The latest from Twitter: @Peace_Coffee plays cupid with “Caffeinate Your Cutie,” @triplerockmpls is serving @surlybrewing Mild at $3.50 a pint, @bittercube celebrates the long-anticipated opening of Eat Street Social, and @Masu_NE will feature a suggestive little Valentine’s Day roll through Tuesday.
by James Norton on January 12, 2012
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
The Heavy Table’s mission is to embrace and celebrate the best food and drink in the Upper Midwest. In support of that mission, we take time each year to profile and applaud some of the outstanding individuals who grow, brew, ferment, bake, serve, and otherwise facilitate the area’s great gastronomic bounty.
As we did last year, we’ll be giving out a total of just three Silver Whisk awards: Best New Establishment, Best Chef, and Best Purveyor. (Last year’s winners are not eligible for nomination again until 2013 — they were In Season, Sameh Wadi, and Uplands Cheese Company.)
Each award will be the result of a public nomination process, a staff-led winnowing of nominations, and a research / deliberation period before the announcement of our three winners.
Here are our criteria:
Best New Establishment
“Establishment” includes restaurants, bars, catering operations, and specialty shops.
“New” means it opened or re-opened for business within the 12 calendar months of 2011 (i.e. from Dec. 31, 2011 back to Jan. 1, 2011).
“Best” is very subjective, but we’re looking for places that:
a. Filled a new and important niche in the local gastronomic landscape.
b. Redefined the way local people think about food and drink.
c. Incorporated other local businesses (purveyors, etc.) in prominent and thoughtful ways.
d. Delivered a great value for the dollar.
e. Reflected Upper Midwestern terroir.
f. Incorporated a thoughtful approach to food and drink-related ethics.
Best Chef
“Chef” includes anyone cooking for restaurants, institutions, underground dining clubs, or other publicly accessible dining environments.
“Best” is very subjective, but we’re looking for people who:
a. Thought creatively about food.
b. Delivered memorable meals that could stand up to similar experiences in large markets like New York City, San Francisco, etc.
c. Incorporated other local businesses (purveyors, etc.) in prominent and thoughtful ways.
d. Taught the public something new about food and drink.
e. Acted as an opinion- or taste-maker reflective of the times.
Best Purveyor
“Purveyor” is someone making packaged or otherwise shipped food or drink for sale or resale, and can include farmers, ranchers, chocolatiers, brewers, bakers, and coffee roasters, among others.
“Best” is very subjective, but we’re looking for purveyors who:
a. Define excellence in their field when it comes to quality and flavor.
b. Successfully tried something new or risky over the past 12 months.
c. Incorporated local ingredients and cultural traditions.
d. Incorporated a thoughtful approach to food and drink-related ethics.
e. Delivered memorable food or beverages that can stand up to similar products in large markets like New York City, San Francisco, etc.
f. Incorporated a sustainable, ethical, fair trade approach (when possible) to making food.
Our Timetable
Today (Jan. 12): Nominations open. Any Heavy Table reader can nominate any establishment, chef, or purveyor in the Upper Midwest for a Silver Whisk award by emailing or leaving a comment on this post. Supporting details are helpful but not required. Self nominations are welcome.
Jan. 22, 2012: Nominations close. The Heavy Table staff will meet to deliberate the nominations and arrive at three finalists for each of the three categories.
Feb. 13 through Feb. 15, 2012: Finalists announced. Each finalist will receive a brief profile describing the reasons for their nomination.
Feb. 20, 2012: Winners announced. All three Silver Whisk winners will be announced via Twitter and Heavytable.com. Each will receive an extended profile and photos, plus a framed certificate to commemorate the win.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
As we look back at 2010, the theme that strikes us is “abundance” — despite challenging economic times, there seems to be no end to the creativity and courage out there in the Upper Midwestern food community.
So we’re very pleased to present 2010′s Silver Whisk Award winners. These are the Upper Midwestern food institutions and people that most caught our imagination, most inspired us, and made us most grateful for the privilege of eating their fine foods. Here we present our 2010 choices for Best Purveyor, Best Chef, and Best New Establishment.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Best Purveyor: UPLANDS CHEESE COMPANY
Uplands Cheese Company inspires a remarkable level of passion in its believers.
