Pizza at Squash Blossom Farm. | Squash Blossom Farm
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Pack a blanket and head out to these pizza farms for an evening of rustic dining!
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Eater Twin Cities: There’s nothing like stretching out on a picnic blanket, watching the summer sun dip low behind a farm field, and feasting on pizza fresh out of a roaring brick oven. Pizza farms are a speciality of the Midwest — and lucky for Minnesotan pizza lovers, there are plenty of red barns dotting the southern Mississippi River valley to explore. Most require that guests pack everything they’ll need (think blankets, plates, and a bottle of wine or lemonade). Note also that some of these farms require reservations ahead of time, and many are cash-only. With the warm season newly upon us, it’s high time for some wood-fired pizza made with farm-fresh veggies and herbs. Here’s a map of pizza farms near the Twin Cities.
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Alpha and Omega Pizza Farm and Event Venue
Alpha and Omega Farm in Princeton, Minnesota hosts pizza nights every Thursday. The menu changes often, but expect pizzas like the “Millie the Meatlover” or the mysteriously named “Fainting Goat” (the farm also hosts goat yoga on summer Sundays). Walk-in orders are available, but it’s best to order ahead of time, and gluten-free crusts are available upon request. Picnic tables are available, but bring a blanket to be safe.
Alpha and Omega Farm is just north of the Twin Cities. Alpha and Omega Farm
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Sawmill Pizza & Brew Shed
Lazy summer Sundays are better spent on this farm that grows produce and brews beer. Enjoy a little music, beer, and creative pizzas like the “Spicy Jameese,” made with strawberry jam, sriracha, and cheddar and pepper cheeses. The farm is open Sundays, noon to 7 p.m. Bring cash.
Located in Long Lake, just west of Minneapolis, Two Pony Gardens specializes in organic dahlias, heirloom tomatoes, and pizza nights. Dates for the 2023 pizza farm season will be released in June. Be sure to book a reservation ahead of time for the farm’s front yard, meadow, or sumac hill spaces.
Crafted with hand-made, vegan dough, the pizzas at Red Barn Farm typically feature the farm’s pesticide-free produce. (Try the classic margarita, with tomatoes and fresh basil.) Make a reservation ahead of time, and bring cash or check. Open every Wednesday night for the season.
Pleasant Grove in Waseca, Minnesota, serves a varied menu that includes pizza fries doused in garlic-infused olive oil, and topped with fresh and shredded mozzarella with a side of homemade tomato sauce. Veggie lovers should try the Buster, made with wild mushrooms and sage olive oil. The farm often has live music, and is now open Fridays and Saturdays 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. (except for Saturday, May 20) and and Sundays 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. from May through October.
Idyllic Squash Blossom Farm in Oronoco, Minnesota hosts a pizza night every Sunday — the farm’s 2023 season kicks off May 28. Make sure to order ahead, as pizzas often sell out fast. Squash Blossom also recently became a licensed farm winery: Try farm-made mead by the glass, bottle, or tasting flight.
Pizzas in the oven at Squash Blossom Farm. Squash Blossom Farm
A to Z Produce & Bakery
Located on a picturesque farm in Stockholm, Wisconsin, A to Z Produce & Bakery has been baking farm-fresh pizza in its hand-built brick oven since 1998. Pack the trunk with a blanket, snacks, and non-alcoholic drinks (though A to Z has beer and wine for sale) and drive out for Tuesday pizza night the second and fourth Tuesday of the month, starting in May. Note that reservations, which open the Sunday immediately preceding each pizza night, are required.
This Nelson, Wisconsin farm serves Italian-style thin-crust pizzas topped with organic seasonings grown on the property, plus sausage, chorizo, and more. (Try the Alaskan, made with smoked salmon, dill, and capers.) The farm is open Fridays 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays noon to 9 p.m., and Sundays noon to 8 p.m. through the season, and gluten-free crusts are available. First-come, first-serve.
A thin-crust pizza from the Nelson Stone Barn. The Nelson Stone Barn
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Farm to Fork Retreat
Dancing Yarrow Farm to Fork Retreat in Mondovi, Wisconsin hosts wood-fired pizza and open mic nights, hosted by the Rock Creek Song Dogs, on Thursday evenings through the summer. Come for the thin-crust pizza, the live music, and the selection of sustainable and natural wines and other beverages. Well-behaved dogs are welcome on the farm.
Tucked into the bluffs above the Mississippi River, this 16-acre farm holds its pizza nights Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., from May 5 through September 30. In addition to the pizzas, the farm sells an impressive selection of Wisconsin craft beer, as well as wine and soda.
e ingredients at Winghaven Pizza Farm are grown on the breathtaking Wisconsin landscape. Tables are available, but pizzas can also be ordered as takeout. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own lawn games, and Winghaven occasionally hosts live music. Dates for the 2023 season haven’t been announced yet, but keep an eye on Facebook, where they’ll be posted.
