DeRusha Eats: Recent Episodes
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WCCO Radio’s Jason DeRusha is a known foodie in Minnesota. In DeRusha Eats, Jason takes you around the hottest food stories in town.
Alex Roberts and Margo Roberts, Restaurant AlmaThe most awarded restaurant currently operating in Minneapolis, Minnesota: Restaurant Alma celebrates 25 years in November 2024. Alex recalls the early days with 7 reservations on the books pre-social media; spotting his now-wife in a nearby coffee shop; Margo talks about growing into a co-owner and leadership role in this New American restaurant. We talk leadership, creativity, and family.
DeRusha Eats is on the road in Aspen, Colorado at the 41st annual FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen. Hear from the three finalists in Bravo's Top Chef TV Culinary competition: Milwaukee’s Dan Jacobs, North Carolina's Savannah Miller and New York City's Danny Garcia. Plus, are restaurants taking themselves too seriously? Maybe we all are. Chef Kwame Onwuachi reminds us: "It's just dinner." Minnesota's Gavin Kaysen talks about fine dining and the culture of rating restaurants instead of being restored within. And Luke Shimp from Red Cow / Red Rabbit tells me why he keeps coming back to Food & Wine every year.
Sameh Wadi was a culinary prodigy in his low 20’s.Competed on Food Network’s Iron Chef at age 24. Had his own fine dining Mediterranean restaurant, Saffron at age 23. But after a decade, he was burned out and closed it. In the interim, his fast-casual World Street Kitchen and ice cream shop Milkjam have taken his energy. But now, post-COVID, he’s returning to his roots and rebooting his first love. Why now and what role his identity as a Palestinian-Minnesotan has in his food in this extended conversation.
What is Minnesota barbeque? Is it a thing? We have seen more and more success in the upper midwest as pitmasters try to create their own flavors and businesses. In the North Metro, both Smokey’s BBQ and Jellybean and Julia’s have found large audiences and more than a decade of success. Chris Leibel talks about Smokey’s Pub & Grill in the East Bethel area. Koli and Cory Swap run Jellybean and Julia’s - they share their love story and how they are moving locations and hoping to move their audience with them.
Two of my favorite restaurants in the 651 of St Paul Minnesota share their stories of Refining St. Paul food in DeRusha Eats. Jason Hansen and Peter Sebastian talk about their Spanish-inspired bar and restaurant Estelle and their sandwich and pizza shop Mario’s. Meanwhile on the East Side, Tongue In Cheek has been getting it done for a decade.
Leonard Anderson, his wife, Ashleigh Newman, and Ryan Huseby own and run a neighborhood spot with a regional reputation.
Let’s talk coffee. From the biggest coffee company in Minnesota… innovating around the world. To one of the smallest roasters, growing throughout our cities. Sam Kjellberg is a third wave coffee roaster at SK Coffee. How does he go about crafting flavors- and how did he start SK Coffee? We’ll get into it. PLUS Gretchen Hashemi-Rad runs the Caribou Coffee Beverage Category. How does she and her team create new and hot-selling drinks?
Chefs Mateo Mackbee and Erin Lucas left Minneapolis for St. Joseph, a small central Minnesota college town, where they’re bringing New Orleans cuisine, racial diversity, and a lot of love to their restaurant Krewe. Josh Petzel spent his career running restaurants in the Twin Cities, and left for a Wisconsin River town to raise his family and open the Great River Roadhouse. What’s it like to leave the big city? Regrets? Benefits?
Maple Grove. Minnetonka. Eagan. Suburbs of the Twin Cities with restaurant owners who are there to sponsor the football and basketball and volleyball teams. The owners of Malone’s, Scoreboard Grill, Jimmy’s Food, and Brianno’s share what it takes to make it work and make it last in the suburbs.
Jumping into small business ownership can mean taking a big risk. Karl Benson and Marie Dwyer teamed up with chef Gavin Kaysen to build a bakery into their home goods and kitchen store. Vanessa Drews credits an encounter with Prince for helping her leap into owning her own cheesecake business, Cheesecake Funk.
