Good morning everyone. Today’s special guest is the Senior Food Editor at @MNMOmag, @DearDara. Set your timer to 1hr and lets begin.

Dara:    let’s!

So @DearDara, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up, go to school and what did you want to be as an adult?

Dara:    NYC, math-geek high school, and then came to MN for college, Carleton. Wanted to be: A writer! A cook. A writer! A cook…

How did you get into the food industry, and what kind of jobs did you have at first?

Dara:    Dishwasher! Started when I was 13, then worked my way up thru kitchen positions, ending as a sous & pastry (2 places)

I see. So when did you start transitioning to writing about food and restaurants? Did you have a blog?

Dara:    After college. & no, print, pre-blogging days…

Since critiquing people and the food that they make is such a personal thing, did you find it difficult at first to do?

Dara:    At first, yes. It’s rude to say people can’t cook! Six months of bad linguini in, it gets easier.

When then did you start working with @MNMOmag and what do your responsibilities cover?

Dara:    2008, food & wine writing.

I can imagine that you eat and taste a variety of foods. Do you have a style or ethnicity of food that you prefer?

Dara:    I like just about everything, really, hard to beat great Korean, French, Japanese, Italian… But a talented chef can

make anything great, ie Haute Dish’s revelatory 1980′s Midwest Americana.

In addition to all of the KINDS of food that you try, you probably eat/taste a lot of food. Is calorie counting tough?

Dara:    Not really-no problem w the wine either, neither gout nor hazleden seem to be on my horizon… Knock wood!!

Good! :) In addition to @MNMOmag, what other kind of publications and writing have you done or would you like to do?

Dara:    my book is Drink This, Wine Made Simple, & I write for Saveur, Bon Appetit, more.

Impressive! Besides food & wine, what other interests or hobbies do you get involved in? More book ideas on the way?

Dara:    I like hiking, walking, having children, and not going crazy. Museums & books help.

have another book in the works, but it’s top secret for now.

To close, what TC food events and openings are you looking forward to in 2012?

Dara:    So many! Just blogged a bunch at mnmo.com, but our food & wine show, chef challenge, butcher & boar..Thanks! Was fun!

Joel:    Thanks for your time and sharing some of your life on #MNMOtv today. Be sure to read her work at www.mnmo.com. Later!

You may have seen her on the Twin Cities based entertainment show “Twin Cities Live”.  You may have also heard her voice sharing celebrity pop-culture news on MyTalk 107.1 FM with a “Dirt Alert”.  What though are her interests? Who’s “Henry”? What’s it been like being a homeowner for the first time and what’s her decorating style? Find out answers to those questions and more by checking out the first part of this interview with Elizabeth Ries.

Some may be disappointed by the recent news of Dunkin Donuts having no plans for moving into the Twin Cities market. While it would be great to have them as another option for donuts, there is a new donut shop in St. Paul that is bound to hit the spot for many when it comes to great tasting donuts.  At the beginning, I will say that I’m more of a fan of raised donuts as opposed to cake donuts, but I do like trying new things, and especially sweets, so here goes my donut journey!

I had heard a lot of “buzz” about this new donut shop in St. Paul called Mojo Monkey Donuts, and I even had conducted a Twitterview (Interview done on Twitter) with the owner, Lisa Clark, which made me even MORE tempted to try out this new place in St.Paul. So one day in January on my way back from a Social Media Breakfast that was held at the Twin Cities Public Television studios, I stopped in at the  Mojo Monkey Donuts shop to try it out for myself.

On entering the shop, it has a feel of a bakery that has been there in that location for years. The color scheme and style of the shop gives it a real aged-St.Paul feel. Just perfect for that neighborhood.  I wanted to try a few different things, so I ordered a few of the Pumpkin Egg Nog donut holes, a banana cream bismark and an apple donut. The donut holes were nice and light and sweet tasting. Eating the bismark was like jumping into a vat of sweetness and not wanting to get out of it. The banana flavor was strong but not overpowering and the donut itself was soft and fluffy. Perfect! A wonderful sweet experience! The apple donut with cinnamon was good too.

