julie kendrick for mn meetings + events -- farm to table

8/12/2019 Julie Kendrick for MN Meetings + Events -- Farm to Table

1/7

Farm-to-Fabulous:

FOOD THATS BEENCARED FOR

Minnesota chefs are celebrating a

bounty of delectable inspirations from

local farmers and artisans.

B Y J U L I E K E N D R I C K

SUMMER 2014 www.meetingsmags.com l MN M+ E 33


2/7

34 MN M+ E l Minnesota Meetings + Events SUMMER 2014

Clockwise from top: Common Roots Caterings rustic mushroom tart;Catering by Danis flank steak bites; Chowgirls Killer Caterings BigWoods Blue Canape, with Shepherds Way blue cheese and AmesFarm honey on buttery wine biscuits, topped with Marcona almondsand roasted fruit.


3/7

SUMMER 2014 www.meetingsmags.com l MN M+E 35

Caterers FRESHER THAN THE RESTIt really doesnt get much fresher than this:When were set up at the Mill City FarmersMarket on a Saturday, the farmer fromBrauchers Sunshine Harvest Farm will walkover about 20 feet with our delivery. Wellcrack the eggs, add goat cheese from SingingHills Goat Dairy and serve up an omelet,says Karen Cross, owner of Black Cat NaturalFoods. Along with husband and co-ownerPhil Ward, shes at the market every Saturday

its open, serving breakfast and lunch. (Alongwith super-fresh omelets, Cross says pulledpork hash is another crowd favorite.)

The couple started out as a wholesale organ-ic sandwich purveyor for sustainability-mind-ed coffee shops and delis, but their ongoing gigat the market gave them a new spotlight. Thecatering side of their business, which started

four years ago, has grown as their popularity

at the market has increased, and Black Catnow provides lunch buffets and hot mealsfor groups up to 40. We work with fresh,organic and local farm-sourced ingredientsto create menus that our customers tell ustruly amaze, says Cross. Their biggest seller?Hands down, its our chocolate chip cookies,she says. People ask for them with everything,even Indian meals.

FROM CORPORATE TOCOMFORTDanielle Gooderum started her catering busi-ness after working for corporate restaurant

chains. I saw them serving poor quality,frozen and packaged food, and I wanted to getaway from that, so I went to work for myself,she says. Catering by Dani shares a kitchenin the Midtown Global Market with her delilocation, Frescos Italian Market and Pasta Bar.

One of her favorite purveyors is LaughingLoon Farm in Northfield. They have some of

the greatest tomato varieties, and their heir-

looms are so gorgeous that we often use themin our displays, she says. Her event trendforecast includes a break from the norm. I seemore people wanting a fun and funky setup,instead of a traditional plated meal or buffet,Gooderum explains. Were doing things thatget everyone up and moving, like small platestations for global cuisines, or grilling on-site,which is more interactive.

A LOCAL STAPLEA fixture on the local catering scene for 10years, Chowgirls Killer Catering has built adedicated following among those that co-

owner Heidi Andermack describes as peoplewho think differently about things. She says,We really grew our business among creativeindustries like photography, graphic designand the arts, and they still are very strongsupporters. Her partner, Amy Brown, agrees,adding the business has now grown enoughthat, we get lots of customers who come to P

H O T O S C O U R T E S Y O F :

C O M M O N R O O T S C A F E ;

C A T E R I N G B Y

D A N I ; A M A N D A G A H L E R

, C H O W G I R L S K I L L E R C A T E R I N G

.

In many traditional restaurant and catering kitchens, food delivery is oneof the more predictable parts of an always unpredictable business. The Sysco truck pulls up to the backdoor and the frozen and packaged foods are trundled out and stored. Done.

For chefs who rely on locally sourced ingredients for their menus, the delivery system can be more capri-

cious, but can also yield unexpected treasures. A typical day in the kitchen might include a call from a

farmer to say his truck is broken and he cant deliver the sweet corn he promised. The anticipated number

of fresh eggs could be a dozen short because a purveyors hens arent laying. But then, there can also be

an unexpected knock at the kitchen door from a forager offering just-harvested ramps, wild mushrooms or

fiddlehead ferns, making tonights dinner special a lot more interesting.

Its all in a days work for the increasing number of Minnesota chefs who have jumped on the farm-to-

table bandwagon and developed successful operations in the process. The tumult and triumph of their

business model is summed up by Beth Fisher, chef at Wise Acre Eatery: [Farm-to-table] is the hardest

way to run a restaurant, but people really respond to food thats been cared for.


4/7

36 MN M+ E l Minnesota Meetings + Events SUMMER 2014

us just because theyve heard our food is great,and they dont even know about our commit-ment to local and organic.