DreamAcres is just one beautiful drive away through Minnesota’s Southeastern bluff country. It’s open to visitors almost every Friday evening during the summer, June through October, or until they run out of pizza. The organic pizzas are vegetarian, made with seasonal ingredients grown on the farm; there are no gluten-free options. Pizza service runs every Friday (beginning on June 2) from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (except July 29 and August 4) and continues through September 29.
Take a long and twisty drive down to Decorah, nestled into the stunning Driftless region, untouched by ancient glaciers. Pizza season at Luna Valley Farm began May 6, and runs most Fridays and Saturdays from May through August (check the website for specific dates). Make a reservation ahead of time.
Attention all foodies! Heritage Fire is coming to Minneapolis June 25th at Canterbury Park! Join @heritagefiretour for an all-inclusive live fire cooking competition showcasing over 20 chefs from all over the city. Experience them preparing mouthwatering dishes from perfectly grilled meats to heirloom veggies. Savor the flavors of diverse cuisine and premium beverages, all in a unique and unforgettable setting. There will be something for everyone!
After indulging in each dish, the ‘Best Bite of the Day’ will be determined by the crowd and one champion will be announced. Check out last year’s Heritage Hero Champions.
The new space features a hot bar, tea bar, and market stocked with Indigenous foods and products!
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Since his 2014 beginnings with the Sioux Chef, James Beard award-winning chef and cookbook author Sean Sherman has sought to showcase Indigenous food in straightforward, hyperlocal, and seasonal ways. He sees the Indigenous practices that he learned at an early age as being applicable to every facet of food and the ecosystems that sustain it.
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“Our philosophy was taking away colonial ingredients,” Sherman says. “So no dairy, no wheat flour, no cane sugar, no beef, pork, chicken, and really focusing on what regionally, people were utilizing, and rebuilding Indigenous pantries to create all sorts of modern Indigenous recipes and moving forward, utilizing that same philosophy.”
Sherman co-founded the nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS) with Dana Thompson, and now, in partnership with NĀTIFS, he’s opening the Indigenous Food Lab Market at Midtown Global Market on Lake Street. The first of its kind in the Twin Cities, Indigenous Food Lab Market will feature lunch and dinner options for dine-in or takeout, a hot tea bar, Indigenous-grown staple foods, frozen meats, and a bevy of Indigenous-made goods.
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The hot bar offers contemporary Indigenous meals prepared fresh to order, including Dakota open-faced čhoǧíŋyapi sandwiches, a dish similar to a sope or huarache. Tacos and grain bowls will also be served, featuring protein options like bison, turkey, and whitefish. (There will be vegetarian options too.) Like Owamni’s menu, the food is free of ingredients brought to North America during colonization, so no pork, chicken, wheat flour, dairy, et cetera are present.
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The hot tea bar offers chaga lattes, cacao drinks, and specialized herbal teas made from Indigenous ingredients developed by Francesca Garcia, the market’s herbal specialist.
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“We have been really fortunate to build a really strong relationship with Hacienda San Jose, which is a chocolate maker that is based in Ecuador, as well as here in Minneapolis,” says market manager Jason Garcia. “Hacienda San Jose has a lab just outside of the city where they make some of their products, but all of their chocolate is single plantation-grown and direct trade. One of the cool things that we’re able to do is use them to source brewing cacao. So we’re making some drinks in our tea bar with that brewing cacao that is also for sale on our shelves.”
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The market section features dozens of Indigenous vendor products, from pantry staples such as maple syrup and wild rice to lip balm. “We’re really excited that we carry a variety of products from the Red Lake Nation up in Northwestern Minnesota,” Garcia says. “They provide us with cultivated wild rice as well as harvested wild rice. Additionally, some products like maple syrup, and they do fruit syrups, as well as jams and jellies.”
Manager Jason Garcia at the market. Indigenous Food Labs
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The Indigenous Food Lab Market will also offer a Spirit Kitchen for Indigenous food entrepreneurs to test products, and an education studio to hold and record Indigenous cooking demonstrations and other classes on Indigenous culture and foodways. “The Indigenous Food Lab was born from realizing the need for not only working to create a better understanding of Indigenous foods, but to be able to do research and development around it,” Sherman says. “We want to create a really strong educational situation, so we can really focus on developing a lot of access to Indigenous education that’s really important. … We want to work with entrepreneurs to help them develop. We set up a space where they can do a menu takeover in the future.”