Carlos Souffront, Zingerman’s cheese guru, describes it this way on the website: “Sometimes I think this is the best American cheese being made today. Like a European mountain cheese, it’s fruity in an apple sort of way — rich, deep, and sweet. It’s great paired with slices of pear, cubed on salads or all by its lonesome. If I had my pick of the world’s cheeses to enjoy, I’d come back to this one again and again.” And this is from a guy who pretty much does have his pick of the world’s cheeses.
Molly Harrington, supervisor of Surdyk’s cheese shop says, flat out: “It’s my favorite cheese. And it’s the favorite of a lot of people here.”
Jonny Hunter, who uses Uplands products in his Madison restaurant, (The Underground) Kitchen, says: “It’s pretty mindblowing.” He’s referring both to Uplands’ products and to the meticulous process behind them. In Hunter’s small restaurant, which has maybe 15 dishes, “there’s not a night that goes by that Uplands isn’t in six of our dishes.”
Despite all those superlatives, the people behind Uplands Cheese Company are soft-spoken, sincere, and deliberate. Two dairy farming families, Mike and Carol Gingrich and Dan and Jeanne Patenaude, began making cheese together 10 years ago in Dodgeville, WI. Andy Hatch (pictured above, right, with Mike Gingrich), a self-described city boy looking to get into farming by whatever means necessary, joined them about four years ago. Hatch started out as a cheesemaker and now manages the operation.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
That operation, by the way, is tiny, even by artisanal standards. Last year they produced about 90,000 pounds of cheese from a herd of about 140 cows. Uplands produces just three primary products: Pleasant Ridge, a subtly floral, nutty, hard raw milk cheese; Pleasant Ridge Reserve, which is aged an additional year; and, as of last fall, Rush Creek Reserve, a spoonably soft and slightly tangy washed rind cheese.
Nevertheless, Uplands has earned a solid reputation both locally and around the country. “In the Madison area, it’s like a classic already, in just 15 years,” says Hunter. “It has established itself in both consistency and flavor.” In the Twin Cities, Uplands cheeses are carried in Surdyk’s, France 44, the St. Paul Cheese Shop, Heartland, and Lunds and Byerly’s. Hatch says he ships cheeses from East Coast to West Coast and north to south.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Uplands has also taken home a remarkable number of prizes in its short history. Pleasant Ridge Reserve took best in show at the American Cheese Society’s annual competition last year. It won the same honor in 2001 and 2005 (it’s the only cheese yet to repeat, let alone three-peat, the honors) and took the US Cheese Championships crown in 2003. Hatch and his team are waiting on tenterhooks to find out how they will fare among the 1,600 cheeses entered at the US Cheese Championships, being held in Green Bay, WI, right now.
Well, no. Actually, Hatch says, characteristically, “You never know what’s going to happen with those. It takes a lot of luck. It’s a point of pride when you win, but….” But, there’s an awful lot of work to do at home. Continue reading The 2010 Silver Whisk Award Winners »
Tags: Silver Whisk awards
by James Norton on February 9, 2011
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
The Silver Whisk Awards celebrate the best of local food in the Upper Midwest; only three are given out, for Best Chef, Best Purveyor, and Best New Restaurant.
Narrowing down our best restaurant picks to three was no easy task — the local scene has been booming, and there’s no shortage of talent. In the end, we settled for three very different restaurants: a bakery with perfectionist leanings, a marriage of classical skills and seasonal produce, and an asskicking new-wave Midwestern hangout.
Lars Swanson / Heavy Table
Patisserie 46
It’s hard to know what distinguishes truly great baked goods until you’ve tried to make them at home. Take a serious stab at genuine eclairs, real croissants, or serious scratch baguettes, and you’ll get a whole new respect for the real deal, and for dedicated operators like Rustica Bakery, Patrick’s, and — now — the newly opened Patisserie 46.
