Lets work to stay warm on this cool day in MN and talk with @AmbitiousKitch about food! Enjoy the conversation!

Good morning Monique! When it comes to food and cooking, what is one of your earliest memories of doing that?

Monique:    Hi Joel! My first memories would have to be watching both of my parents cook with passion. Dad baked and Mom cooked!

Do you remember the first time you made something? What was it and how did it turn out?

Monique:    When I was younger I found it easier to bake; I loved that it was both science and an art.

That being said, I baked a lot of brownies. I’m sure they turned out pretty well, because I always ate them.

Brownies are ALWAYS a good choice! :) When did you decide to start cooking/blogging?

Monique:    During college, I found that it was my passion but I didn’t know how to turn it into a career.

I followed food blogs & thought it would be a great way to share my recipes w/ others. I started AK in late 2011.

Having a passion for what you do is important. Who are some of the people & their blogs that inspire(d) you?

Monique:    I absolutely love the blogging community. I have a passion for brand building & content creation so it’s perfect.

My favorite blogs are @sugarplumtweets & @HowSweetBlog. They’re both incredibly creative and funny!

Other than that my readers inspire me every single day with their comments and emails; they’re amazing!

Cooking is one skill, blogging and photography are other skills. Which one is the hardest to develop?

Monique:    Probably photography. It involves props, proper lighting, and telling a visual story.

But you know, there’s workshops & you can read books. I kind of just wing the whole photography thing & it works out.

When it comes to your own taste, are you more of a sweet or savory person?

Monique:    SWEET, but I focus my blog on sweet delights & healthy bites. I love making recipes healthy, creative, and flavorful!

I see. What are some cooking/baking trends that you are most excited about?

Monique:    I think making vegetables the star in our meals — cauliflower will be huge this year. Popcorn too!

I’m also excited to see flavor-packed chicken make a comeback in restaurants. I think we’ll see a lot of creativity.

Another ever-growing trend is pizza, as brought out in @MNMOmag – http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Minnesota-Monthly/March-2013/The-Twin-Cities-Best-Pizza/ … Do you have a favorite?

Monique:    Hmmmm I like to make my own but Pizzeria Lola and Punch are pretty divine.

When you make your own pizza, what are some of your favorite toppings?

Monique:    Homemade mini Hawaiian turkey meatballs, pineapple, black olives, fresh mozzarella, and a good red sauce.

Nice! :) In your blogging/cooking process, does your own appetite guide you, or do your readers more so?

Monique:    Mostly me. I need to put out content and recipes that I’m proud of and I like challenging myself in that way.

What can we expect from you in the near future with your food work?

Monique:    A brand new site, partnerships, and maybe a cookbook. Oh and more recipes of course!

Joel:    Thank you very much for your time and comments today. Keep up the good work in making things look delicious!

Monique:    No problem, thanks for having me! :)

Interview conducted on March 15,2013

A typical stereotype for Minnesotans is that we eat lots of bland and somewhat colorless food. People may think of a cream of mushroom based hot-dish or casserole when they think about a Minnesotan diet. Some may think of lutefisk or lefse as being strong staples here. While Minnesotans can’t argue that those dishes and foods are consumed here, there are also many spicy and colorful foods that are enjoyed to the delight of our taste buds.  One Twin Cities cook that has brought some real “kick” to our plates is Heather Jansz, known locally as the “Curry Diva”. In the middle of September, when it generally starts getting cooler in Minnesota, I conducted a Twitterview (Twitter + Interview) with her to learn more about her and find out how she got started in cooking with curry.

Good morning everyone. How about a lot of curry with breakfast? Lets Tweet with the @CurryDiva!

Heather:    Yes we believe in waking up with curry at breakfast

To start off with, where did you grow up and when did cooking start as an interest for you?

Heather:    Was born and raised in Sri Lanka starteed cooking at a really early age

Just had a passion for it and felt like I needed to share with the rest of the world about Sri Lanka foods

When you activate the senses in the morning your body and soul wakes up

Where/how did you get your training in cooking? What were some of the early dishes that you started to learn?

Heather:    Learned most of it from my Mum and just watching the cooking & roasting of spices

Street taught and hands on since I was about 9 yrs old

I remember my Mum teaching me how to make Dhal (Lentils)

Because we were told that equal portions of rice and dhal was a good protein meal

When cooking with curry, are their varying degrees of how hot that it can be? (As in spicy.)