They are legends! Two family-owned restaurants, one with 50 years in the Twin Cities, the other with 90. It’s hard to imagine our food scene without Keys Cafe - Barbara Hunn is now on 4 generations of family working at these spots, with legendary breakfast. And think of anniversaries, proms, any special occasion in town without being able to go to Northeast Minneapolis and Jax Cafe. The Kozlak family has been making steaks for more than 90 years!! Barbara brought the whole family together to share memories! Bill is a powerhouse of a personality all himself.
Hop in the car and get out of the Twin Cities Metro with two iconic stops: King’s Bar and Grill in Miesville in known for 100+ burgers on the menu. Located across from a corn-flanked baseball field, people travel from all over to King’s. And on the banks of the St. Croix River in Wisconsin, Pete Foster has built a little empire with three restaurants in Hudson. They explain what’s different about running businesses outside the city center.
Both Ann Kim and Justin Sutherland were high school speech competitors, both at Apple Valley High School, in the Minneapolis suburbs. That foundation of storytelling has served both well as they’ve become celebrity chefs. Ann Kim was featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table, she’s just opened her first restaurant focusing on her Korean-American cuisine. Justin Sutherland is the host of “Taste The Culture,” he’s also been featured on “Fast Foodies.”
Two entrepreneurs building their restaurant empires. Randy Stanley has two high-end modern steakhouses in the Twin Cities suburbs. Mark Toth is building a fast-casual chain of restaurants called Urban Wok. How do they find inspiration? What challenges have they overcome?
Two farmers for this episode of DeRusha Eats: One is a cheesemaker, Alise Sjostrom, her cheese company Red Head Creamery wins awards all over the world. What’s life like in the central minnesota town of Brooton? Trisha Zachman’s farm, Feathered Acres, isn’t that far from Brooton- Stearns County, Minnesota. Trisha and her husband practice regenerative hog farming - what’s that about? We can’t enjoy great food, without great farming - and that’s in the spotlight in this episode of DeRusha Eats.
She’s a woman who owns a butcher shop! An unusual combination, but Teena Matson joins us to talk about why she thinks women have an advantage in this traditionally male-business. She owns Anoka Meats in the north suburbs of Minneapolis. Plus Jill Holter, talks about how one of the oldest co-ops in the country, the Wedge in Minneapolis, has adjusted with the times and with the increased competition in the grocery space.
Two of our most awarded chefs, both James Beard Award winners, talk about the challenges in their businesses. Sean Sherman’s Indigenous-focused restaurant Owamni was named Best New Restaurant in America by the Beard Foundation. What is Indigenous cuisine? Why has it been so hard for Native Chefs to get started? And Alex Roberts won Best Chef: Midwest in 2010, how he’s achieved more than 20 years with Restaurant Alma, and his plans for his fast-casual restaurant Brasa.
A national bartending competitor, a CEO driving innovation in CBD, THC, seltzers, sodas and beer, and a founder who's started multiple drinks companies. What's new, what's hot, what's coming?
GUESTS: Jessi Pollak, Bar Manager, Spoon and Stable; Janet Johanson, CEO of Bev Source and The Lab; Joe Heron, founder of Bar Diver, Crispin Cider
Since 1950. Al’s breakfast has been part of the fabric of the minnesota food scene. What are we without our icons and classics. The spots that have been a part of life since before we were around. The spots we take our kids so they understand that they’re part of something bigger. Al’s Breakfast is that to Minnesota. It’s won most awards out there, and a former server, Alison Kirwin, is now the owner. She tells how it’s surviving. And Zorbaz! Around since 1969, now 11 locations all along Minnesota lakes. An essential part of the summer cabin trip, the weird, mexican-pizza combo works. The original owners son Cole Hanson is now running it, and he joins us on this edition of DeRusha Eats.
