Dara reports on Chef Joan Ida’s sojourn in the land of the Highland Grill, the challenge of cooking with a fussy child, tickets for Outstanding in the Field are intriguing and also $180, City Pages checks out the Green Fairy at Town Talk, and Surly on KARE11 via MNBeer.
Jena Modin / Heavy Table
“Iron for the Empire State Building, Panama Canal and Golden Gate Bridge came out of here. It was a big part of Duluth,” says Alex Giuliani, owner of the 36,000 square foot Clyde Iron Works building located in Duluth’s West End. A developer, Giuliani purchased the building in 2003 with the vision of creating a restaurant and gathering place. “I didn’t want it to get torn down because once it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind,” says Giuliani, who plans to open the restaurant on April 12th. Giuliani will kick off the opening of the restaurant with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra’s Annual Ball with MASS Ensemble on April 10th — the group will play in an event center located in the other half of the Clyde Iron Works building.
Jena Modin / Heavy Table
A wood-fire grill that rests between two wood-fire ovens will be where the majority of the cooking takes place. “We are celebrating the American worker, things will be made the way they used to be made,” says Giuliani. Breads, pasta, porketta, pot pies, and pasties are just a few of the items that will be made from scratch. Pasta will be made fresh to order using a semolina and water-based batter.
The restaurant will be fast casual with customers ordering at a counter and runners bringing the food to their table. “I’d rather have the customers keep the twenty percent on tipping and use that for something else,” says Giuliani. Full service will be available upstairs in the mezzanine where a full bar and tap beer will also be available. “We want to keep a price point that is indicative with what is out there and with the economy,” says Giuliani.
Jena Modin / Heavy Table
The kitchen will be a collaboration of minds with an array of culinary experience. Rob Giuliani, Alex’s brother, will help oversee both the kitchen and the front of the house. A CIA graduate, he has worked as a sous chef at Marshall Field’s and Martini Blu and as the general manager of Joe’s Garage. Spearheading the kitchen will be executive chef Pete Stumme, formerly of the Normandy Inn and Suites in Minneapolis. Stumme has also worked as a lead line cook at Hazelwood Grill and Tap Room. “I wanted people who were young and ambitious,” says Giuliani.
With the opening date quickly approaching, Giuliani’s team is working hard to test food and finish tables. “Cooking with wood is like an art,” says Giuilani. “We wanted people to see the cooking, it’s not coming out from behind a wall, it’s made in front of you, it’s a show.” The aesthetics of the food are as important as the aesthetics of the building. Tables for the restaurant along with all of the pillars and stairs have been made from materials salvaged from the building or found on the property.
Eric Faust / Heavy Table
In the weeks and months after opening Giuliani plans to add a beer brewery. The old Duluth Brewing and Malting building is adjacent to the property and another building that Giuliani owns. “We plan to bring some of the artifacts from the old brewery and display them here,” says Giuliani.
“I wanted a community gathering place, I’m from Mexico and every Mexican town has a plaza and the community can come there at night to eat, talk and purchase things,” says Giulani. The Clyde Iron Works will be set apart not only in location, but also as the only restaurant with wood fired ovens and grills.
W Michigan St & S 29th Ave W 29th Ave West and Michigan Street
Duluth, MN 55806
218.727.1150
OWNER: Alex Giuliani
HOURS:
Mon-Thu 11am-1am
Fri-Sat 11am-2am
Sun 11am-12am
ENTREE RANGE: Lunch $8-$10; Dinner $10-$14
BAR: Full
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
One bite of Cocoa and Fig’s sweet offerings and you’d never know that owner Laurie Pyle’s original career plans were in the complete opposite direction from the culinary world. In fact, as the buttercream melts in your mouth, you’ll swear the owner of the two-year-old catering company — and the recently opened Cocoa and Fig retail space in Gaviidae Commons — was born to bake.
Spending some time with her, however, the Heavy Table discovered many things about Pyle, including a surprising start into the culinary world, her “go-getter” approach to business, and her unlikely choice for a birthday dessert.
An unlikely entrance into the culinary world:
I went to Tufts and actually studied psychology and child studies. But I thought, since I would not only need to get a masters and a PhD, I really better make sure this is what I want to do. I was super into food at the time — had always cooked. Every single job I’d ever held was in the food business, I just had never thought of it as a career. So I did a little soul searching and found the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) in New York and enrolled there. I moved to New York and did their two-year culinary program.
Getting influence from Sara Foster, an American culinary force on seasonal, fresh cooking:
During the program [at the CIA] you’re required to do an externship. I went down to North Carolina and worked for a woman named Sara Foster. You’ve heard of her? She was a catering chef for Martha Stewart when Martha had her catering company before she had everything else. She had written her first cookbook and the foreword was by Martha, which caught my mother’s eye when she saw the cookbook on the shelf. She said: “You have to contact this woman — it’s exactly the type of shop you want to own someday.”