Heather:    Yes there is – Curry is mostly a style of cooking not just hot

it is a blend of spices also – but mostly a style of cooking

how spicy is your choice to add on of course I want it the hotter the better

it is additive – this Curry stuff and the activation of the senses through spices

I have a mission now Joel – to bring the flavors of Sri Lanka to the rest of the world

Gotta nourish the body and feel the soul right now and here it is !!

Sri Lankan foods is an un touched jem - http://www.thecurrydiva.com

Are there places people can go to learn about your cooking style with curry?

Heather:    Yes cooking classes – Curry Pick up is big now I have a new little spot uptown

- once a month a diva dinner – like a 4 course dinner at this little breakfast place called ‘Our Kitchen”

Highland Grill for curry night every Monday Night

Catering to all events – cooking classes – weddings – special events get on the mailing list

Curry pick up from Our Kitchen also – what you gotta have your fix!!

What would you say are some unique things that you’ve made in cooking with curry? Do you ever experiment?

Heather:    Yes I experiment all the time – love taking the basic midwest stuff and adding the curry touch

even the basic pasta with a touch of cardamom and spice does wonder to the body and soul

some of the new wonders have been with cooking with curry spices with Quinoa and Farro YUM!

Each meal is made with all the senses activated – so your body does not lack in anything

making risotto – with my curry sauce and doing it also with Farro or Barley

Activating the oils in the spices is what makes everything work in the body

My basic macaroni & cheese with roasted blend of coriander and garlic is delish – simple

You certainly have a great passion for what you do! So when you’re not cooking, what other things interest you?

Heather:    I do little singing concerts with Dean Magraw..sing old standards and some songs in Sinhalese language

but Food over takes everything in my life for the most part

Youtube has most of my singing and cooking videos

Checking out local farmers have been something I love to do as well ‘w/Dinner on the farm

Joel you will have to come to a diva dinner soon and we can show you how the activation works

I see. What are one or 2 tips that you could provide people who are considering cooking with curry for the 1st time?

Heather:    Be open and know that it does really satisfy – there is nothing bad in any spice and know that somehow it all works

and the way you feel after a meal that has some of these spices is amazing

I love doing one on one classes – where I teach the basics of cooking with curry spices and activating the oils of all spices

http://www.thecurrydiva.com and get on the mailing list – then you will hear how to at least come and get a taste for it

Also to remember that Curry does not mean spicy – it means excite and interesting and good for you and tasty

Joel:    Thanks for your tips and sharing some of your life today on #MNMOtv. Have a great rest of the week Heather! :)

Heather:    Cheers!

Hello, and welcome to today’s Twitterview with local mom, blogger and cookbook author, @FoodforMyFamily. Lets go!

Shaina:    Hi, Joel. Thanks for having me

How’s today going on the homefront?

Shaina:    Good. I’m fairly certain there’s a dip in the pool in the future for the kids. That’s all they do in the summer.

Good plan! :) So share with us a little bit about yourself Shaina. Where did you grow up and go to school?

Shaina:    I started in St. Paul, and then we moved to Champlin. I attended Champlin Park HS, and went to UMN from there.

when my husband Ole was in grad school we moved back to St. Paul so he could ride his bike to campus. Haven’t gone far

I see. When did the writing/blogging “bug” bite you and was food your first subject of choice?

Shaina:    I have wanted to write for as long as I can remember. I have books full of writing all the way through school.

I used to write stories, and I still do. Doesn’t everyone want to write a novel? No?

Food was my one & only blog subject. I wanted 2 encourage people 2 start cooking & caring about what’s in their food.

That’s a good plan. So when did you start your blog and how has evolved over the years?

Shaina:    That’s a good plan. So when did you start your blog and how has evolved over the years?

When did you first get asked about doing a cookbook, and did you say “yes” right away?

Shaina:    My editor at HCP first contacted me in June of ’11 It took me about a month to decide that it was the project for me.

So how did you come up with the topic/subject for your cookbook?

Shaina:    It was based off some work I had done for a freelance contract. It was a cute idea, and no one had covered it yet.

The appeal for me was more reasons to stock up on cute jars. ;) I love glass.

Congrats on being published! #DesertsInJars – book.  Have you started a book tour yet?

Shaina:    I have! I’ll be adding dates & information here so you can see where I’m headed! http://bit.ly/MZbLBn  #dessertsinjars

And thank you! It’s been a lot of fun, and I hope/plan on doing it again soon.

Will writing cookbooks then lead you to doing less blogging?