The brainchild of Chicago baker John Kraus (who was drawn to Minneapolis, at least in part, by the school system), Patisserie 46 puts out a dizzying array of baked goods daily ranging from delicate eclairs to truly flaky and rich croissants to boules of bread that can stand up with the world’s best. Interspersed among the regular treats are exotic little gems — eggy, beautifully caramelized canales, spice-kissed and orange-inflected gibassiers, and a variety of chocolate treats that stand amongst the best in the region.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
The secret of Patisserie 46 is an old one — just take a page from Europe’s books, and put your effort into the dough. Pastry isn’t about massive amounts of sugar, it’s about restraint, it’s about balance, it’s about sublime textures and natural flavors that soar when paired with coffee or savored by themselves.
This, of course, takes tremendous skill. The talent of Kraus and his team is evident in every one of the dozens of pastries and bread products they put on the racks each day, and the neighborhood’s respect for that talent is evident in the lines and full tables that make Patisserie 46 cheerfully crowded on most days of the week.
Patisserie 46 is more than just a neighborhood anchor and a guaranteed joyful start to any given morning — it’s a bar-raiser, a spirited challenge to anyone else who would start a bakery.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
In Season
It seemed likely that Chef Don Saunders was going to return to the local food scene in a blaze of glory; his former restaurant, Fugaise, had rabid fans who would passionately testify to the chef’s talent, and he’d have his pick of angle when he popped back up. It didn’t seem, however, likely that he’d return at the helm of a restaurant that is arguably faultless right out of the gate.
But, yet — that’s what happened. Everything at In Season seems to be clicking. The decor’s tasteful; the music’s good; the servers know what they’re talking about; and the overall concept of an explicitly seasonally inspired menu (inspirational ingredients are bolded to help diners connect the dots) is clear but not overly cute. Continue reading 2010 Silver Whisk Award Nominees: Best New Restaurant »
by Tricia Cornell on February 8, 2011
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
The Silver Whisks celebrate the best of local food in the Upper Midwest; only three are given out, for Best Chef, Best Purveyor, and Best New Restaurant.
Our list of nominees for the best purveyor covers all the hedonistic bases: alcohol, cheese, caffeine, and chocolate. It’s hard to think what else you might need to be happy in life. But as much as this list says about our vices, it also says a lot about our principles: That a defiantly nonconformist cider maker, a micro dairy, an unbendingly fair coffee roaster, and a micro-micro chocolatier can all not only survive but thrive — that’s a huge part of what makes the Upper Midwest a great place to live and eat.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Crispin Cider
You might say that someone trying to build a cider brand in a place without a strong cider culture is fighting an uphill battle. But don’t say it to Joe Heron of Crispin Cider (bel0w).
“We have a tremendously strong history of cider,” he points out. (Remember Johnny Appleseed? In those days apples were for drinking, not eating.) “It’s the original American drink, really, but we lost it. And a full-blown renaissance is coming up now; cider is the fastest-growing beverage category in America.”
Joe Heron is an unlikely leader of that renaissance. He’s a native South African who spent the past couple of decades moving around Europe and the United States and who readily admits he didn’t really like cider before getting into the business.
“I thought it was sweet beer for people who didn’t like beer,” he says. “But we’ve really worked to change that…. We’ve given it credentials. It pairs well with everything from spicy to sushi, from cheese to chocolate.”
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Beyond changing the way we think about hard cider, Heron has also been tinkering with the drink itself. Rather than looking to English pubs or old Appleseed for inspiration, Heron says, “The influences in our business are foodies, wineys, and craft beer geeks.” Heron describes his approach as a little bit “rock and roll.” Take the upcoming special release, Desert Noir. Flavored with prickly pear and agave, it was inspired by the schlocky cult horror film From Dusk Til. Dawn. And the three ciders in Crispin’s premium line, Artisanal Reserves, throw out the playbook altogether, starting with apple wine rather than apple juice, and featuring — yes, it’s a feature — a flavorful layer of sediment at the bottom.
Crispin is also still growing: This year they acquired the California-based Fox Barrel, which makes apple, pear, and black currant ciders. That’s the sort of thinking that makes Crispin a contender for this year’s Silver Whisk Award: combining craft-brewer creativity and big, nationwide ambitions, while remaining true to Minnesota roots. And, of course, truly delicious cider that has earned a place in our culture and at our tables.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Uplands Cheese Company
Cheesemaking has always been a means to an end. Its original purpose was to preserve perishable milk for the off-season; the tasty bacterial goodness was just a byproduct.