Overall, I would visit again when I was in their neighborhood. How could I make an excuse not to go? They offer a variety of donuts for you to choose from, and you’ll have more to choose from the earlier you arrive. They go fast from what I hear, and I can tell why by how well they tasted. Make plans to visit there yourself so that you can take in the “hole experience” of Mojo Monkey Donuts. A sweet retreat in St.Paul!

Good Thursday morning to everyone. Welcome to today’s #jectv Twitterivew with Jeremy Iggers. We’ll talk about food, himself & the TC’s.

Joel:    To begin with. Where did you grow up and go to school? What was your focus growing up?

Jeremy:    Didn’t really get into food until my college years, traveling around the world.

I grew up all over – Arkansas, Louisiana, Chicago, Buffalo, and a couple of years overseas in France and Germany

A traveling man! :)  So how did you get started in writing about food?

Jeremy:    I came to MN to go to grad school in philosophy, and thought it would be fun to review restaurants as a hobby.

I found a room in an apartment in Dinkytown, and one of my roommates turned out to be the first editor of TC Reader!

I showed him – DR Martin – some sample reviews, and he hired me – but I had no idea what I was doing.

But there weren’t a lot of pro restaurant critics in 1976. Three years later, the Minneapolis Star hired me freelance.

Back in those days, the local restaurant scene was pretty bad – hardly any ethnic restaurants, just meat and potatoes.

So you got to “pioneer” an industry that was changing locally. When would you say the “shift” happened locally?

Jeremy:    The shift really hit in the 80s, I went to work for the Detroit Free Press, but got hired back in 84 by the Star

Lots of new restaurants opened in that era, both haute cuisine, and ethnic – big explosion of Vietnamese places.

There was a lot of national food media, too – Julia Child, Craig Claiborne, Pierre Franey, that drove local interest

I see. So you were with the @StarTribune up until when, and when did you start your food website?

Jeremy:    I was with the Strib until 2007, mostly reviewing restaurants. I left in 2007, and started http://TCFoodies.com in 2009

The restaurant scene changed dramatically over those years – first Vietnamese, then everything else Szechuan

Northern Italian, Ethiopian, Korean, Thai, plus a lot of new more authentic Mexican restaurants

And of course a lot of interesting haute and nouvelle cuisine places – Quatre Amis, Aquavit, etc., etc.

The food options have been really expanding in the Twin Cities. What happened with www.tcfoodies.com yesterday?

Jeremy:    We moved TCFoodies to a new home as part of the Twin Cities Daily Planet, now @tcdailyplanet.net/tcfoodies.

It’s a great fit – TCDailyPlanet – which I started w. friends in 2005 – has lots of food content & great interactivity

Our motto is Fresh Food News Daily, and we’ll be dishing up food stories that you can’t find anywhere else.

What kind of sharing will people find on the website? (i.e Reviews? Cooking tips? Trends?)

Jeremy:    Like Lu Lippold, a terrific blogger – every Tuesday. Check out her recent story about Candyland : http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/column/lu-lippold/saint-pauls-tiny-candyland-stands-corporate-snack-giants

Anybody can have their own blog on the Daily Planet – and we want new blogging partners. Contact me.

We’ll also feature lots of food and restaurant stories from our ethnic, neighborhood and community media partners…

Sounds like a good site for people to bookmark on their web browser! Will you be a contributor as well?

Jeremy:    Yup! My column will appear every Wednesday – here’s the one I posted yesterday:  http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/blog/jeremy-iggers/what-i-learned-north-coast-nosh

I almost forgot to mention – we have a new weekly TCFoodies newsletter – go to http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/subscribe to sign up.

To close, what’s your “Big Picture” for your foodies website?

Jeremy:    I’m excited about it. It’s going to be a place for foodies to share info about everything food policy & healthy eating

to fine dining and gastronomic adventures. And we’re hoping to add special foodie events as well…

Joel:    Super! It’s going to be exciting to watch, especially for all of the Twin Cities “foodies” out there. Have a great day!

Jeremy:    Thanks! The tcfoodies link hasn’t completely transferred yet, so go to http://tcdailyplanet.net/foodies instead. Happy Eating!

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!

When you think of eating downtown in the Twin Cities, do you think of Minneapolis first? Come on, be honest? Maybe you think of St. Paul, but I wonder how many do. You really need to if you don’t.  St. Paul has a lot to offer beyond the Excel Energy Center, the St. Paul Science Museum and the Ordway Theater. It has a good number of places to eat as well. One of which is The Liffey, just kitty corner from the Excel Energy Center.