Shaina:    On the contrary, I intend to transition to focusing more on my site & writing the content I want out there for others.

Joel:    Well that’s good! Thanks for your time today and keep up the good work with writing about food!

Shaina:    Thank you both for having me!  cc: MNMOmag

The Midtown Global Market has a wide variety of tastes and flavors for those looking for something different from typical Midwestern fare. In the winter of 2011-2012, 2 people living in Los Angeles, thought that Minneapolis would be a good place for them to live and open a space to showcase their food creativity and talents. A change of lifestyle and pace that would suit them better than what they had been experiencing in California.  So Thomas and Kat opened The Left Handed Cook in May of 2012.

Thomas has a number of years of experience as a cook under his belt. This isn’t just two people that woke up and decided to open their own space to sell food. Thomas had worked primarily as a sushi chef in his career, but right before he and Kat moved to Minnesota,  he operated his own space that did very well in selling hamburgers at a beach location.

Now that Thomas and Kat are in Minnesota, they have had a great response to their food. Generally when a person opens a new business, they expect it to grow in popularity over time, but their business has had a response far greater than they expected out of the “gate”.   Not only has that brought them much joy and satisfaction, but they’ve also had to hire more staff to keep up with providing great service for their expanding popularity. A VERY good sign!

So what to try? Their menu is continuing to evolve and develop, based on their vision as well as the response from their customers. Many of which are repeat customers, which is also a good sign.  By far their most popular dish is their fried chicken.  Now this isn’t your father’s fried chicken, nor an original recipe that you may be accustomed to.  This is a 21 ingredient fried chicken with lots of flavor and some “kick” to it.  Sure to give your tastebuds a jolt of sensations.  So go and check out this new space, brought to all the way from California.

VIDEO: Get to know the owners of “The Left Handed Cook”.

Good afternoon! Lets get the Twitterview with @ChefJasonRoss, a judge for the #ChefChallenge, rolling!.

So @chefjasonross, when did you know that you wanted to get involved with cooking as a career?

Jason:    I went to cooking school young-17, but had no plans on being a chef until later.

after a while I realized that I was always in a kitchen and around 1997 I began in earnest to go after it as a career.

age 25ish

So where did you go for schooling, and could you tell the kind/type of cooking you wanted to do early on?

Jason:    I went to a school in Manhattan that no longer exists. I would go on weekends and after class sometimes…

It was like a hobby that I was really into as a teen. I guess kind of like sports or an instrument…

I didn’t really no much about types of food but once I got into a professional kitchen and felt the energy…

I was blown away. My specific food style education in a restaurant was place called Christers(Swedish)…

Off Broadway in NYC. Christer interviewed me, hired me, and I was on the line within an hour during an opening night.

So how did you end up going from NYC to MSP? What other restaurants did you work at?

Jason:    Don’t they say you come here for love, money or treatment? :) I came for love. My wife was coming home for schooling…

The plan was to stay for a year. That was back in 1994. As for restaurants I’ve worked -embarassingly long list

D’amico Cuccina (now gone) was the first place with a great local chef -JP Samuellson…

at the time D’mico was the place to be and lots of chefs in town got their training in that kitchen

A great way to learn and network with other chefs! How did you end up becoming a Chef Instructor?

Jason:    A job in the schools restaurant came up. I looked at it as another kitchen job. Over time I realized, I love the …

I love the teaching as much as the cooking. I thought I’d be at Le Cordon Bleu 3 years, tops. It’s almost 7 now…
it’s coming up on 7 years soon.

Must be having fun! So on @KARE11 they are covering the #ChefChallenge right now. What can people expect this wknd?

Jason:    You really never know! The competition is at a really high level this year. It’s really the best of the best..

This is the first year for most of the field.We have 2 returning Champs.There’s sure to be some curve-balls…

I heard there are brackets in twin cities kitchens.I’d love to see the spreads.Well I guess not as a judge :)

Probably something for you to avoid. :) Are there categories, and what happens Saturday versus on Sunday?

Jason:    It’s a 2 day cooking tournament. 8 chefs, then 4, then 2, then 1. New secret ingredient for each 1 hour round.

finals on Sunday afternoon. Winner take all for $10,000

And the #ChefChallenge is FREE! Thanks for your comments and time today today. Have a foodtastic weekend!

Jason:    Great talking to you -lots of fun. See you at the Mall Rotunda on Saturday from 10-4.

