Good morning all! Welcome to today’s @MNMOmag Twitterview with #DaraCo blogger/contributor, @reetsyburger. Lets roll!

To start with @reetsyburger, tell us a little bit about your background. Where did you grow up?

Marie:    I grew up in a small(ish) town near Milwaukee, West Bend.

What kinds of things interested you as a child and what did you want to be when you grew up?

Marie:    As a kid, I just HAD to be a chef. As a young adult, I wanted to be a writer. Later, I got the civil service bug.

I loved cooking in my mom’s kitchen (when she wasn’t looking) and making up Pogoball routines to top 40 jams.

So what were some of your first jobs, and what formed your interest in food, especially sustainable food?

Marie:    I worked at a pizza/sandwich shop in high school and college. I learned that I was too short for commercial kitchens.

As a kid, I watched cooking shows more than cartoons – mostly on PBS. My mom was -and still is- an urban homesteader.

Mom’s urban garden fed a family of 8 with plenty to spare. We feasted all summer while we canned and packed soup jars.

It wasn’t until I was hired by the @SAREProgram that my interests in food, writing, and civil service converged.

Interesting. So your childhood really influenced who you are today. :) How did you get connected with #DaraCo?

Marie:    I started blogging in 2005. I moved to Minneapolis in 2006, and was charmed by the food scene, so I blogged about it.

At some point, @DearDara must’ve started reading my blog because in 2010, she emailed me. I was pumped.

I can imagine. So what would you say are the main topics that you cover for #DaraCo with @MNMOmag?

Marie:    Every day, farmers, ranchers, and chefs in MN develop innovative strategies to produce and distribute food .

Great! To close, what do you hope your blog moves people to do?

Marie: I hope it will help bring more attention to all the great producers and chefs in MN who care about sustainability.

Joel:    Thank you very much for your time today with #MNMOtv. Have a great week and keep up the good work!

Marie:    Thanks for having me. That was my first twitterview!

Stephanie March is the Senior Food Editor at the Mpls/St.Paul magazine. She has a real passion for food and sharing her “finds” with others. Find out how she got her start in the food-business and what kind of training she received to get where she is today. Stephanie will also share her views on the “food scene” in the Twin Cities and what some of her food preferences are. Be sure not to miss any of Part 1 of a 3-part interview with Stephanie March.

In Part 2, Stephanie shares what some of her restaurant service pet peeves are, explains how she manages her work and family life and then shares what she feels is missing from the Twin Cities food scene. (Part 3 will be released tomorrow.)

In Part 3 of her interview, Stephanie March talks about how the local food scene is influencing other parts of the country, her thoughts on doing TV and radio work and what other interests or activities that she has beyond the food world.

When a person generally thinks of eating somewhere in the uptown area of Minneapolis, they probably think of something exotic and unusual. That is NOT the case at The Lowry.  The Blue Plate Restaurant Co.  has been making and supplying trendy comfort foods for the Twin Cities for nearly 20 years, and they’ve done it again with The Lowry.

Near the corner of Hennepin Avenue and Franklin Ave, this former Hollywood Video store has been converted into a very masculine/lawyer-lounge with some wonderful options for eats. They serve what they call “4 meals”, breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night. They bring some of their menu from their other establishments like the Edina Grill, the Longfellow Grill and the Highland Grill, but then they also bring some different options that are unique to The Lowry as well.

With this being my first visit to The Lowry, I got some advice from others who had been there before, so I tried the Peter’s burger. It was named in honor of a gentleman that one of the co-owners knew in Australia.  This man had a simple restaurant on a beach in Australia, and a large development company was buying up the property around him. He wouldn’t sell his land, so they built their development around him instead. Great story! The burgers at The Lowry are generally a 1/3 lb burger, so not a little burger but not a gluttonous mass of meat either. :) The Peter’s burger has caramelized onions, a fried egg and a mustard pickle relish on it. It was very good! I then had a few side options to choose from, and so I choose their sweet potato fries. They were cooked well and tasted good, but I prefer my fries to be a bit crispier.

Peter's Burger with sweet potato fries

They also have some other options for you to try like the salad that Stephanie Shimp, one of the co-owners ate, it was the Tuna & White Bean salad. The salad consists of tuna, tomatoes, olives and grilled ciabatta.

Tuna & White Bean salad

The staff were all very friendly and seemed to really enjoy the work that they’re doing. That says a LOT about a restaurant, if the staff is enjoying themselves. The row of windows on the north and east sides of the building bring in a ton of light inside The Lowry. For myself, being able to sit on the Hennepin Avenue side of the restaurant made for a fun time to be able to eat, relax and watch the busy traffic go buy, while I was able to enjoy my time eating my burger and talking with Stephanie Shimp about restaurants and the local food scene.

No matter the time of day that you’re awake and hungry, The Lowry will most likely be open and will definitely have something to fill your hunger cravings.

Good morning! Today’s @MNMOmag Twitterview is with the owner of the @RyeDeli in Minneapolis, David Weinstein. Let get started!

Before we talk about your deli, lets learn a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up and go to school David?

David:    Thanks for inviting me Joel. I grew up in Hartford CT and went to school in upstate NY and law school in New Orleans

Very different places

I’ll say! So when you were growing up, what did you want to do for work, and was eating at a deli common for you?

David:    I first thought I wanted to be an architect — then law. We actually did not have great delis in CT.

But I remember always eating at Katz’s on trips to NY with the family and loved watching guys carving sandwiches.

Nice memories! So after law school, what led you to come to MN and open a deli?