Frickles

The Liffey is one of 4 pubs operated by Cara Irish Pubs. The others are Cooper in St. Louis Park, The Local & Kieran’s in downtown Minneapolis. It’s got a nice and comfortable feel inside when you arrive. Even though it’s attached to the Holiday Inn in St. Paul, you don’t necessarily notice or “feel” that. Back in July of 2011, it was given fresh look inside and out, and so you have a number of seating options available to you to choose from. If  you’re looking for something private or secluded, there’s the “Nook” space which provides you with a more intimate space to eat and talk in for a small group. Then there’s the booths along the windows that you can eat at, similar looking and feel as if you were riding on a train.  There are also some high-stools and counters near the piano area for another kind of eating and social engagement with other fellow customers.

A 1/2 order of Fish

As an Irish Pub, they have a good deal of brews and drinks for you to try, as well as a good number of menu options sure to fill your appetite, whether your looking for a little or a lot to eat.  On my lunchtime visit, I tried a 1/2 order of their fried fish with an order of their “frickles”, deep fried sweet-pickle chips.  What a treat!  The fish is good with a nice coating on i,t so that the fish had good flavor and was great for dipping into the tartar sauce that’s provided. The lightly oiled salad that came along with it was also very tasty and fresh. Next were the “frickles”. I would HIGHLY recommend them for your first or next visit to The Liffey. They’re sweet, juicy and delicious. Especially with the dipping sauce that comes with the oder. They’re sliced a little bit on the thick side for me, I’d actually prefer them to be a little thinner, but the taste was great!

The look, feel and the food at The Liffey shouldn’t be missed. So the next time you’re in or near downtown St. Paul, give The Liffey a try. Your stomach with thank you!

I heard rumblings about this great hot dog cart that could be found in downtown Minneapolis.  It was a typical cart in that it had hot water, wheels, an umbrella, hot dogs, toppings and hot dog buns. This cart though was different, in that this cart had personality and character, delivered in big helpings from it’s owner, Nate Beck.

Nate sees the value in providing quality and well made, as well as locally made, food to the public. He even takes the time to make the mustards and other toppings that he uses. Just talking with him for a few minutes, his enthusiasm shines through and is refreshing. Before it gets too cold, check out Natedogs and see if you don’t look at hot dogs and brats in a whole new way.

Good afternoon everyone! Today’s Twitterview with @DeRushaEats is about to begin. Get your laptops and taste buds ready!

Q – #1    Welcome @DeRushaEats (Jason)! For those that missed the video – (BELOW)  how did you get started as a reviewer?

Jason:    In my job as a WCCO-tv reporter I was asked to judge the @MNMOmag first Local Chef Challenge at the Food and Wine show

I judged with @deardara and when the magazine expanded its omnivore section, she asked me to write and blog 2 years ago

Q – #2    I see. When it comes to your palate, what kind of foods do you prefer, sweet or savory?

Jason:   I’m more of a savory guy – I find more complexity in those flavors. But I wouldn’t kick sweet stuff off the plate!

Q – #3    Okay. Lets say then you’re in a restaurant doing a review. Do you ask for their “top dish or dishes” or what you want?

Jason:    I look at the menu ahead of time and try to have a strategy for a printed review that will go in @MNMOMag.

I do “quick bite” reviews of suburban restaurants. 1 visit. Usually with my wife + another couple, maybe with my kids.

I try to order a broad sample of the menu. 3 apps, 2 salads, 4 entrees. Or 3 small plates/2 entrees

Often I ask the server “What shouldn’t I miss?” They too often tell me “The xxx is popular.” I want the BEST stuff!

But it’s different for places I write up for the #DearDara blog. I’ll order what I want or what a server suggests

Q – #4    Ah. So planned eating. With you being a reviewer then, is going out in general tougher with that “label”?

Jason:    No it’s easy to go out with me! I just tell everyone what we’ll be ordering!

Q – #5    I meant by that question, do restaurant staff maybe treat you differently because of being a known restaurant critic?

Jason:    In city restos: often I’m recognized + I’m sure the kitchen knows about it. In suburbs: I’m rarely recognized by staff.