I went down to visit her and asked if she’d ever taken interns and she hadn’t at that point. I asked if she’d be willing to and ended up going down and doing my externship with her.
It was awesome! She’s an amazing person. I was an amazing experience. I learned a lot about cooking from her — a lot about using fresh, seasonal farmers market ingredients. We would often go to the market together on Saturday and then that would be the special for the weekend. I absolutely loved it!
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
Continue reading Laurie Pyle of Cocoa and Fig »
[1 Comment]
by Susan Pagani on February 24, 2010
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
When we talked with Landon Schoenefeld about the influences that have shaped the menu and atmosphere of HauteDish — the restaurant he and his partners plan to open next month — he pointed us to an episode of “No Reservations” in which Anthony Bourdain visits Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal.
In it, Chef Martin Picard serves Bourdain Canard en Conserve — duck in a can. This comes after Bourdain has already consumed some 14 dishes featuring foie gras with everything from poutine to bacon-buckwheat pancakes. The server opens the can and, following a certain amount of gelatinous suction, a huge, indelicate glob of duck breast, foie gras, cabbage, and garlic slides out onto a bed of celery root puree and toast. Bourdain declares it delicious and, clearly overwhelmed by the fatty goodness, asks for something to drink.
“I think Martin Picard’s food is over the top,” says Schoenefeld (pictured above with business partner Jess Soine). “Au Pied de Cochon means foot of the pig, and that’s what you get; it’s nose-to-tail stuff and it’s really rustic but gluttonous. I wouldn’t say our restaurant is going to be that exactly — our food will be more refined and pretty — but I’m going for that feeling.”
There’s no need to try to find the oat-ought sounds in Haute, says Schoenefeld: “You can say ‘hot dish.’ That was one of our dilemmas, you know, is it a good name or a bad name? But we’re just saying ‘hot dish.’”
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
It’s an apt name considering the restaurant will open serving what Schoenefeld calls new Midwestern cuisine. “I would say it’s elevated hot dish,” he says. “We’ll start with a pork and beans, tater tot hot dish, chicken and dumplings …”
In other words, the food he grew up eating. “My mom was a terrible cook, actually, she wouldn’t deny it, but one of the things that she could pull off was a halfway decent tater tot hot dish,” Schoenefeld says, and then kindly describes it for the out-of-towner. “It’s like a big mish-mash of onions, ground beef, Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, canned green beans — you know, the Army Jeep green kind — and Ore-Ida tater tots.”
The HauteDish version will combine braised short ribs, potato croquette, a porcini mushroom béchamel and, of course, fresh green beans. “So as much as I hate the word,” he admits, “I guess it’s sort of a deconstruction, my version.”
Recently much has been made of Schoenefeld’s age. When this is mentioned, he laughingly says, “Yeah, my favorite is ‘young firebrand.’” It’s fitting when taken in combination with the fact that he is actually just 28, the infamous “Colonel Mustard” incident and whatever it is — some extraordinary combination of talent, hubris, and impetuousness — that has kept him flying through some of the Twin Cities’ best kitchens, including Restaurant Alma, 112 Eatery, Brasa, Porter & Frye, Barbette, Bull Dog N.E, Trattoria Tosca, and Café Levain.
Schoenefeld, however, says he’s no spring chicken. “I’m pushing 30, which in cook years is getting there — I mean, how long can you be on the line?” He says. “Have I been doing this as long as Tim McKee or Alex Roberts? No, but I’ve been working really hard and technically, I’ve been in the kitchen for 15 years. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that I got lucky — it’s not every day that you can fall in with a group of like-minded people, who believe in you and have a chunk of money to risk. It’s a huge risk, everyone knows the statistics. But at the same time, I got lucky for a reason: I work hard and I can come up with clever things.”
It surely is a common story, but looking at the chef’s somewhat mercurial rise, one is curious to know how young Schoenefeld found his way from tater tots to croquettes. “I don’t know, really,” he says, “I’ve always liked food, I’ve always liked eating.”
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Schoenefeld grew up in South Dakota, where, he says, “the food in general just isn’t good.” But his family taught him, by example, the value of a home-cooked meal and hard work. “We grew up so poor that it was like — my mom wasn’t the best cook, but she cooked,” he says. “We didn’t eat out, ever; I don’t think my mom even ordered a pizza ‘til I was in high school.”
“And the other thing is that, if you want to make it in this business, you have to have a strong work ethic,” he adds. “Growing up, the way I was raised and where I’m from, I think I’ve always been willing to work, work, work.”
Continue reading Landon Schoenefeld Gets Ready to Open HauteDish »
[19 Comments]
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
More than three months have gone by since Krista Steinbach and Ly Lo welcomed St. Paul neighbors and dessert enthusiasts to the grand opening of their joint venture, Sweets Bakeshop. Born from the merger of Steinbach’s upstart cupcake and macaroon business and Lo’s St. Paul cake shop, the new Sweets Bakeshop relaunched at the cusp of the holiday season, and business has been steady and growing since then, with higher-than-expected walk-in sales, a boom in requests from brides-to-be, and numerous mentions in local media. Steinbach and Lo recently took a chance to catch their breath and re-live the past few months with the Heavy Table.