Two risk-takers. Innovators. Building an audience for great food in unexpected locations. Justin Ahlstrom and his wife opened Margie’s in a North Suburb of Andover. Craft cocktails. Food from scratch. Live music. Just a great scene. And Mik German - a master of the burger… who’s carved out a niche of terrific, creative bar food inside an American Legion Hall in St. Paul Park, the 328 grill.
Two men who both should be in the mix for the next cycle of the James Beard Awards: Jorge Guzman has been there, Gustavo Romero should be there. Jorge Guzman has been a beard award nominee for his work as the executive chef at Surly Brewing’s A Brewers Table… an awesome restaurant. He’s been at Solera, a distillery in LaCrosse, and now at Petite Leon in Minneapolis - we talk about expectations of a Latino Mexican chef, when it comes to the types of food that he cooks. Very interesting. Plus Gustavo Romero brought his love for heritage corn into a tortillas like the twin cities have never seen. Nixta changed the game with nixtamalized tortillas that taste like corn, instead of nothing. Now he’s opened a restaurant in Northeast Minneapolis. We talk about his work bringing together a group of Latino chefs and bartenders as K’ooben- raising their profiles, and drawing attention to some incredible talents in Minnesota.
Three powerhouse women making a real difference in St. Paul, Minnesota. One - the daughter of a founder, Milissa Silva is running her family’s business, El Burrito Mercado. We talk grocery, we talk the pain that comes with change, as she is mixing up the way her store does food service. Plus, two women who met in Chicago working at Girl and the Goat, have come back to St. Paul to open a modern clubhouse with incredible food. Tara Coleman started with Hot Hands Pie and expanded next door with Gina Mangiameli to open one of my favorites, Chip’s Clubhouse. Let’s have some 651 love in DeRusha Eats.
I’m fascinated by the creative process in restaurants. How do you avoid the regular. The boring. The road oft traveled. Two real creative people here… Steve Schussler is the creative genius behind Rainforest Cafe. He’s created dozens of interactive restaurant concepts - including the incredibly successful Boathouse in Downtown Disney in Orlando Florida. His lab is based in suburban Minneapolis - he talks about what drives his creativity today, what diners want, and the difference between Minnesota diners and Disney diners. Plus, Jami Olson. The former bartender became a restaurant owner with Centro and a high-end mexican restaurant. Then the pandemic hit, she shifted, and also has come up with a new ghost kitchen concept called Hippo Pockets. Two creative people… getting it done.
An East Coast businesswoman left a lucrative career in investment banking to follow her husband to the Twin Cities - but food kept calling Lindsay Pohlad. She attended culinary school and opened a restaurant in her adopted home of Wayzata right as the pandemic began. The Grocers Table was named MInnesota Monthly’s restaurant of the year - she shares the story of her number one seller, THE Chocolate Chip Cookie. Plus Anne Andrus left a career in nonprofits to go to culinary school in San Francisco. She came home as a baker and opened Honey & Rye Bakery in St. Louis Park. How she finds inspiration in the routine and repetition of baking.
An emotional episode: featuring Jamie Yoo, a Korean immigrant who lost his job when his high end restaurant Bellecour shut down during the pandemic. Yoo felt like a failure, considered quitting the field, until he ended up at a food hall in Minneapolis. Abang Yoli has been a huge hit with it’s flavorful Korean Fried Chicken among other treats. Plus, John Ng and Lina Goh came to the Twin Cities from San Francisco because a friend suggested it would be a good place to launch a ramen shop. Zen Box Izakaya became the leader in the midwest, now this couple has launched a food hall called Eat Street Crossing.
The runaway hit new food at Target Field is a combination of high tech and high culinary. Is there anywhere else in the country you can get a 4-piece of chicken? Jared Brewington talks about being a black businessman and bringing broasted chicken to Twins fans. And hopefully beyond. Plus Khalid Ansari is a restaurant baby - growing up with his sister in his dad’s suburban Mediterranean restaurant. They launched a hummus called Baba’s in local grocery stores, exploded in popularity with a last-minute booth at the Minnesota State Fair, and are now opening a restaurant in Minneapolis.
