can heat
up sufficiently and so the
flavors of the sausage can
properly mingle with the
flavors of the rich, cheesy
sauce. Third, Cavatappi
noodles are mixed in to cre-
ate a base for the dish. To-
wards the end of cooking,
a mix of four Wisconsin-
made cheeses — Muenster,
Smoked Gouda, Pepper
Jack, and Colby Jack — are
melted in to give the mac
its famous flavor.
The fully cooked pasta
is then transferred from
the sautée pan into a bowl
and is then topped with a
mixture of shredded Mild
Cheddar and Monterey
Jack, Panko breading, and
chopped bacon bits.
Another dish featured
on the program was the
Wisconsin White Ched-
dar cheese curd appetizer
which is raved about across
social media and the local
food scene.
In addition, the show
also included Cellar’s
cheese sampler platter
which includes four chees-
es of varying kinds ranging
from Red Dragon Cheddar
to Merlot Bellavitano.
Garrett Richey, North
student and employee at
Stone Cellar, holds much
praise for the cheese curds,
saying that “they’re much
better than any other cheese
curds you could find…the
cheese is such good qual-
ity, they just melt in your
mouth.”
Stone Cellar is that it is
the oldest operating brew-
pub in the state, housing
the production of local
craft beers since 1858.
In that time the establish-
ment has risen to becoming
the 6th highest rated res-
taurant on Tripadvisor out
of all of the eating estab-
lishments in the Fox Valley
(282 total restaurants).
Alex Hohman, when not
writing for the Noctilu-
ca, works at Stone Cellar
Brewpub.
CULTURE
Appleton, Wisconsin March 2017 Volume XXII
Issue V Page 9
High school bands remain prevalent and relevant
Student-led rock
bands convey
classic cinematic
rock youth theme
By Maddy Schilling
Stone Cellar Brewpub featured on Travel Channel’s ‘Food Paradise’
By Alex Hohman
Appleton
eatery gains
national attention
Stone Cellar’s Beer Mac n’ Cheese is one of its many popular
dishes
. Photo by Alex Hohman
The Appleton North band Specific Ocean playing an outdoor gig at The Chubby Seagull restau-
rant last August.
Photo courtesy of Jack Cain