Plates of delicious gnocchi

    Learning to Cook Italian with Chiara

    No fantasy of Tuscany is complete without an Italian teaching me their mother’s secret recipes while we roll out dough and hang noodles on clotheslines to dry in the sun.

    It takes thirty gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup

    From Tree to Pancake – Let’s go Maple Sugaring

    Some good friends invited me to help them make maple syrup. Seeing how real maple syrup is boiled down from sap is an eye-opening experience.

    Toast Wine Bar and Cafe in Minneapolis

    A “Toast” to Great Wine and Great Food

    As a new resident to the North Loop, in Minneapolis, my natural inclination as a foodie is to search for a place with great wine and great food. After walking around the neighborhood, I found Toast.

    The Emperor of Wine is a good read that helps put Parker's rise in the context of the whole industry

    Review: Emperor of Wine – The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr. and the Reign of American Taste

    Have you ever wondered why wines are scored on a 100 point scale? Take a read through Emperor of Wine, Elin McCoy’s biography of Robert Parker, and learn how Parker transformed an entire industry.

    The Coffee Crew serving coffee outside at an event

    Talking with CityKid Java About Coffee, Youth Development, and What It’s Like to be a Social Enterprise Organization

    In South Minneapolis, City Kid Java is creating an intersection between kids, coffee, and social entrepreneurship to help people transform their lives.

    In the garden at The Spice House

    Stopping by The Spice House

    If you’re looking for a fun place to learn about and buy fresh spices check out The Spice House.  They’ve got great tips about cooking trends and how to keep your spices fresh. 

    Kayaking at the Channel Islands

    At the Bar: Why Umami

    I was coming back from kayaking around the Channel Islands recently, thinking about why I wanted to start Umami and what it should be about.
    Nothing like making sun tea in the snow

    At the Bar: Thinking About Spring During the Hard Time

    It was a long bitterly cold winter in Minnesota this past year, the kind of winter that makes you think about how you can’t wait for global warming to get here.