“It’s all about the American Dream,” says Nick Kramarczuk. He’s the third generation owner of Kramarczuk’s, one of the defining delis of Northeast Minneapolis. Kramarczuk’s reference to the American immigrant experience is a tribute to his grandparents, Wasyl and Anna, who founded the deli. The two learned sausage making and baking in Ukraine and brought their skills to Minnesota. Kramarczuk’s tradition of house-smoked sausages, hand-made wieners, kielbasas, and vatruskas are the pride of its 3rd annual Kielbasa Festival, which took place last Friday and Saturday.
In the past, Kramarczuk’s participated in the Twin Cities Oktoberfest, but now the family-owned business dedicates a weekend to celebrating Eastern European culture along with live music and traditional Polish folk dancing. The $10 cover included a mug to fill with local beers such as Surly, Schell’s, and Summit.
This year’s event showcased a sausage creation called the Minnesota Hot Dish (a sausage made with chicken, pork, wild rice, and mushrooms, topped with a cheesy sauce and fried onions).
— Danielle McFarland
Scenes from Summit’s Backyard Bash on Saturday: Saga IPA and Oatmeal Stout on the grass, guests lounging and mingling, cask EPA, the Ngon Bistro food truck (personnel, and food), another shot of EPA, cask EPA and grain, and the ongoing account of beer selling out.
Finally: scenes from the FOOD & BEV poster show.
As the legendary ARTCRANK poster show is to bikes and Poster Offensive is to politics, so will the FOOD & BEV poster festival be to the Twin Cities gastro-scene if the folks at Chowgirls Killer Catering have their way. The poster show debuted Thursday night at the Chowgirls Parlor in Northeast Minneapolis to an enthusiastic crowd. Guests noshed on Chowgirls meatballs and turkey sandwiches while sipping drinks featuring Joia Soda, Malone’s Simple Syrups, and 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey.
Food and drink notwithstanding, the posters were the star of the show. Each of the 14 posters paired a local purveyor (such as Smude’s Sunflower Oil or Joia Soda) with a local artist and / or design company (such as Anne Ulku or Tod Foley Design), resulting in sleek-but-earthy renderings of local food as graphic design.
Posters, limited to editions of 30, are available for purchase for $40 per print at the Chowgirls Parlor through the end of September. Open Arms of Minnesota will receive a donation of $10 per print sold. The Chowgirls Parlor is located at 1222 Second St NE in Minneapolis.
— James Norton