February 2011

Kitchen in the Market Cooks Up a Community with Class

"We're not an incubator," Kitchen in the Market co-owner (and frequent SGT contributor) Tracy Morgan insists, "we're not here to help new chefs run their business or to tell them how to do it." The 14 chefs who currently share space at Kitchen in the Market -- there's still room for more -- include caterers, bakers, artisans, and even a mobile food truck owner, most of whom have experience cooking professionally and running their own businesses. Although having a proven, stable business isn't a requirement, the one-year lease that Kitchen in the Market (located in the Midtown Global Market) has its tenants sign separates the pros from the hobbyists.

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Sustainable Farmers Association of Minnesota's Conference Features Woody Tasch, The Culinary Center, and More

According to their website:

The Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota [SFA MN] supports the development and enhancement of sustainable farming systems through innovation, demonstration, education, and farmer-to-farmer networking.

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February's Simple, Good, and Tasty Book Club Pick: No Impact Man by Colin Beavan

What would you do to really make a difference? Would you give up most seemingly “normal” trappings of modern city life to create the ultimate experiment?

February’s Simple, Good, and Tasty Book Club pick focuses on author Colin Beavan and the year he spent trying to do as little damage to the environment as possible. Beavan eventually spun that year into a book (and accompanying film) entitled No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process.

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Beet Borscht: A Recipe for Traditional, Healthy Food

I don’t think I’d ever so much as looked at a beet until after college, when I had houseguests who were passing through town. They had learned how to make borscht while serving as missionaries in Russia, and I came home from a long day at work to a simmering pot of the root soup that they’d thoughtfully prepared. I’ll admit that I was a bit nervous at first, but was relieved to find it both delicious and nourishing.

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Homemade Beef Jerky Recipe - A Guilty Pleasure Without the Guilt

The things I do for you people! I have made beef jerky FOUR times in the last couple weeks in an attempt to get it right! Now I know why people were giving me the goggle-eyed I’m impressed look when I told them what I was up to. Who knew jerky was so ... jerky? And taking a decent picture of beef jerky – the ugliest food ever – is an impossibility, I assure you.

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Understanding the Farm Bill: Who is the Average Family Farmer?

In my last Farm Bill post, I said something I’m not exactly proud of -- three little words that felt so simple and good as they tumbled out of my fingertips and onto the page: average family farmer.

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Minnesota’s Sub Rosa Dining Series Takes Local Food Underground

Chef Nick SchneiderChef Nick SchneiderUnderground dinners are becoming more and more popular, and not just for those who are “in the know.” These multi-course meals take place in private settings -- from art galleries to backyards to home dining rooms -- and give adventurous diners (who expect to eat with people they don’t know) the opportunity to be served in an unconventional, intimate setting, allowing for more personal connections between chef, wait staff, and eaters. Underground dinners also provide enterprising chefs with unmatched creative freedom -- in many cases, menus (and even locations) are not revealed until the last minute.

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Amici Pizza and Bistro: Good Food in the NE Neighborhood

Amici Pizza and Bistro

I recently sat down with Cameron Adair, chef at Amici Pizza and Bistro in Northeast Minneapolis, to talk about the restaurant, which celebrates its first anniversary on February 28. The owner, Greg Pratt, and Adair, leading the kitchen, opened last year in the redecorated space formerly occupied by Snap Pizza.

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