Two Minnesota women leaders talk about inspiration, creativity and their top-notch restaurants. Sarah Botcher is the chef/owner of Black Walnut Bakery - she finds inspiration in the routine of baking. Her croissants and cakes are among Minnesota’s finest. Karyn Tomlinson has cooked around the world, her St. Paul restaurant Myriel is taking fresh, local ingredients and bringing them to new heights. We talk about innovating and femininity in the feel of her restaurant.
Steven Brown is one of the finest and most acclaimed chefs in Minnesota. He owns two of his own restaurants (Tilia and St. Genevieve) in Minneapolis, and also is the Executive Chef at Giulia in the Hotel Emery. Marque Collins has worked at top restaurants in Chicago for a decade and now is the Executive Chef at Tullibee, inside the North Loop hotel hotspot, the Hewing. Both share the challenges and advantages of working in a hotel, and why a great hotel restaurant is often overlooked in Minnesota.
Two pizza guys with two unique journeys: John Puckett founded Caribou Coffee, grew it, sold it, and then bought into a Neapolitan Pizza joint called Punch. He shares Punch’s growth and the choice to grow it slowly into a dozen locations. Fascinating story of how Punch’s business flipped from mostly dine-in, to mostly delivery during the pandemic. Plus, Chris Kolstad made mistakes as a young man - how he went from prison to a business owner of the Pizza Man in suburban Columbia Heights, Minnesota.
You can’t talk about food and restaurants without talking about the farm. There may be nowhere quite like Wise Acre Eatery, a Minneapolis restaurant that sources 90% of their produce and proteins from the owner’s farm. Scott Endres and Dean Engelmann explain perhaps the shortest version from farm to table in the country. And Erika and Brandon Goette grew up in rural Minnesota - they explain how they decided as millennials to start their own farm and sell directly to consumers through Goette Farms.
More than professional critics, food influencers may really be impacting what restaurants we eat and how we enjoy food. Kim Ly Curry has been named one of the top 100 food Instagrammers in the country. This Twin Cities mom has nearly 52,000 followers on IG. https://www.instagram.com/kimlycurry/ JD Hovland is a computer engineer who has exploded on TikTok with his restaurant tours - 43,000 followers. https://www.tiktok.com/@jdhovland. We talk ethics, strategy, and how they got their starts.
Christina Ngyuen and Birk Grudem fell in love at her vintage shop. The veteran bartender and self-taught cook opened a food truck selling an Argentinian-inspired sandwich - Hola Arepa was born. How this power couple went from a truck to two locations and several James Beard Award nominations. Plus: Sameh Wadi was the youngest and first Palestinian-American chef to battle on Iron Chef in 2010. He opened and closed a fine dining restaurant, Saffron, then a food truck, which graduated to a restaurant World Street Kitchen. We talk the future of dining in a post-pandemic world.
How did the suburb of Robbinsdale, Minnesota become known for high-end, experimental cuisine? Mike Brown and his partners built the first iteration of Travail Kitchen with the money in their savings, using sweat equity to refurbish a restaurant. Today, his team has been James Beard finalists, bringing the most expensive tasting menu experience in town. Plus, a suburb north of St. Paul and Minneapolis only had chain restaurants - how Carly Gatzlaff brought critically acclaimed food and a sense of community to Shoreview with her restaurant Churchill St.
Stephen Hesse worked in some of the best restaurants in the Twin Cities before opening his Mexican-inspired restaurant Pajarito. Today his Eclectic Culinary Concepts owns 13 restaurants including a chain of suburban pub-style restaurants. How’d that happen? Plus Joe Ehlenz and Brad Nordeen went from city restaurants to an East Metro tourist town - bringing craft cocktails and high-technique to Stillwater, Minnesota and Hudson, Wisconsin.
It’s the luck of the Irish - the drink of the Irish! Irish Whiskey is a key part of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations - meet two founders on this episode of DeRusha Eats. Kieran Folliard started as a pub owner in Minneapolis, created a whiskey and ginger ale cocktail that went crazy, and then founded his own Irish Whiskey. After Folliard sold Two Gingers, he founded an even better whiskey - Red Locks. And direct from Slane Castle in County Meath, Ireland, Alex Conyngham talks about the history of rock and roll at his family’s estate and the future of his Irish whiskey brand, Slane, in partnership with American whiskey legend Brown Forman.