“It feels like just yesterday, but it also feels like it was so long ago,” remembers Steinbach of the bakeshop’s Nov. 14 grand opening.
That successful event kicked off a marathon for Steinbach and Lo, who found themselves sleeping on cots in the kitchen for a week over the holidays to fill all the orders that came in, as well as the walk-in demand for the duo’s gourmet cupcakes, macaroons, brownies, and blondies. They even had to recruit their husbands, both of whom have busy day jobs, to help keep the shop running smoothly during the holiday season.
“It’s more fun looking back at that time than the experience itself was,” Lo laughs.
January and February have proved to be busy as well, with Steinbach and Lo working 10-12 hours per day, six days of the week. But the pair can’t complain, even as they outgrow their back-room kitchen, since their business is thriving and their partnership has been turned into a fun and educational collaboration for the two bakers.
“I think [our partnership has] worked out really well. I learn a lot about baking. Some people would die for the knowledge I have about baking French macaroons,” Lo says.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
The interest in those macaroons has been a big surprise to the Sweets team, who continue to draw in new customers searching for the French delicacies. (Cupcakes remain their top-selling item, though.) Steinbach and Lo have also been pleased to see a demand for their custom dessert tables, which bring together larger cakes with the individual-sized treats in an elaborate display.
“We did a wedding at a hotel recently and the staff had never seen one before, but now they say they have all these plans for us,” Lo says excitedly.
Though naysayers may question their decision to launch their bakeshop during one of the roughest economic periods in recent history, Lo and Steinbach are proud of their hard work and don’t see the down economy as a necessary obstacle to success for other entrepreneurs.
“With the economy, a lot of people think it’s a bad time to start a business, but it could be a good time. It could spark the economy,” Steinbach says.
“Be adventurous and don’t just do what is expected. I think some people are surprised we only sell three things because they’re used to going into a bakery and seeing 20 things. But just do what you love and do it well,” Lo adds.
The increase in local competition, with the recent opening of Cocoa & Fig’s Gaviidae Commons store and the anticipated debuts of Seward’s Cake Eater Bakery and The Sweet Retreat in the 50th and France shopping district this spring, doesn’t faze the pair, either.
“That’s part of the fun — meeting other business owners doing similar things. I think it’s good that we can support one another. We don’t necessarily see each other as competitors,” Steinbach says.
Sweets Bakeshop is open from 11am to 6pm Tuesdays through Sundays at 2042 Marshall Ave., St. Paul.
by Susan Pagani on February 9, 2010
Susan Pagani / Heavy Table
Many shops are designed to make you want to spend your money, but it is a rare and delicious few that inspire a truly covetous feeling — the kind that extends beyond the goods for sale to the very displays that hold them.
On a recent Saturday morning, we visited Joni Wheeler’s new candy shop, Sugar Sugar Candy, in Kingfield. There we discovered not only a thrilling selection of sweets, but also an uncommonly well-appointed space, tiny but aesthetically calculated to delight the eye wherever it should land.
Overhead, ambient sunlight illuminates the crinkled pastel layers of a hundred or so cupcake liners ingeniously strung together and hung in loops from a Japanese parasol. Beneath it, a bell jar inhabited by one exquisite business card… Yes, I’ll take six mint malt balls and that wooden Indian head with the lollipop headdress please!
Shop owner Joni Wheeler says Sugar Sugar is the near-perfect expression of all her interests. Having worked at Paper Source for 11 years, she has a strong affinity for paper and packaging. In her personal life, she has collected vintage candy boxes and displays for years and is an avid Francophile who has made a study of French history and acquired a stack of French memoirs from 1640 to post-Napoleon. “I’m interested in candy, I love candy, but I think one of the things I love most about it is its look,” she says. “The French aesthetic is genius, but I lived in Japan for a year, so I love that harder, pop edge too. When I first began to describe this place to myself, it was going to be French Regency meets pop Japanese. Somehow, it all came together. It isn’t as edgy as I originally intended, but I’m not quite as edgy either!”
Susan Pagani / Heavy Table
A true collector and a generous storyteller, Wheeler earnestly recites the provenance of every curiosity in the shop: That old candy jar was a Christmas gift from a good friend, the proprietress of Duetta — “She has such an eye!” — and came filled with lemon-colored vintage ribbons; this Indian head has been in her husband’s family since the 1930s and he was using it as a doorstop when they first met, 28 years ago.
“My husband accused me of opening the store just to house my collection, which was outgrowing our little bungalow,” Wheeler says. “He works for Cheapo, so he has thousands of records and CDs, and we vie for space. He’s winning, so I did have to find someplace!”
Continue reading A Morning With Joni Wheeler of Sugar Sugar Candy »
[5 Comments]
Loading ...
Recent Comments