Minneapolis Parklet

    Walking the Green Path: Claiming Our Green Space

    Growing up I lived among gardens, something I didn’t appreciate until it was gone. Now I’m trying to learn how to grow these green spaces in the neighborhood.

    Lava pours into the ocean

    Watching Hot Lava and the Ocean Get Together in Hawaii Will Change How You See the Earth

    Watching molten rock bubble up from below the waves and pour into the ocean is a singular experience. All around you waves crash against the rocks, sending clouds of steam into the air, while liquid orange fire cuts through the mist and pours into the ocean causing the dark grey water to spit and hiss.
    Travelers on top of Haleakala

    High Above the Clouds at Haleakalā National Park

    The view from Haleakalā is the type of view that inspires people to travel across the globe, to stand at the summit, to look out, and to try and make sense of the immensity in front of them. As amazing as the view from the top of Haleakalā is the real magic is inside the valley.
    Sept 17 North Shore

    Walking the Green Path: Greener Paths at the Crossways

    Finding ingredients that have the least impact on our environment can be difficult. It takes the time, energy, and desire to find the information needed to make the right choice.

    Arctic Wolf

    Hanging Out on the Edge of the Boundary Waters in Ely, Minnesota

    Sometimes it feels like Ely’s purpose in life is to make people less afraid of the woods. Nestled on the edge of Superior National Forest, Ely is home to two internationally recognized wildlife centers, the Root Beer Lady Museum, and has more places to hike, bike, and paddle than you can cover in a lifetime.

    Hiking Trail Superior National Forest

    Walking on the Green Path: On Being a Trailblazer

    Whether you’re lost in the woods or trying to be one of the first restaurants in Minneapolis to pay your staff a fair wage while forgoing tips there are challenges and rewards to being a trailblazer.
    Elroy Sparta Bike Trail

    Walking the Green Path: A Tunnel Along the Path

    Running a restaurant at the forefront of a fair wage campaign can feel like traveling through a long dark tunnel.

    5.01.2017.spring Trail Walk Wilderness

    Walking the Green Path: Theory and Practice

    When we stopped taking tips at Butter we needed to have some time to settle into this new reality and see how good our theories were about what would happen.

    Cliff Jumper Featured

    Walking the Green Path: Jumping off the Cliff

    For Dan, moving his cafe from accepting tips to not accepting tips can feel like jumping off a cliff.
    Lyndale Neighborhood Association Community Award

    Walking the Green Path: Another Brick for the Path

    As I move into year twelve with Butter Bakery Café, I’ve created a new set of supports that feel different from my first years. I think I’m learning more about myself as a businessperson and about the role of my business within this community.
    Darrold baking bread

    Sunrise Flour Mill’s Sourdough Bread Recipe

    Sunrise Flour Mill’s Sourdough Bread Recipe shows how a little time and great flour can come together to create delicious flavors and complex textures in homemade sourdough bread.
    Community garden at butter

    Walking the Green Path: Being Counter Cultural

    At Butter, we try to be a daily advertisement for efforts to build community and restore our earth through the connections we make with each other, our food, and the world around us. Now, more than ever, this seems like a counter-cultural message.
    Rebirth of soil

    Walking the Green Path: Growth Beneath the Surface

    I’ve been aching for something that could feed my soul and give me the fuel I need to carry on in a business that at most times is all-consuming and in a world that has been particularly cruel and hate-filled.

    Chicken, Potato and Chickpea Curry Recipe

    Chicken, Potato and Chickpea Curry

    This chicken curry recipe has my favorite elements of Indian takeout along with the benefits of home cooking and comfort food. This curry combines chicken, potatoes, and chickpeas in a sauce that balances the spiciness from the curry seasonings with the creaminess from the yogurt.
    Geese flying in formation

    Walking the Green Path: Support for the Journey

    I understand that on long journeys one person cannot be expected to carry the full weight. When it is shared, the burden is lighter, the investment is deeper, and there is a benefit to having a range of experience to draw upon.

    Doug at work in Piccolo

    At the Table with Piccolo’s Doug Flicker

    In this At the Table, we talk with Doug Flicker the owner and chef at Piccolo located in Southwest Minneapolis about what’s important and what it’s like to run a small highly acclaimed restaurant.

    Dan with local business owners who are working on being locally-climate oriented

    Walking the Green Path: The Microclimate of a Village

    The image of village resonates with me as a way to take our large-scale urban environment down to a more natural level. In doing so, I’m learning more about my role in this unique climate that is the neighborhood around Butter Bakery Café.

    Lake Titicaca

    Discovering a Shore Thing at Lake Titicaca

    On the border between Peru and Bolivia sits Lake Titicaca, considered sacred by the Incas, who believed that the creator god Viracocha rose from its depths to create the sun, moon, stars, and first humans. As I hiked along the winding path next to the lake I wondered what treasures it might hold?