Twitterview with Chef Steven Brown of Tilia

Good morning everyone! Welcome to the inaugural @MNMOmag Twitterview with Chef Steven Brown of @TiliaMpls. Lets begin!

Q – #1    To start off with Steven, please share a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up and attend High School?

Steven:    I’m a native of Worland, Wyoming, but I grew up and attended school in Custer, SD

Q – #2    I see. So when did you start learning how to cook, and how did you end up coming to the Twin Cities?

Steven:    I have been a fan of Betty Crocker since the age of 4 & I wanted 2 make dishes like Baked Alaska & Seafood Newberg

By the time I was 12, I was working in a restaurant in the Black Hills. I made $1/hr!

Q – #3    Wow, $1/hr! Lets fast forward closer to today. Was it always a dream of yours to have your own place?

Steven:    Absolutely- Every cook of any worth that I have ever know always wanted to own their own place

That said, this is all a dream come true. I know it’s #Thanksgiving, but golly I feel fortunate.

Q – #4    What kind of work goes into coming up with a menu for a new restaurant?  Were some things in your head already?

Steven:    Inspiration is all around us. Many of the dishes were things that I had been thinking about for a while

Ex) the spicy shrimp scampi (my fav) I made for my wife when she was saying there was nothing to eat in the house

Q – #5    Fun! For those possibly new to you and to @tiliampls, what are a few of your most popular dishes and appetizers?

Steven:    Most popular would be Fish Taco Torta or our newest dish: scallops with parsnips, browned butter and lemon.

Our friend @andrewzimmern loves the BLT dogs with pickled cauliflower, bacon and tomato & spicy mustard.

We also have a great brunch! The lobster Benedict with bacon hollandaise sauce is a crowd favorite.

Q – #6    It all sounds fabulous! More local restaurants are using local ingredients in their dishes. Where does yours come from?

Steven:    We get a lot locally- Riverbend Farms, Footjoy Farms and Wild Acres, just to name a few.

Starting next yr, we’re excited to be working w/ @McKinleyComm, an urban community farm, to grow produce for us

Q – #7    Super! In the evening, you’re always packed. If a person has some flexibility in their day, what’s a good time to come?

Steven:    Great question. To avoid a long wait for dinner, anytime before 6pm or after 9pm is a good bet

Q – #8    Would you mind sharing what your hours of operation are so that followers know when the doors are open?

Steven:    We’re open 11am-1am M-F & 9am-3pm and 4pm-1am on Sat & Sun. The 1 hr break on the wknds is to give the cooks a rest!

Q – #9    With @tiliampls’ success, they’ve earned it! How does the success and the “Best New Restaurant” honor from @MNMOmag feel to you?

Steven:    I feel extremely humbled and honored. I never thought in a million years that this would happen to us.

We were just hoping to have a little neighborhood place where we could live up to our motto: good food tastes good

A big thanks to all of our customers and staff- without you, we’re truly nothing

Joel:     You’re doing a great job Steven! Thank you so much for your time and comments today on #MNMOtv. Enjoy the fruitage of your work!

Steven:    Thx, Joel. Happy Thanksgiving. Hope 2 see u soon 2 try our new seasonal ales, like Saison Avec les Bons Voeux (shameless plug)

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