cooking local food

Want a foolproof recipe for a fantastic evening of food and fun?

Take a dozen eager food lovers, marinate with some glasses of wine or bottles of local brew, and toss with a delicious array of local artisan cheese. Then, guide them around an international market full of exciting ingredients to draw out their creativity, cover with crisp white aprons, and set them in a professional kitchen to boil, bake, sauté and otherwise cook up a complete dinner. Serve with a generous helping of instant camaraderie.

Tapping Your Inner Iron Chef

As the coordinator for the Minnesota Cooks™ program at the Minnesota State Fair, I'm writing today's post to give you a preview of this event, which features Minnesota chefs and cooks, local farmers, and consumers with a full day of cooking demonstrations, discussions, and sampling of delicious cuisine.

The big day begins at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, August 31, (with samples of scones and French toast!) and will continue with eight hourly presentations, featuring 16 restaurants and 16 farms. The Minnesota Cooks Stage proudly sits in Carousel Park, just south of the Grandstand, and is the place to be on the Tuesday of the Great Minnesota Get Together for one of Minnesota’s most admired and longstanding sustainable foods events.