Month: October 2015

My Hometown: Ed Lee’s Louisville

Ed Lee’s Top Picks for Louisville You may recognize chef Edward Lee from his television appearances—Top Chef, Mind of a Chef (for which he earned an Emmy nomination), Iron Chef America, to name a few—but he’s more than a TV star. His brilliant cooking at 610 Magnolia has landed him four nominations for Best Chef: Southeast…  Read More

Taste Atlas: Munich

Devour Munich The capital of Bavaria, Munich is full of impressive architecture, world-class art, and prosperous industries. Home of Germany’s renowned Oktoberfest celebration, there’s a lot more to Munich than huge beer gardens and lederhosen. Bike through the old town, visit Frauenkirche, and indulge in various Bavarian meals that you simply can’t find outside of this region. From…  Read More

The Good Acre Grand Opening

The Good Acre Food Hub Open House Friday, October 30th The mission of The Good Acre is to enhance how food is grown and shared in the Twin Cities region, to improve marketplace opportunities for diverse independent farmers, and to increase access for all consumers to healthy, locally-grown fresh produce. The acre of land next…  Read More

A Discussion About Creativity & Innovation in the Kitchen

Ferran Adria, Jose Andres & Andrew Zimmern on the Creative Process On October 9, the Minneapolis Institute of Art welcomed Ferran Adrià, the world-renowned chef behind Spain’s avant-garde elBulli, his protégé and award-winning chef José Andrés, and yours truly for a discussion on creativity and innovation in the kitchen. The panel was part of a weekend of activity celebrating…  Read More

My Hometown: Jose Enrique’s San Juan

Jose Enrique’s Top Picks for San Juan Jose Enrique is one of the biggest names in Puerto Rican cuisine. Two years ago, he became the first Puerto Rican honored as one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs, and in 2013 and 2014 he was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation Best Chef South award. Enrique’s…  Read More

Auction Item of the Year!

Minneapolis Taste of the Nation I want people to come to the Share Our Strength dinner on Sunday evening with a big check in hand to raise money to fight hunger in America. In an effort to shatter our records and help Minnesotans get food on their tables Chef Tim McKee of La Belle Vie…  Read More

Gilles Verot

Charcuterie from a Master Culinary Craftsman With two charcuterie shops in Paris and chefs from New York to London seeking out his meat arts for their Michelin-starred menus, chef Gilles Verot is the first charcutier to become an international super star. He’s the third generation in a family of charcutiers, bringing traditional country foods onto center stage…  Read More

5 Questions: Raquel Pelzel

Reimagining Bread & Butter A seasoned writer and recipe developer, Raquel Pelzel started her food career in pastry school before landing a gig in the test kitchen at Cook’s Illustrated and later moving on to Tasting Table as a senior food editor. She’s co-authored 20 cookbooks—including the James Beard award-winning Quick Recipe and the James Beard…  Read More

Wine-braised rabbit|

Essential Tips for Braising

4 Rules for Better Braising Everyone loves to braise, and the mythology indicates that it’s easy, but it’s not—it’s simple (and there is a difference). But for everyone who thinks that braising is forgiving, I would remind you of the last dried-out pot roast you’ve eaten. Here are some handy tips for braising. Brown well.…  Read More

Ai Fiori

Beautiful Cuisine from the Italian Riviera By Bob & Sue As the sister restaurant of Michael White’s Marea, Ai Fiori has a Michelin star and an exciting Italian menu. We had a hard time choosing among the many interesting courses but started with the lobster veloute, the chilled corn soup with crab, and a crudo of fluke with American sturgeon…  Read More