Q – #6    A restaurant “saturation” question. What style of restaurant do you feel there are too many of? Which one not enough of?

Jason:    Right now everyone’s opening gastropubs/brewpubs. They’re great for neighborhoods, bad for reviewers.

it’s very difficult to write about places that are fine. Not great – but not bad. Our brewpubs fall in that category.

We need more high quality suburban places! Preferably near my Maple Grove house.

Q – #7    Are there certain areas of the Twin Cities that need more variety or options?

Jason:    There are – but customers have to support them. It’s tough with a small, local spot in Eden Prairie. High rent

It’s changing – but the best food in this metro will always be in the urban core. People can drive to S. Minny.

Q – #8    What’s one menu item you wish was on the menu more? Fried Chicken? Pasta? Fish?

Jason – I’d like to see more Fried Pickles.

Q – #9    FAVORITES: Appetizer, dessert, wine selection, kid friendly, your comfort food of choice.

Jason:    Fave Dessert: Frozen custard from @Kopps in Milwaukee! Locally: Anything from @TheSaltyTart or @Pastrydiane

Wine Selection: @HeidisMpls has a great list, @SeaChangeMpls has the best white list in town.

Fave Kid Friendly: Brasa, @pizzarialola, @MidtownGlobal

Fave comfort food: Foie gras. OK- paella. Or any kind of braised meat.

I eat out too much to pick any one favorite…

Q – #10    What’s one of the best things you feel a restaurant can do to make kids feel welcomed and parents happy?

Jason:    Don’t charge me $6 for Kraft Mac + Cheese and then $2 for apple juice.

Coloring books, books are helpful. Places like @TiliaMpls also create thoughtful menus for kids. That helps too.

I find most restaurants are kid friendly- but I don’t bring my kids to nice places after 7pm.

Q – #11    Wow! Adult prices for kid appetites. If you could open your own restaurant, what would it be and why?

Jason:    I always wanted to open a place called “What’s for dinner?” One dish. One price. Changes nightly. Like @AdHocYountville

Q – #12    Going beyond the Twin Cities & suburbs, what other towns/cities have good cafe/restaurant options?

Jason:    Just got back from NYC -obvi a great food town! I’m from Chicago, the restaurants are amazing. Milwaukee is underrated.

Madison has some good food: Graze + The Old Fashioned are wonderful.

Q – #12    Do you get interested in food trends like cupcakes, pies, moon pies etc.?

Jason:    No. I think it’s all silly. Has that “year of the pie” thing really worked out in 2011? Nope.

Q – #13    Something for foodies to chat about right? :)  To close, what’s your #GoodQuestion tonight on @wcco?

i’m off fridays -but I’ll have a “DeRushaEats” segment on @moderncafempls on WCCO Saturday AM. That show starts at 8.

@JoelECarlson – That’s right. My mistake. :) Thank you very much Jason for your time and all of the work that you do. Have a great wknd!

Jason – my pleasure!

Happy Friday everybody! Welcome to today’s Food-Friday Twitterview with my guest @ChefJML. Set your timers to 1hr and lets bake!

@John:    Good Morning Foodies & Friends!

Q – #1    So welcome @ChefJML. To start, where did you grow up, go to school, and what did you want to be when you grew up?

John:    I grew up in Grand Forks, ND, got my Masters in English at University of North Dakota, and I wanted to win an Oscar when I grew up

Q – #2    Really?? An Oscar for which category? By taking English, what was your plan for using that skill in the job world?

John:    It didn’t matter. I just wanted an Oscar (song, writing, acting). I started in Business and moved to English.

I loved creating new ways to dream through the written word. Many write about their past but I like to think of new ways to dream

Q – #3   Interesting! So take us then on your journey from college to becoming the “Pie Man”. What led you to food & the industry?

John:    I have a motto, “When you least expect it, expect it.” That’s been my life. Pie Man was all by accident but a happy accident

I graduated, found a position in management with Ecolab Pest Elimination in Grand Forks. I continued to cook up a storm but worked.

I lost everything during the 1997 Red River Valley Flood. Afterward Grand Forks looked like a war zone. I moved to the Twin Cities.

Worked at Ecolab World Headquarters,St. Paul. Eventually moved to Comcast in management and then in 2003 found I had throat cancer.

