Welcome everyone! Today’s @MNMOmag Twitterview with @katearends of the #TCStyle blogging group is about to begin. Enjoy!

To start off with. Please share where you’re from and what kinds of things interested you when you were growing up.

Kate:    Hi all – from the chicago burbs, growing up was all about dance, the Beatles & Blackhawks, doc martens and peanut butter M&Ms.

When did you’re interest in design start, and did you major in that when you went to college?

Kate:    Senior year of HS i was involved in a riverfront design & city planning project, where i created pencil renderings of our solution.

Soon after, i enrolled in the architecture program at iowa state, where i was introduced to graphic design

How did you use your skills after college, and how do you use them now in your employment.

Kate:    After graduation i landed a job at @designcue, which brought me to mpls. i’ve been working there as a designer ever since.

One recent development has been your HUGE following on @Pinterest. What is your follower count, and how did you grow it?

Kate:    @Pinterest is a fun medium to play in. i have 870,964 followers total. the most followed boards are fashion-oriented w/ 1,800,000.

i use @pinterest to document inspiration for design, cooking, decor and fashion. i pin daily and use it as my main bookmarking tool

That’s amazing! Lets now chat about your #TCStyle blogging. How did you meet @MNMOStyle?

Kate:    @mnmostyle & I share similar interests. we met through my blog, shared a few drinks and the rest is history. She is lovely.

@mnmostyle is great. So waat kinds of things, topics, will you be contributing to the #TCStyle blog?

Kate:    i’ll create posts featuring wardrobe inspiration, product reviews, round ups, plus tips & tricks that i’ve used/learned.

Joel:    Thanks for your time and comments today! Enjoy your work with @MNMOstyle and the #TCStyle bloggers group too!

Kate:    Thanks joel! have a good one.

Good morning! Today’s Twitterview with @CathyWurzer is now going to begin. Welcome everyone!

Cathy:    Hi Joel! Nice to join you in cyberspace.

To begin, share with us a little background about yourself. Where did you grow up and attend school?

Cathy:    I’m a south Mpls native. Grew up a few blocks off Lake St. Proud grad of Mpls South High

What kinds of things were you interested in while growing up? Did you aspire to want to do TV and radio?

Cathy:    Other than horses, I was always fascinated with the weather. I wanted to be the first TV meteorologist in the metro.

That dream was dashed by my utter inability to handle math and physics. I’m kind of an arm chair weather geek now.

Did I want to be in radio/TV when I was a kid? Nope. Had NO plans! :)

Would you ever try being a storm-chaser? After HS, what did you do and what was your first job as an adult?

Cathy:    I’ll take the storm chaser question first. HECK YES I would love to chase and while at WCCO-TV did a little chasing.

I have never seen a tornado in person. I would love to. They are fascinating creations of Mother Nature.

Maybe when I get some time, I’ll head down to Tornado Alley and chase with one of the groups that do.

Your second question about life after Mpls South High? I went to college at UW-River Falls. Very good, small school.

I deliberately went to River Falls because I thought the U of M was a tad too big for me at the time and…

I really wanted to get away from home. @uwrf had/has a really good journalism program.

I was lucky that before graduating from UWRF I had a job at KSTP-AM radio. I couldn’t believe it!

My first job at KSTP-AM radio was as the Capitol reporter. That was one of the most fun jobs I’ve had!

Oh. You asked about first job as an adult? I guess the VERY first one was as a switchboard operator at…

Lets move forward a bit. When did you start at @wcco and then how long have you been with @tptAlmanac?

Cathy:    I started at @WCCO in the late ’90′s. I’ve been doing @tptAlmanac for 18 years. I just called my producer to ask!

Also, what moved you to get into the worlds of writing and filmmaking ?

Cathy:    Thanks for asking about my other “lives”–writing and documentary filmmaking. I LOVE history and always wanted to…

produce documentaries. I wanted to “test” myself in a sense to see if I could do such a thing.

@talesoftheroad was the result. I set out to do a historical documentary about Hwy 61 and wound up writing a book.

@talesoftheroad was a labor of love. I really didn’t have a clue about the amount of work both would entail.

The book and documentary were years in the making but it was such great fun, I’m working on a sequel!

Was book 1 about going North on Hwy 61 and book 2 is about going South? j/k So you like road trips?

Cathy:    Of course, with a sequel, I’m really hoping the 1946 era Cadillac we used will be in fine motoring form and usable!

he book/documentary is about the whole highway in Mn. from Grand Portage to LaCrescent. The sequel…

…will focus on stories I left out. (RedWing Pottery, 3M in St. Paul, a haunted inn near the No. Shore.

Ultimately, I hope to do a longer form, multi-part documentary taking the road from Grand Portage, Mn. to New Orleans.

If I succeed in making it all the way down the road I’ll be a happy woman. Yes, I love roadtrips and…

Cathy:    Do you like road trips Joel?? (Sorry, I’m used to asking questions…!)

Joel:    Yes, when I have time for them. I’d love to do one from MSP through the Rockies. :)

What’s been one of your most memorable road-trips that you’ve taken? Have you ever traveled by train?

Cathy:    One of the most memorable was a family trip, out west, in a pop-up camper. I’m shocked we didn’t kill each other!