David:    Moving to MN was about 15 years pre-deli. My wife Pam is from St Paul. I didn’t have a chance of staying East.

I practiced law for about 10 yrs and then worked in commercial real estate. Then started looking at this building.

I felt we really needed a good deli in town as well as a good neighborhood gatherng spot in this particular location.

And not being a restaurant guy myself, I started talking with Tobie Nidetz who was equally passionate about it.

That was about a year ago — and here we are.

Had you worked in the restaurant business at all before? In what ways did Tobie help you?

David:    I had worked with restaurants as a lawyer and in real estate but knew I needed a real restaurant operator here.

Tobie is our GM and was instrumental in developing the concept, the kitchen, the menu, etc etc

I see. So what kind of “vision” did you have for your Deli? What were some of the things you felt HAD TO be on the menu?

David:    Vision is to create a unique place using traditional deli flavors and ingredients in a scratch, sustainable kitchen

The critical items are great bagels, bialys, and house-made meats using antibiotic and hormone free beef.

And of course great local craft beers (as well as He’Brew).

Finally, a great black and white cookie, which you don’t see much of in MN.

Now that you’re open, what have been some of the more popular items on your menu? What’s for dessert options?

David:    The most poupular item has been the Knife & Fork Reuben, served as an open faced platter the way Reuben himself did

For breakfast, our challah french toast and lox bagel have both been flying.

All of our dessert items are baked here — traditional cheesecake, B&W cookies, and our rugalach lead the pack

My mouth is starting to water! Is it lunchtime yet? :) So where can people find you and what are your hours?

David:    We are in the old Auriga bldg — 1930 Hennepin Ave. Online at rye deli.com.

Open at 7 AM every day and kitchen closes at midnight — bar stays open even later

So David, looking ahead a few years, do you see yourself possibly expanding the deli to other locations?

David:    You are like the guest who asked me on our very first day open when we were opening in Minnetonka.

I probably sound like a politician but — you never know what the future holds but right now we are focusing here.

But we are about to start catering and delivery — so get in your orders for Superbowl parties!

Joel:    Nice timing! :)  Thank you for your time today and being part of a @MNMOmag Twitterview. Have great day!

David:   Thanks again for the invite. It was fun and we are holding a seat at the bar for you.

Hello everyone! Welcome to a “sweet” Twitterview with the owner of @MojoDonuts, Lisa Clark. Lets get to tweeting!

So Lisa, lets get to know a little bit about you. Where did you grow up and go to school? @MojoDonuts

Lisa:    I grew up in both New Orleans and Minneapolis. I lived in N’awlins for 11 years….

That’s why Beignets are in my blood! I went to high school in New Orleans. Some college but I kept changing majors.

I see. So when you were a child and in your teen years, what did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?

Lisa:    When I was really young I wanted to be a lawyer. I believe donuts were a much better decision.

A battle of loopholes vs donut holes? :) So when did your interest in baking start for you?

Lisa:    I can remember as young as kindergarten having an interest….

The first thing I learned was how to fry an egg when I was 6 years old. From there it was onward and upwards.

Lets then move forward to today. When and how did the idea of a donut shop come to you Lisa?

Lisa:    Well, it is a culmination of things. First, my oldest daughter doesn’t like cake…

Every year on her birthday we would have donuts to celebrate instead of cake…

I never found great donuts in the Twin Cities and always thought great donuts need to be more accessible…

On my trips to Seattle I really felt inspired by their great donut culture….

That inspiration combined with my experience at Breadsmith made me think I could make this happen here in the cities.

Interesting. So how did you come to be at the location that you’re at in St.Paul? First choice?

Lisa:    I’ve always loved St. Paul. I actually had been looking for about a year and was very excited when this spot opened up…

I have a wonderful ad agency that actually did the research on the space for me…

I had a list of things that were important to me and they gave the thumbs up that this space met the criteria.

Wonderful!  What the story behind the name of your donut shop?  How did you come up with it?

Lisa:    My two youngest children actually named the shop..

It comes from their love of monkeys and a villain named Mojo JoJo from the cartoon series the Powerpuff Girls.

Great story! :) You offer a number of unique flavors of donuts. What made you go beyond the norm of choc/glazed?

Lisa:    That’s how we like to eat at home and I hoped that customers would like it too. So far, so good! :)

What are your 3 most popular donuts, and what kind of flour do you use in baking?

Lisa:    Raised ring with chocolate ganache, mango glaze and coconut ring and any of the fritters (apple or banana pecan)…

Bakers Patent, Pastry and Whole Wheat Flour…

And we have plans to start using locally sourced flour and dairy in the near future.

Awesome! Do you do curlers, eclairs, jelly filled or cream filled donuts? Do you think you’ll ever do breads?

Lisa:    Yes and yes! We do all the above except éclairs. We do have a cream filled Bismarck similar to an éclair though…

Customers can special requests. We have filled quite a few already…

We don’t ever want to say never, but breads aren’t on our current horizon

Lots of people like coffee with their donut. What brands and flavors do you offer?

Lisa:    We offer an entire organic fair trade coffee bar with all sorts of upgrades and sweet additions…

The beans are roasted locally by B&W coffee roasters.

Lots of donut talk gets me hungry! :) What are your hours of operation for when people can come for your tasty treats?

Lisa:    Tuesday-Friday 5:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Thank you for your time today Lisa! Read more about her and other MN donut shops on @MNMOmag here – Article

Lisa:    My pleasure Joel! Stop by sometime and give us a try!