Talking to Nay Hla, owner of the ever-growing Sushi Avenue empire, you get the sense he has one constant eye on what’s next. The growth and expansion of his company is one sign—since opening in 2004, Sushi Avenue has established a pair of dining concepts (Masu and OneTwoThree Sushi) with nine restaurants, and a wholesale … [ Read more]
Avenue to Success: The founder of Masu and OneTwoThree Sushi went from washing dishes to owning a Midwest sushi empire
April 3, 2020 by
Distiller Profile: Ralf Loeffelholz and the opening of Dampfwerk Distillery’s cocktail room
October 28, 2019 by
There’s a simple reason that Dampfwerk Distillery didn’t open a cocktail room when it started production in August 2016. “I am not a mixologist,” head distiller Ralf Loeffelholz says. He is cheerfully unapologetic about this, and for good reason. His craft and calling is distilling, and his singular focus on creating true-to-tradition products has helped … [ Read more]
Univ. of Minn. awarded $100k grant to research apples for state’s cidermakers
June 6, 2019 by
This May, University of Minnesota researchers, in collaboration with a collection of local cider producers and apple growers, were awarded a $100,000 grant to explore the production of cider and cider apples in Minnesota. The Speciality Crop Block Grant, which enables state agricultural agencies to administer federal funds for specialty crop research, will provide funding … [ Read more]
BYO Bartender: What’s the allure behind self-pour taprooms?
June 4, 2019 by
Consider the self-pour taproom an antidote to “Give me the usual.” The concept—inviting customers to belly right up to the taps and serve themselves ounce by ounce—is driven by endless exploration and beer rotation. It’s the Snapchat of drinking experiences. And while Minnesota’s earliest iteration of the self-pour taproom, Community Keg House, fell flat in … [ Read more]
Camp Fire: Over a century of bringing kids of all backgrounds into the great outdoors to discover their true natures
May 29, 2019 by
Catching a frog is something of a rite of passage at Camp Fire Minnesota. The wetlands at Tanadoona—the primary camp and nature-based learning property for the national youth development organization’s Minnesota branch—are teeming with the amphibians, and marketing director Kelly Abraham says that regardless of the kid’s age, background, and familiarity with nature, sooner or … [ Read more]
Designs for the Greater Good: John Dwyer champions architecture that responds to human needs, not just wants
May 3, 2019 by
John Dwyer designs buildings that do more than provide shelter or inspire people to snag a selfie to post on Instagram. He designs buildings that serve his community. Dwyer’s approach as an architect can be seen in all of his work, from a Northeast Minneapolis live/work space that weaves a creative, minimalist gallery space into … [ Read more]
Leaves of Change: Verdant Tea champions China’s unheralded family farms by going straight to the source
March 26, 2019 by
The future of tea is a new generation—one of thoughtful drinkers who have developed their palates by selecting pour-overs from lists describing coffee beans’ origins and consuming spirits in the same building in which they were distilled. Developing that same relationship between tea farmer and tea drinker is where Verdant Tea has staked its mission, … [ Read more]
The nonprofit teaching Minnesotans about ranked choice voting one beer festival at a time
October 30, 2018 by
Voting your favorite brewery to best of the fest recognition has long been a standard practice at beer festivals. But for some events, it’s the ballot itself—not the beers on it—that are the focus. Check the ballot at your next event, and chances are it’s powered by FairVote Minnesota, a non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting … [ Read more]
Big Challenges for Small Dairy: Minnesota farmers seek creative solutions in the face of corporate competition
June 11, 2018 by
When I first rang Tom Portner to talk about his dairy farm Port-Haven, he told me to call back in a few minutes—he was in the middle of helping a cow give birth. The third in 24 hours, in fact. “Yesterday I had 24 due, now three of them have calves,” he says when I … [ Read more]
Beyond Bizarre: Andrew Zimmern on the impact of ‘Bizarre Foods’ and his hopes for ‘The Zimmern List’
April 30, 2018 by
Andrew Zimmern is an ambassador of the weird. The four-time James Beard Award–winning TV personality, chef, writer, and teacher (and Minnesota resident) has been exploring odd and undiscovered foods around the world in his Travel Channel show “Bizarre Foods” for 11 years. His new show, “The Zimmern List,” which premiered this spring, embraces a different … [ Read more]
Afternoon tea at Saint Paul Hotel is a Victorian-style happy hour
April 5, 2018 by
I committed a faux pas at afternoon tea. This is actually difficult to do, but I managed it by arriving late. My misstep was made clear not from the staff’s response, who seemed quite unruffled, but in arriving only three minutes past the hour to find the entirety of the floor already seated and sipping brimful cups of tea. One arrives to … [ Read more]
The funky, fermented flavors of Minnesota kombucha
November 3, 2017 by
Minnesota is home to five commercial kombucha producers, up from one in 2010. And as the scene grows, so do the number of places eager to serve it. Locating a bottle of ‘booch is often as easy as ducking into a nearby grocery store or brewery—and if you work for Best Buy or Medtronic, you’ll … [ Read more]