They frequently use their event space tohost Farmer Brunches, where local provid-ers offer background and commentary onthe meal thats being eaten. Our Earth Daybrunch is always great, Brown says. Asked toname their top purveyors, Andermack says,I have to mention Thousand Hills CattleCompany, because Im their biggest fan.

For both women, the most popular item onChowgirls catering menu is the mashed pota-toes. We put them through a ricer and usetons of Hope Creamery butter, Brown says.Theyre pretty amazing.

AN ORGANIC COMMITMENT

Can a beloved local caf and coffee shop add a

large-scale catering operation, and still keep itscommitment to organic and fair-trade cuisine?Danny Schwartzman, owner of the CommonRoots Cafe and its offshoot, Common RootsCatering, is positive it can be done. Weopened the caf in 2007 with a commitment tosourcing good ingredients from local farmersand serving them in a high-quality way, hesays. Our catering operation is an extensionof that mission. The new 5,000-square-footcatering kitchen, located near the caf, was

developed because the kitchen was too limit-ing for the events his team wanted to take on.Our message is that its the same deliciousfood that matches your values, now availablefor large events, he says.

Missy Smith, executive director for catering,believes Common Roots is already deliveringon that message. Weve been very successful

at some high-visibility fundraisers, she says,noting the annual gala for the MinnesotaChildrens Museum in June will be catered byCommon Roots. We were asked to theme ourmenu with their exhibit on hunters and gath-erers, so we had a lot of fun with things likesteak skewers and wild rice pancakes.

CLOSE AND CONVENIENT

Being so close to the people growing the foodbeing served at The Green Scene Organic

Market, Deli & Catering, owned by ErinHaefele, makes Walker, Minn. the ideal placefor an organic caterer, according to MarketingDirector Tamara Wilder. We take pride inproviding food that has only traveled a fewmiles, she says. The companys full-servicecatering includes appetizers, salads, lunch anddinner entrees, platters, breakfast and desserts. P H

O T O S

C O U R T E S Y

O F :

K A T

I E C

A N N O N

P H O T O G R A P H Y

, R E S T A U R A N T


5/7


We provide pickup, delivery and full servicefor any type of event, she says. Green Sceneworks with a number of area providers, includ-

ing Arrow K Farms, Willow Hills Farm, KingGardens, Molnar Gardens and Marsh Gardens.

Asked to pinpoint trends shes noticing withher customers, Wilder says, Gluten-free justcontinues to rise, and many of our customers,whove been trying to find something they ortheir loved ones can eat, are relieved to find us.Shes also noticed that previously formal eventsare moving to more casual, family-style service.

RestaurantsTHE PEAK OF FRESHNESSWere not local just for the sake of beinglocal, says Nick Rancone, owner of CornerTable. We believe in keeping a short supplyline, and using food that hasnt been sitting ona truck all the way from California or Florida.

The venerable south Minneapolis eatery, a

leader in the local food movement, recentlymoved to a new location a few blocks southon Nicollet. With seating for 55 inside and a

patio that seats 30, the restaurant is availablefor private dinners and buyouts.

Rancone says that a local buying modelmakes sense for his restaurant: Were able tokeep in contact with our producers, have greatcontrol over the quality of the product, andserve meals at the peak of freshness. Askedfor his opinions on upcoming trends, Ranconeechoes the death-of-gluten observation bymany of his peers. Ancient grains are makinga strong push, he says.

LOCATION, LOCATION,LOCATION

French Meadow Bakery & Cafe, in businesssince 1985, is a longtime trailblazer in theorganic dining scene. In addition to a high-quality, consistent food experience, its longrun can also be attributed to the hip, centrallylocated neighborhood it anchors. Location,location, location, emphasizes outgoing gen-eral manager Jay Botten, noting that being a

mile and a half from the heart of downtownMinneapolis and a mile from the Uptown areamakes us popular not only for in-person din-ing, but for lots of catered deliveries.

And while the restaurant is certainly a

gathering spot for health-minded locals (Wehave a different vegan special every night,and many people really rely on us for that,says Botten), its also a prime location forprivate events. French Meadow underwentnew construction last year, and now has twoareas that can each be reserved for groupsup to 30. One space includes a patio, whichcan accommodate up to 60 in the summer.Those areas are in pretty high demand, saysBotten. We were booked three to four nightsa week every week last year, so its a growingpart of our business.

AN AWARD WINNERAt Restaurant Alma, local, organic farmingisnt just important because of its health andeconomic benefits, its also a family business.During the growing season, nearly 50 percentof the restaurants vegetables and herbs comefrom Greg Reynolds at Riverbend Farm. ButAlma also has a close relationship with DonRoberts at Otter Creek, an organic farm-er since the 1970s and father of RestaurantAlmas chef, Alex Roberts.

