Events

Coffee Industry Buzz

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If downtown Minneapolis seemed particularly abuzz this weekend, it's because the Specialty Coffee Association was holding its annual conference and exhibition at the convention center. Thousands of coffee producers, importers, retailers, and roasters came together for labs, lectures, and information sharing. If you wanted to, say, discuss preserving coffee plants' genetic diversity, or debate Starbucks' purchase of the company that makes Clover coffee machines, this was the place to be.

I spent a little time perusing the exhibit hall booths, which featured brewing eqiupment, green and roasted coffees, and all sorts of environmentally friendly packaging--including reusable cup sleeves like this:

My favorite discovery was the Handpresso portable espresso maker, a French product making its American debut. The machine uses coffee "pods" and is pressurized by hand, like a bike pump--but you have to produce the hot water. While it's probably about as necessary as the reusable cup sleeves, it was a cool concept that produced a decent-tasting shot.

Three locals--Andrew Palmer of Paradise Roasters, Andrew Millstead of Kopplin's Coffee, and Peter Middlecamp of Black Sheep--participated in the U.S. Barista Championships, in which competitors have 15 minutes to prepare 12 coffee beverages (one espresso, one cappuccino, and one signature drink for each of the four judges). While none placed this year (Peter took sixth at last year's competiton), they were sure fun to watch. Check out these shots from photographer Michael McGuire:

(That's Adam Palmer in the reflection.)

Posted by Rachel Hutton at May 6, 2008 10:49 AM | Comments (6)

 

Living Green Expo

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The Living Green Expo takes place this weekend in the Grandstand Building at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds , and it features all sorts of of food-focused booths, workshops, and demos--everything from local natural food co-ops to vegetable gardening and worm composting. Here are a few highlights:

Cooking demonstrations:
Rick Kimmes (Oceanaire) cooks Wisconsin trout, Mike Phillips (The Craftsman) makes his own cured meats, and JD Fratzke (The Strip Club) how to prepare meat from pasture-raised animals.

Workshops:
An introduction to beekeeping with a U of M bee lab scientist, and a discussion of the farm bill's impact on farming practices and the environment led by ag policy professionals.

If you haven’t signed up for a CSA yet, you can meet dozens of local farmers in the Community Food and Farm area.

Posted by Rachel Hutton at May 2, 2008 10:04 AM | Comments (3)

 

Food Writing 101

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A La Carte columnist James Norton is giving a seminar on food writing a week from Saturday at the Mill City Writers' Workshop, an organization founded by author/editor (and, yep, daughter of Don) Ashley Shelby.

Norton will be talking about reviewing restaurants, food blogging, and the process of writing a food book--from creating a proposal to promoting the finished product. Norton is not only an excellent instructor, but is as engaging in person as he is on the page, so you can expect an afternoon packed with information, a cheese tasting (!), and lively discussion.

The seminar takes place Saturday, May 3rd, from 12-2 p.m. at 6 Sixth Avenue North, Suite 3, in Hopkins and costs $40. For more info, click here.

Posted by Rachel Hutton at April 25, 2008 2:36 PM | Comments (0)

 

Chefs for Change: April 21

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Remember the fundraiser scene in "Friends with Money" which pokes at the irony of donors who won't open their checkbooks unless the charitable organization throws a lavish party? If you'd prefer to see 100% of your ticket proceeds go directly to those in need, monthly Chefs for Change dinners do exactly that.

The dinners take place at People Serving People, a Minneapolis organization that helps the homeless. Each event offers a "chef’s table" experience for 25-30 guests, with a multi-course meal with wine pairings. Chefs and their restaurants donate thousands of dollars worth of food and labor for the events so proceeds can go directly to people in need--and, during the evening, guests may tour PSP's home for families--and, if they choose, make an additional donation.

The next one takes place Monday, April 21, and costs $75. You can order tickets here.

April 21: Chef Dan Muggli from Chino Latino
May 19: Chef Steven Brown from Porter & Frye
June 16: Chef Rick Kimmes from The Oceanaire Seafood Room
August 25: Chef Phillip Becht from Modern Café
September 22: Chef Jeff Asorage from Capitol Grille

Posted by Rachel Hutton at April 18, 2008 4:22 PM | Comments (1)

 

Splendid Table at the Fitz

Filed under: Events

Lynne Rossetto Kasper is going Garrison on us: This Thursday she's staging a public taping of her radio show, The Splendid Table, at the Fitzgerald Theater. The event is intended to promote Kasper's new book, How to Eat Supper, co-authored with producer, Sally Swift, which goes on sale April 8th. Kasper will be joined by Road Food correspondents Jane and Michael Stern and Chris Kimball (Cook's Illustrated, America's Test Kitchen) will play Stump the Cook with an audience member via the phone. If you're a fan of the show, this one's not to be missed--an MPR press release promises "Ms. Kasper's signature brio."

WHEN: 7 p.m. this Thursday, April 3
WHERE: Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange Street, St. Paul
TICKETS: $15 (MPR members receive a discount). Contact the Fitzgerald Theater box office at 651-290-1221 or visit www.fitzgeraldtheater.org.

Posted by Rachel Hutton at April 1, 2008 11:11 AM | Comments (0)