Bottoms up: this episode of DeRusha Eats is all about bourbon and cocktails. Luke Castle was a bourbon aficionado with a real job who bought his favorite liquor store, Ace Spirits in Hopkins. What’s the future for this highly allocated and sought after spirit? Jesse Held was one of the bartenders who helped usher in the era of the craft cocktail in Minnesota. Now he owns his own distillery and restaurant, Earl Giles. What’s the future of fancy cocktails?
Like many downtowns, Minneapolis has struggled to regain a working population in the years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two restaurateurs are doubling down: Brent Frederick’s Jester Concepts has a steakhouse, an Italian restaurant in a hotel, and a North Loop upscale restaurant. Now he’s leading the rebirth of a restaurant that soared to heights before the pandemic, Butcher and the Boar. Plus, Vincent Francoual has been the premier name in French cooking in the Twin Cities, his self-named Vincent A Restaurant was among the top restaurants in the state. Now he’s a dad and running a French bistro named for his young daughter, Chloe.
It’s all about beef - from the rancher specializing in regenerative agriculture and grass-fed beef to the multi-unit burger restaurant guy who grew up in the business. John Abdo is the President of My Burger, a local chain of burger restaurants, with ambitions of blowing up. Matt Maier started supplying grass fed beef to restaurants, now Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed beef supplies grocery stores and co-ops all over the country.
Skilled chefs leaving the world of sit-down restaurants to start fast casual spots. Christian and Karen DeLeon’s taco shop is in a very unusual spot: the corner of a south suburban gas station convenience store. How they found each other and found a spot to build a dream called El Sazon. And Paul Backer worked in some of the finest restaurants in the Twin Cities: he left that grind to build his own dream, a counter service restaurant in the suburbs called Toma Mojo Grill
It’s more than just dry January - the non-alcoholic beverage sector is growing like gangbusters. Peder Schweigert was in charge of the most acclaimed bar program in the Twin Cities, Marvel Bar, before he decided to stop drinking. Now he’s launching a non-alcoholic beverage brand, DryWit. And Erin Flavin ran her own hair salon in Minneapolis - during COVID she felt her drinking was getting out of control - she also stopped drinking. She talks about opening her own NA bottle shop, Marigold.
Chef Yia Vang has become a national celebrity for his work talking about Hmong cooking and tradition. We visit at the Minnesota State Fair, where he was debuting Union Hmong Kitchen. Pedro Wolcott has brought a Caribbean / New Orleans tapas flair to the North Loop’s Guacaya Bistreaux. And Milissa Silva continues her family tradition by growing and expanding El Burrito Mercado in St. Paul.
Overrated or underrated? Matt’s Bar of 508 Club? The Jucy (juicy) Lucy debate gets heated with Mpls/St Paul Magazine editor Stephanie March. Plus Carley Kammerer talks about her coffee shop, Wildflyer Coffee, which hires young people experiencing homelessness.
Why should great food only be in a restaurant? Jamie Malone was a James Beard Award nominee for her work at Grand Cafe, now she’s doing pop-ups and meal kits in her Paris Dining Club. She’s doing special meals at Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and director Katie Luber talks about the intersection of art and food. Plus David Fhima has been a restaurateur in Minnesota for decades - he’s revitalized the expectations for food in an arena with his work at Target Center for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx. We talk with Fhima inside the arena.
Tim Niver owns Mucci’s, Saint Dinette, and Mucci’s Frozen pizza and lasagna. He talks about why he’s launched his own podcast, Niver Niverland. Plus Mike Brown, the co-founder of the groundbreaking suburban restaurant Travail Kitchen & Amusements. Two of the Twin Cities great restaurant people, and great talkers.
Chef Thomas Boemer from Revival joined Jason to talk about chicken, smoked meats and much more