With so much demand for local andorganic foods, our relationships with the farm-ers we work with are so important, says Ash

Reynolds, event manager and director of mar-keting for the restaurant.

Alex Roberts, a James Beard award-winningchef, has been working in the organic, localspace since he opened fine-dining RestaurantAlma in 1999. The restaurant was nominatedfor another James Beard award this year, com-peting nationally for Outstanding Service. The

Left to right: Restaurant Almas duck;The Green Scene Organic Market, Deli &Caterings white bean asparagus salad.


6/7

38 MN M+E l Minnesota Meetings + Events SUMMER 2014

60-seat restaurant provides seasonal multicourse menus,and has a private, upstairs dining space for 20. For morecasual dining that still relies on local vegetables and meats,Roberts has opened two locations of his Creole-inspiredcomfort food eatery, Brasa Premium Rotisserie. Theconverted garage space in Minneapolis seats 45, with anadditional 40 accommodated on the patio area. The St.Paul location seats 85.

STAYING AHEADAt Mill Valley Kitchen, eating local is a way to be atthe front of the foodie pack. Find the best possiblefood and sources, and youre already way ahead, saysMichael Rakun, head chef and partner at the St. Louis

Park restaurant and downtown Minneapolis Marin.Both restaurants menus feature what Rakun calls fullnutritional disclosure, which he feels takes the healthy-ingredients conversation to the next level by offeringscustomers detailed information on each dish they order.One of his favorite providers is Wild Acres, which sup-plies free-range turkey, chicken, pheasant and duck.I took my family out there to see the operation in PequotLakes, Rakun says, and their care and dedication is just amazing.

Hes found a growing niche as a space for private events,noting a number of his customers are in medical- orwellness-related industries, and are seeking gatheringspots that align with corporate values. Mill Valleys private

Left: Mill ValleyKitchens tuna poke

is presented oncreamy avocado

puree with frilly but-ter lettuce. Right:

Marin Restaurant andBars Marin County

Cioppino.

P H O T O S C O U R T E S Y O F :

A M A N D A G A H L E R

, M I L L V A L L E Y K I T C H E N ;


7/7


Get Connected

CATERERSBLACK CAT NATURAL FOODSblackcatnaturalfoods.com612.327.1820

CATERING BY DANIcateringbydani.com952.239.0860

CHOWGIRLS KILLER CATERINGchowgirls.net612.203.0786

COMMON ROOTS CATERINGcommonrootscatering.com612.353.4261

THE GREEN SCENE ORGANICMARKET, DELI & CATERINGwalkergreenscene.com218.547.2880

RESTAURANTSBRASA PREMIUM ROTISSERIEbrasa.us612.379.3030

CORNER TABLEcornertablerestaurant.com612.823.0011

FRENCH MEADOW BAKERY AND CAFEfrenchmeadowcafe.com612.870.7855

MARIN RESTAURANT AND BARmarinrestaurant.com612.252.7000

MILL VALLEY KITCHENmillvalleykitchen.com952.358.2000

RESTAURANT ALMArestaurantalma.com612.379.4909

WISE ACRE EATERYwiseacreeatery.com612.354.2577

dining room can seat up to 18, and Marin hasthree private dining rooms: two boardroomsthat seat 14 each and the Napa-inspired BarrelRoom, which seats 30, plus a chef s table whichcan hold 15.

HYPERLOCALWhile farm-to-table typically refers to many

different farms putting food on a restaurantstables, at Wise Acre Eatery, its much morespecific than that. Chef Beth Fisher estimatesthat on any given day, 75 percent of what isserved is sustainably grown on the restaurantsfarm, located in Plato, less than an hour awayfrom the Twin Cities. What we serve hereis transparent, straightforward, honest food,

Fisher says.Events at Wise Acre can be accommodated

at the Minneapolis restaurant or the Platofarm. We do breakfast boardroom eventsfor up to 38 at the restaurant, says Fisher.We have a bright and sunny space, centrallylocated and the coffee is good. There arefarm days events in Plato that are open to the

public, and an annual farm dinner in early fall,which usually sells out almost as soon as thedate is announced. The meal features formaldining on a table set up in one of the farmsfields. The Plato location also hosts corporateteam-building events, in which executiveswork together on the farm and then enjoy agroup dinner.

Wise Acre Eatery offers a tempting reason to save room for dessert:frozen custard with add-on toppings.

julie kendrick for mn meetings + events -- farm to table

Documents