When Andy Hatch went into the dairy business, he, too, thought of cheese as just a way to get what he really wanted. A self-described city boy from outside of Milwaukee, he wanted to find a way to farm. But, “Milking cows just to sell milk is almost suicidal at this point, especially when you’re just starting out,” he explains. “Making cheese to add value to the milk is the way to make it possible.”
Pragmatism, however, has now turned to passion. Hatch joined Uplands Cheese Company four years ago as a cheesemaker and now manages the operation. Two dairy farming families, Mike and Carol Gingrich and Dan and Jeanne Patenaude, began making cheese together 10 years ago. They looked around for models for their operation and decided that what they had — and what they wanted to achieve — most resembled cheesemaking in the Swiss Alps. Their cows graze on grassy hillsides in the Uplands region of Wisconsin. They milk only in the summer, when the cows are entirely grassfed, and when the quality of the pasture declines — say during a dry spell — they stop making cheese and sell the milk instead. Continue reading 2010 Silver Whisk Award Nominees: Best Purveyor »
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Welcome to the 2010 Silver Whisk Award nominations. The Silver Whisks celebrate the best of local food in the Upper Midwest; only three are given out, for Best Chef, Best Purveyor, and Best New Restaurant.
The definition of “best” is to have completed something in a most excellent way or manner. Our definition of “best,” when applied to the community of local chefs, goes beyond the kitchen. There is no argument that all four of the people we’ve nominated are gifted chefs. What makes them most excellent is that they are also dynamic in platforms beyond their kitchens. They are tastemakers, memory creators, and educators of food and drink.
It was too difficult to whittle this year’s list of nominees to three, so we opted to up the number to four (and even this was quite a feat). Below, listed in no particular order, are the nominees.
Stewart Woodman of Heidi’s
Kate NG Sommers / Heavy Table
“So much has happened during this last year that I feel turned on my head. In a good way,” says Woodman, referring to the changes that stemmed from the events of February 18, 2010, when a fire tore through and destroyed Heidi’s, the restaurant he opened in 2007, the one named after his wife. This life-changing blow to what should have been a celebratory day (he also found out he had been selected as a semi-finalist for the James Beard Best Chef: Midwest award) pushed an unsuspecting Woodman to face a question he in no way anticipated: What comes next?
What did was a mandatory period of self reflection, followed by simply moving on. “I feel like a different person now. I am looking at change differently. There’s a quote that says the only issue with change is letting go of fear,” he says. He found a new space for Heidi’s — version 2.0 — in the Lyn-Lake neighborhood. Then he set hard to work on the rebirth of his restaurant. And he released his first cookbook, Shefzilla — a how-to for the everyday chef on conquering haute cuisine at home. It bears the same name as his blog, another communication portal containing everything from rants to restaurant reviews.
“For Heidi’s 2.0, we were able to visualize exactly what we’d like to see in a restaurant, and create it. I feel like I was imagining the way I wanted my life to be, and now I am seeing it happen. It’s very humbling, and you definitely see your place.” The highly anticipated Heidi’s 2.0 opened January 11, 2011. It’s been welcomed by previous fans and given accolades by new ones. At the moment, Woodman is especially enamored with his tofu entree (house-made with broccolini, pea tendrils, and kecap manis). He also gives mention to his mussel soup, labeling it simply as sinful. “We’re at the bottom of the hill, trying to figure out what the new restaurant is, who is going to come, and how I can be a better manager and leader.”
His admiration for Minnesota, and the fact that his wife is a native of the state, promises to keep Woodman here for the foreseeable future. “I can’t think of living anywhere else besides here — to the extent that I’d love to live in Paris when I’m 80 years old,” he says. “I can’t think of anywhere that I would rather have a young family and be able to work hard, be in a community of people who feel the same way. It’s unique and extraordinary, and I feel like we’re over-the-top blessed,” says Woodman.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
Personal cooking philosophy: I try to think about the emotional experience and connection to the food, and recreate that in different ways. There are so many different ways for people to have a connection with you through your food, or for you to make a connection with them.
One word for the local culinary scene: Inspiring.
Words of wisdom for a young chef: Slow down. Work hard.