After surgery, I spent too much time in bed recovering. I started to write about gatherings I had at my home.

I keep steno notebooks–stacks of them. I take notes on gatherings, menus, who attended, funny stories and so on

Wrote my first cookbook, it was published, and asked to teach, appear on radio, etc. The big break was winning a contest at the fair.

I won a Ghiradelli Chocolate recipe contest. Later asked to compete at the National Pie Championship in Florida.

I made my Vidalia Onion Pie, Willard Scott was there with Today Show, talked to me and Food Network noticed.

Food Network was also there and started to film me baking, registering my pies, decorating and flew up to St. Paul.

Then Food Network contacted me once a year for a special or Challenge. I won a pie challenge three years ago

Q – #4    What a break for you! Was the writing that you did at home during your recovery, theraeputic for you?

John:    Extremely therapeutic. I couldn’t watch anymore TV. I think it helped the healing process.

I have to add that winning the Food Network Challenge for pie was like winning an Oscar for cooking.

Q – #5    I bet. You have some amazing pies that you’ve come up with. What are some of the unique ingredients that you’ve used?

John:    Coke Cola, Watermelon, Parsnips, Green tea

But Vidalia Onion Pie is my claim to fame.

Q – #6    Wow! So do you kind of have a formula in your head for coming up with them? What gives you inspiration?

John:    I become inspired by the foods I enjoy. My formula is that I can actually taste combinations of food in my mouth.

Like a vocalist is told to hear the note before singing it, I can taste the completed product when I designed it.

That’s what happened when I created my Crock Pot Apple Pie for Twin Cities Live (one of John Hanson’s favorites).

I write what looks like a computer flow chart putting together ingredients–if this does this or tastes like this, then….

Q – #7    I think @jbibl is actually following us now from @TwinCities_Live. :) Can you share the story of how you developed that pie?

John:    I wrote my “flow chart”, got up at 5am to put it together, unplugged the crock pot at 1pm and drove to the Twin Cities Live studio.

I hadn’t even tested it. John Hanson was the first to try it. Not the best thing to do on live TV. LOL

I just prepared another Crock Pot Apple Pie for his birthday that was earlier this month.

Q – #8    Cool! More about you. FAVORITE(S): Restaurant(s), store, comfort food, fruit, spice or seasoning, city to visit.

John:    Restaurant: Il Gatto and Tom Pham’s Wonderous Azia Kitchen west of the river. East of the river The Nook and Salut.

Comfort Food: Hot dogs and Mac & Cheese and a piece of pie. I love the Soup & Pie lunch special at Peter’s Grill.

I love all fruit but especially Rambutans on Hawaii. Spices: Anything from Penzey’s and Golden Fig Fine Foods.

Favorite city is Venice, Italy. I can’t get enough of it. I would love to live there & write, play piano, read for hours, and dream.

Venice will show up in my next cookbook and is heavily featured in my new novel.

Q – #9    Are there a few local and national cooks/chefs that you admire and who would you love to meet?

John:    Gosh I wish I could have met Julia Childs. I’ve met Paula Deen, Giada De Laurentiis, Marjorie Johnson. :)

I am in awe of Master Chef Danny Klekco and he’s a good friend but a mentor too, Chef Andrew (he’s a sweetie), and …

Laurie Crowell of Golden Fig Fine Foods. She’s amazing & one of the most generous loving people I know. Lucky to call her friend.

The Twin Cities is full of talented people that can cook and create. It’s a wondrous place.

Q – #10    To close, can you share what your new cookbook is going to be about and what your Culinary Travel Trips are?

John:    My next cookbook is called Garden County Italian. My travels eating my way through Italy and the things I’ve learned

Each year I host and escort culinary vacations to Tuscany. If you’ve seen the movie Under the Tuscan Sun that’s where we are.

For one week we live and eat like Italians…and drink like them too. LOL

@JoelECarlson:     Is there a way people can sign-up for your culinary trip? Thanks John for your time and comments today. Keep cooking!

John:    Please visit my website http://www.GardenCountyCooking.com and check out our Culinary Vacations page.

Thank you Joel and your followers and mine too. This was a lot of fun! Big hugs and cook it forward!

Happy Friday everybody! Welcome to the Twitterview of @bworden who’s Tweeting from Orlando FL today. Lets roll!