Matt Brickman works for WCCO-TV as a reporter and handles the weather reporting for the station, primarily on the weekends. On Saturdays, he is the co-host of the WCCO Saturday Morning show, where he handles an informative and often entertaining segment called  “Best of MN”. As a newbie to Minnesota, he gets feedback from viewers on a variety of places to go that offer the “Best of…” something, and then gives a report on his findings. Where though did he come from? What does he like to do outside of the newsroom? In Part 1 of his 3-part interview, Matt shares the early years of his career doing television. He then talks about his start with WCCO-TV and then shares some of his favorite “Best of MN” segments.

In part 2 of Matt’s interview, he talks about his experience in connecting with others on television, Jamie Yuccas’ cooking skills and adapting to Minnesota people and places. He ends with talking about his running routine.

In part 3 of Matt’s interview, he talks about what it’s like to forecast the weather in Minnesota and the challenges that he’s faced in doing so. He then talks about some of the challenges in doing live television, especially for the WCCO Saturday Morning show.

Good morning to @weeklydish (Stephanie Hansen) and everyone following #MNMOtv today!

Good morning fellow foodies

To start off with @weeklydish, please share with us where you grew up and went to school?

Stephanie:    I went to Blooimngton Jefferson and the U of MN. My training happened on the bar as a dancer at the Heartthrob Cafe in St Paul

ok that sounded bad. I wasnt a stripper but a waitress

I served burgers and shakes and drinks in a poodle skirt with 1980′s permed hair that was so big they

they called us Care Bears. That was where the foodie love started.

Good clarification! So lets move forward a bit. Any other work you’ve done for say publications or marketing companies?

Stephanie:    I work now as a talk show host on @weeklydish on @mytalk1071 and I own a printing and direct mail company @printzcom and blog on food.

food blog a @the651 http://the651.com/category/foodie as well as on our show page at http://www.mytalk1071.com/shows/weeklydish

Talk more about @printzcom. Starting your own company is a BIG step. What does your company do and how big is it?

Stephanie:    @printzcom employs 25 people. We have http://Postcardbuilder.com, http://Printz.com, http://directmailtools.com and http://ourprinter.com

we have a new brand under development that we will launch in a few weeks. Running your own business is super hard but rewarding

I like being a women owned business. I have two partners and 2 of us are women. The other is my hubby so that can get interesting

I’d imagine so! What do you think of the Twin Cities environment for women business owners?

Stephanie:    The TC is very supportive there just are not enough women owned biz as a % of the population. A few good groups to check out are

http://www.mnwin.org/ and http://www.nawbo-mn.org/ are good orgs for women to check out in the TC

Lets move on to your interest in food. You have a blog and a radio program. Are you more of an eater or a baker/cook?

Stephanie:    I am an eater first and foremost but I am also a good home cook. I bake and I love to cook but I am not super technical. I am

always in risk of cutting off a thumb cause my knife skills are so bad. I worry about that when we do food demos on @twincities_live

I love to entertain and have big foodie parties at my house with my foodie friends. Its a blast but sometimes people drink too much

I love to serve champagne as an appetizer which can be rough later when you add wine and after dinner drinks. @surdyks sponsors our

@weeklydish show so we get previews of lots of new liquors and wines and whats hot in food

I understand. :) What kinds of places are your places to go to for “Stephanie Comfort Food”? Are you sweets or savory?

Stephanie:    I am more sweet than savory. When @stephmarch and I eat together at a dinner I always get the desserts she goes for cheese

Comfort foods would be @moderncafe for pot roast @brasa for any of their meats or mac and cheese and I still have a soft spot for

@lexingtoncafe in St Paul and @mancinnis @twincitiesgrill for steak, chicken pot pie and creamed spinach

on the higher end of Comfort food I want to eat @sanctuary and @inseason and I am excited to try @butcherandtheboar

To close Stephanie, what does Spring mean for you when it comes to food and entertaining?

Stephanie:    Spring is LAMB with rosemary, Asparagus on the grill with lemon aoli, artichokes and delicious spring milk cheeses. OH and…

the barefoot contessas coconut cake which I always make at easter or moms day. That recipe is here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/coconut-cake-recipe/index.html

I get so excited about food I make myself hungry! Thank god its lunch!

Joel:    Thank you so much Stephanie. All the best to you and congrats on your recovery from cancer. You are a fighter!

Stephanie:    thanks for having me @JoelECarlson and listen to @weeklydish on Saturday from 1-2pm