Ideal meal: A dinner party, at home, with a random group of people from all different walks of life. I love those kinds of parties, where people are connecting. We would eat anything Heidi cooked.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Sameh Wadi of Saffron and World Street Kitchen
Sameh Wadi of Saffron and the newly debuted World Street Kitchen food cart — both in Minneapolis — set locals abuzz amidst news that he was to appear as a challenger on Iron Chef, the foodie TV cult classic. The youngest contestant to appear on the show, Wadi’s narrow loss was a sad moment for his Midwestern supporters. However briefly, the national celebrity chef spotlight shone brightly on Wadi, who, in addition to chef duties at his restaurant and food cart, also has a line of spices, aptly named “Spice Trail.” In 2010 he received his third semifinalist nomination from the James Beard Foundation for “Rising Young Chef”. Oh, and after 13 years in Minnesota, he also was awarded US citizenship. “I am literally living the American dream,” he says. Continue reading 2010 Silver Whisk Award Nominees: Best Chef »
by James Norton on January 7, 2011
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
The Heavy Table’s mission is to embrace and celebrate the best food and drink in the Upper Midwest. In support of that mission, we take time each year to profile and applaud some of the outstanding individuals who grow, brew, ferment, bake, serve, and otherwise facilitate the area’s great gastronomic bounty.
As we did last year, we’ll be giving out a total of just three Silver Whisk awards: Best New Establishment, Best Chef, and Best Purveyor. (Last year’s winners are not eligible for nomination again until 2012 — they were Hope Creamery, Black Sheep Pizza, and Mike Phillips.)
Each award will be the result of a public nomination process, a staff-led winnowing of nominations, and a research / deliberation period before the announcement of our three winners.
Here are our criteria:
Best New Establishment
“Establishment” includes restaurants, bars, catering operations, and specialty shops.
“New” means it opened or re-opened for business within the previous 12 calendar months (i.e. back to Jan. 1, 2010).
“Best” is very subjective, but we’re looking for places that:
a. Filled a new and important niche in the local gastronomic landscape.
b. Redefined the way local people think about food and drink.
c. Incorporated other local businesses (purveyors, etc.) in prominent and thoughtful ways.
d. Delivered a great value for the dollar.
e. Reflected Upper Midwestern terroir.
f. Incorporated a thoughtful approach to food and drink-related ethics.
Best Chef
“Chef” includes anyone cooking for restaurants, institutions, underground dining clubs, or other publicly accessible dining environments.
“Best” is very subjective, but we’re looking for people who:
a. Thought creatively about food.
b. Delivered memorable meals that could stand up to similar experiences in large markets like New York City, San Francisco, etc.
c. Incorporated other local businesses (purveyors, etc.) in prominent and thoughtful ways.
d. Taught the public something new about food and drink.
e. Acted as an opinion or tastemaker reflective of the times.
Best Purveyor
“Purveyor” is someone making packaged or otherwise shipped food or drink for sale or resale, and can include farmers, ranchers, chocolatiers, brewers, bakers, and coffee roasters, among others.
“Best” is very subjective, but we’re looking for purveyors who:
a. Define excellence in their field when it comes to quality and flavor.
b. Successfully tried something new or risky over the past 12 months.
c. Incorporated local ingredients and cultural traditions.
d. Incorporated a thoughtful approach to food and drink-related ethics.
e. Delivered memorable food or beverages that can stand up to similar products in large markets like New York City, San Francisco, etc.
f. Incorporated a sustainable, ethical, fair trade approach (when possible) to making food.
Our Timetable
Today: Nominations open. Any Heavy Table reader can nominate any establishment, chef, or purveyor in the Upper Midwest for a Silver Whisk award by emailing or leaving a comment on this post. Supporting details are helpful but not required. Self nominations are welcome.
Jan. 14, 2011: Nominations close. The Heavy Table staff will meet to deliberate the nominations and arrive at three finalists for each of the three categories.
Feb. 2 through Feb. 4, 2011: Finalists announced. Each finalist will receive a brief profile describing the reasons for their nomination.
Feb. 16, 2011: Winners announced. All three Silver Whisk winners will be announced via Twitter and Heavytable.com. Each will receive an extended profile and photos, plus a framed certificate to commemorate the win.
Tags: Silver Whisk awards
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