Q – #1    So tell us @bworden, for those that missed your video – http://youtu.be/oNnM3SNscmA where did you grow up and attend HS?

Brooke:    I grew up in Lanesboro, Minn. It’s this gorgeous little town in southeastern MN with more than 20 B&Bs!

I grew up on a farm one mile west of Lanesboro. The MN state bike trail runs through the farm I grew up on.

My daughters have a pony named Smore and he lives in Lanesboro. He looks like a hippo.

I graduated from Lanesboro HS in 1989. There were 22 peeps in my class.

I encourage everyone to come to Lanesboro and take pictures of my dad’s cows. That’s what the tourists do.

Q – #2    Wow!! 22?? When did you first come to Mpls? Where did you attend college and what did you major in?

Brooke:    I moved to St. Paul in the fall of 1989 to attend Hamline University, the oldest university in Minnesota. Founded 1853

I got a double major in English and political science. I have a liberal arts degree.

I moved to Uptown after I graduated. Lived there for three years and then moved back to St. Paul.

Q – #3    Did you intern anywhere while you were in college? What was your 1st job out of college?

Brooke:    I did! I am a huge fan of internships. I was an intern on John Grunseth’s gubernatorial campaign. Fun times.

I also interned at the MN Chiropractic Association around the time Hillary Clinton was doing healthcare reform.

We did a letter writing campaign to Hillary Clinton trying to get chiropractic care included in health benefits.

also did an internship at the firm I work for now. Back then, it was called Mona, Meyer, McGrath & Gavin.

My first real job out of college was at Accenture in management consulting. It was so awesome to land at a global firm!

Q – #4    So what is your role at @WSmpls, and has the economy affected how you do your job?

Brooke:     I am a VP in the financial services practice @WSmpls. I work on on FS and government clients.

The economy has made everyone laser-focused on results and value, on doing more with less.

The economy has had an enormous effect on the issues I work on for my clients. My specialty is retirement.

Since the crisis hit in 2008, the retirement security issue has really come into focus.

The economy made the 2010 Census a much more difficult campaign as well because of home foreclosures.

Q – #5    What else makes the Census a tough project to tackle? Do people get confused with the forms?

Brooke:    The census was tough because distrust of the federal government was at its highest level in 50 years when we did it.

The census form itself was very simple in 2010. It was only 10 questions and took about 10 minutes to complete.

Research shows that survey participation in general is down. You have to really work hard to show the benefits.

Some people didn’t trust that the census was confidential. We counted everyone, regardless of citizenship status.

People feared their answers would be shared with law enforcement or ICE, but by law, all census data is confidential.

Q – #6    Lets shift gears. Some of your FAVORITE(S): Restaurant, store, comfort food, non-MN city, recent book or movie, hobby.

Brooke:    Well, I love core power yoga. That has been my obsession for the past month or so.

I really love the store Brooks Brothers. People don’t always think of it for women, but it is my favorite.

OK and for comfort food, you must try Hill Country Chicken in NYC. The most amazing fried chicken ever!

Hill Country Chicken is at 1123 Broadway in NYC. http://www.hillcountrychicken.com You can play with a Lite Brite!

You can get these little baby pies–apple cheddar, whiskey buttermilk, bourbon pecan, texas billionaire!

You go down in the basement and they have all these awesome board games from the 1980s! I was there Tuesday night.

I also really love the key lime pie at Kincaid’s in Bloomington near @WSmpls. Am I going on too much about food?

Q – #7    I don’t think ANYBODY can Tweet too much about food! :) If you could have lunch w/any person (dead/alive), who & why?

Brooke:    OK, alive would be my mentor John Deveney from New Orleans. He’s actually here in Orlando right now!

John’s firm did all of this amazing work around Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. His work matters.

This one is a little more unrealistic, but I would love to have lunch with Diana Ross. I really dig her music.

would love to have lunch with JFK, RFK, Abraham Lincoln, Jackie Kennedy, JFK JR, Princess Diana.

@JoelECarlson:    Wow! Impressive work by John. Well we have to close, but thank you for your time and comments today. Say hi to Mickey!

Brooked:    I will say hi to Mickey. I can see him out my window by the pool. Fun chatting with you Joel.