That kind of trip was exactly what we did as a family. Quite memorable! You asked about trains? LOVE ‘em.

Haven’t enjoyed train travel since I was a kid going to Chicago. Would love to take the Empire Builder out West.

Joel:    I can imagine. :) I wish we had more time, but we don’t. Thank you for your time and comments today! Have a good week!

Cathy:    Thanks so much Joel! I’ve had a ball chatting!!

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.

Kristin Makholm

Hello everybody! Welcome to today’s @MNMOmag Twitterview with @kmakholm (Kristin Makholm). Lets get started!

Kristin:     Hi Joel!

To begin, lets learn a little bit about your background. Where did you grow up, attend H.S and college?

Kristin:    I grew up in Milwaukee, went to Shorewood High School and college at Northwestern University.

When you were growing up, what were some of the fields of work you thought you might want to get involved with?

Kristin:    I was primarily a musician growing up–piano, bassoon, singing in choirs, and always knew the arts interested me

when I got to college, I rebelled and studied art history because I thought it would be cool to work in an art museum

I was a liberal arts geek, and studying art history was fascinating to me.

A good decision! So what kind of work did you do after college that led you to working at the MMMA?

Kristin:    Graduate school in art history at the U of M, internships at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Met in NY, the MIA

Curatorial jobs at the St. Louis Art Museum and the Milwaukee Art Museum, gallery director at MCAD

It was probably all the contacts I made at those jobs that have been so important to what I’m doing now at MMAA.

Networking is always valuable! With there not being an actual museum space, at the moment, what does your role entail?

Kristin:    Well, trying to resurrect an art museum is a full-time job! I need to encourage people to continue to support us.

I need to refine the vision and mission of the MMAA to remind people of our importance to the arts in Minnesota

I’m also taking care of our great art collection and getting it out for people to see and appreciate around MN.

To get the message out to everyone who will listen! This takes the form of exhibitions, articles, and Twitterviews!

Fundraising!

Wonderful! Now isn’t there some kind of touring exhibit that lets people see some of the collection? Is there a website?

Kristin:    Yes! Our Treasures is our current traveling show of great hits from the collection.

It began its tour at the Tweed in Duluth and is now at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.

It continues to Carleton College, the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, and ends back up here at the Weisman next winter.

All the info is at http://www.mmaa.org. Fabulous art by Paul Manship, George Morrison, Joan Mitchell, great stuff!

What’s the cost to see the “Our Treasures” exhibit? Regarding fundraising, what are some options for the public to help?

Kristin:    The show is free at all venues. It has a free treasure hunt brochure too for kids and families to investigate the art

We just restarted our membership program, so bringing everyone back to support the renaissance of MMAA is our goal.

$40 gets you reports on our events, exhibitions and the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping us get reestablished.

We’re looking for volunteers to help out. And we also accept donations in any amount!

When you’re not being the Dir of the Minnesota Museum of American Art, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Kristin:    Two kids (15 and 11) keep me busy, but I also sing in the Plymouth Church choir, which keeps my music buds active.

But it’s a full-time job just keeping up with exhibition openings and art events after 5 pm and on weekends.

Joel:     Thank you so much Kristin for sharing some of your life and work today on #MNMOtv. Have a great rest of the week!

Kristin:    Thanks! This was fun!

Romeny Chan

Good morning everyone! Welcome to today’s @MNMOmag Twitterview with @RoeWolfe co-founder Romeny Chan!

Where did you grow up and go to school?

Romeny:    I grew up in Bloomington as a youth and finished my high school years in Burnsville…

I attended college in Winona for Advertising and English.. Oh, how I do miss the bluffs!

I see. So how did you get into the makeup and fashion business?

Romeny:    As far as I can remember, I was really into water painting. From there, I painted incessantly using all types of media…

Later, I made a natural transition into fashion and make-up. Truly enjoy working with faces and features

What then led you to open @RoeWolfe with Ashley Kilcher?

Romeny:    @LuLi795 and I have been in the fashion industry long enough to know it was time to evolve…

From being on sets, artistic direction behind spreads and fashion shows, we wanted our inspirations to be approachable

Hence, a “fashion marketplace” – a humble boutique that consults you. We are passionate and just as ambitious.

So your boutique is more than just a retail location right? How would you explain as to what you offer customers?

Romeny:    Yes! Our team are all artists and stylists. Every woman is different, so we make it an intimate experience…

Along w/ our high-end collections, we have @BECCA_COSMETICS - and so, we offer image consultations and lessons

Once women know that we embrace the many magnitudes of woman, there’s no questioning our integrity of services

I understand that you are a perfume specialist. Explain how you can help women in this area.

Romeny:    Olfactory love. We carry Nasomatto and Boadicea. Men and Women leave here in a silage of sentiment!

I had to make sure our lines were unisex. There’s such an art and intimacy in finding the right scent….

Lastly, what are some of the brands that you carry in womens fashion in your boutique?

Romeney:    To mention just a few, we carry: Darling, WinterKate, Love Sam, Darling and Saivana.

Items from Pendleton, Nasomatto and A Peace Treaty are unisex! And, our full cosmetics line : @BECCA_COSMETICS

Joel:    Thank you Romeny for your time and comments today! See @MNMOstyle‘s article for more details – Suburban Chic

Romeny:    It was a pleasure!