"Imagine paying $50 for a pint of hand-pollinated strawberries," says the voiceover in this compelling video from the Beez Kneez, a local organization devoted to reviving the bee population in the Twin Cities and educating the local community about how bees affect our overall ecosystem. "That's what a world without bees could look like," says Erin Rupp, director of development and education for the organization, who caught up with the Hot Dish to talk about what the Beez Kneez has been busy with lately.

But this is just one of several things the Beez Kneez is all abuzz about. The Hot Dish had five questions for Rupp to find out a little more about why the bee population is in trouble and what we can all do to help.

If you've done the Light Rail bar crawl or a Pedal Pub outing, you're probably familiar with the concept of progressive partying, but the appeal of something like that fades quickly after too many weekends spent on a party bus. Thankfully, an organization called Dishcrawl, which has just recently popped up in the Twin Cities, takes the fun of touring but applies it to dining out. It's like a more grownup, food-centered version of bar-hopping, intended to help local gourmands get together and discover some new favorite restaurants.

The Hot Dish caught up with Dishcrawl's local ambassador, Christine Carlson, to learn more about the organization and how it works, and to get some details on its next event, Tuesday, March 26, on St. Paul's Grand Avenue.

If you were in St. Paul Sunday and on the lookout for something satisfying, unique, and a little bit spicy to fuel your Grand Old Day activities, you may have spotted Chris Millner in front of Dixie's on Grand manning his food truck Aussie's Kebabs. Millner is one of the dozen or so new  food truck owners trying to carve out a niche and prove that he and his product are not just part of a passing fad. Right now they are selling off 10th Street and Nicollet and are open for lunch from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., but they also plan to do the farmers market circuit and are trying to make the rounds in Uptown and downtown Minneapolis for the late-night crowd. 

The Hot Dish caught up with Millner recently to get the inside scoop on his experiences traveling and eating in Australia, the search for the perfect flatbread, and the other local food trucks that have impressed him. 

Even though summertime food in Minnesota is all about fried stuff, things on sticks, and treats by the bucket, on the hottest and stickiest days, after you've plucked the last greasy cheese curd from its paper tray, there's just one iconic treat that refreshes as much as it delights: a good old-fashioned popsicle. With warmer temps just around the corner, ice pop aficionados will be happy to know that friends and co-owners Sarah Newberry and Andi McDaniel are elevating that icy dessert to edible art, creating fanciful, grownup pops like Chocolate Lilac and Mango Chile. Their Kickstarter-backed business 10,000 Licks is dedicated to using local, organic, farm-fresh fruits, herbs, and even vegetables (they make a Vanilla Beet one) to create their inventive gourmet flavors.

This summer 10,000 Licks will be at rotating farmers markets, outdoor concerts, and events, and will be available as a 'pop share,' like a farm share, in which you prepay at the beginning of the season and get a box of ice pops for your home freezer every few weeks. (Follow them on Twitter for up-to-the-minute location information.) We caught up with Sarah Newberry during a few moments of downtime (she's also a certified music therapist) and discussed the trials and triumphs of owning your own business, haggling over a sheet pan, and a Zucchini-Vanilla Bean-Cayenne pop that still lives in infamy. 

We caught up with Sassy Spoon owner-operator Tamara Brown to talk about some of the challenges of gluten-free cooking, and the food she hopes will change the mind and tastes of anyone who thinks it's not a proper meal unless it includes bread.

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