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Overall, Sherman is proud and excited as to what the future holds for the Indigenous Food Lab Market, as well as NĀTIFS. He says conversations have taken place to see if this same model can be replicated in other cities — he’s been talking to potential partners in cities such as Anchorage, Alaska; Bozeman, Montana; Rapid City, South Dakota; and O’ahu, Hawai’i.
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“It’s really creating something unique and special for our local community,” Sherman says. “So people will know where to go to find a whole bunch of really cool Indigenous food products. It’s going to be really fun to watch it grow over this first year. It’s something that we’re hoping that we can have some big ideas of how to help get smaller units of this market directly into tribal communities. This is planting a seed for what’s possible for Indigenous food access in the future. Our first market is just the beginning.”
Art and wine have long made the perfect pairing, celebrating creative expression from from field and kitchen to studio and museum. Elevate your experience of Mia with an evening of art and wine after-hours in the galleries.
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The evening includes a private, curator-led walkthrough of the exhibition and wine tasting with acclaimed sommelier Bill Summerville. Guests enjoy curated wine selections, small bites from Paris Dining Club, and a lively discussion inspired by the exhibition theme.
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The Culinary Team
About Chef Jamie Malone & Paris Dining Club
Paris Dining Club (PDC) is a dining club in Minneapolis by James Beard nominated Chef Jamie Malone. You can find Malone at her North Loop Paris Dining Club Studio hosting events and creating new experiences for people who love food. PDC also makes dinner parties and date nights at home easy and beautiful.
Malone has gained national attention and earned a place as a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for “Rising Star Chef” for 2013 and “Best Chef Midwest” for 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019. In 2013, Malone was named one of Food and Wine magazine’s “Best New Chefs.” In 2017, Malone opened her first restaurant, Grand Café, and the following year, it was a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for “Best New Restaurant” and was also named Food and Wine magazine’s “Best New Restaurant.” That year, Malone was also awarded Food and Wine magazine’s “Dish of the Year.” Malone has written for Esquire’s “Eat Like a Man” blog and been featured in many magazines including GQ, Saveur, and Elle. In 2014 she won Cooking Light’s “Trail Blazer Award” for her work with sustainable seafood.
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About Bill Summerville
Bill Summerville has been an influential force in shaping the Twin Cities restaurant scene, plying his trademark style of charm and brashness at such notable restaurants as D’Amico Cucina, La Belle Vie, and Spoon and Stable. During his tenure as partner and front man of La Belle Vie, he was a three-time semifinalist for the James Beard Award for “Outstanding Wine Program” and a semifinalist for “Best Service.” A year on the Tuscan Coast traveling to far-flung wine regions had a major impact on his Euro-centric palate. He doesn’t make wine lists as much as he creates collections of wine he really wants you to drink, to take a chance on. The Boston-born Summerville blames his mother for his career in food and wine. She loved food and she knew how to make it taste good. Her gravy was legendary.
Close your eyes and picture the perfect summer setting: the warm rays of the sun gently warming your face, a cool drink in your hand, the sizzling sounds of the grill, and searing mouth-watering creations. Welcome to the 11th annual GrillFest— a weekend celebrating the very best parts of the summer season benefiting the M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital!
Test out the best grills, gather recipes, and learn how to barbecue like a pro while sampling the best burgers, beer, sweet treats, seltzers, Bloody Marys, margaritas, summer wines, and more. Play outdoor games, find Minnesota-made art and gifts, listen to music, and enjoy perfect weather. The best part? It’s all included with the purchase of your ticket.
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The Grillfest Experience
And really, who doesn’t love a good party?
Watch in awe as Traeger’s award-winning grills are put to use and grilling delicious foods to sample
Discover the latest grills and patio entertainment accessories on the market from Gertens
Enjoy music from a local DJ on the Monaco sundeck and taste the latest canned cocktails
Enter the 99 Bottles of Beers on the Wall Raffle. Raffle tickets are $5 with all proceeds benefiting the M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital
Who holds the recipe for a perfect margarita? Sip a collection of refreshing margaritas and cast your vote in the new Margarita Mania Battle hosted by Milagro Tequila
Visit the Kowalski’s Joy of Good Food Truck
Find your wings with the latest flavors from Red Bull
Awards presentation for best beer, seltzer, spirits, and ready-to-drink beveragesTaste mouthwatering burgers from local restaurants in the annual Burger Battle, presented by Leinenkugel’s Beer
Chicken out how Bell & Evans is revolutionizing the poultry food industry with their grilled samples
Sip Bloody Mary samples and vote for your favorite at Smirnoff Vodka’s Bloody Mary Battle
Play outdoor games—giant Jenga, bags, giant chess— with friends and family at the Patrón Game Zone while sipping the finest tequila
Sip on seltzers and beers from Mike’s Hard Lemonade Seltzer, On the Rocks, Goose Island, Kona Brewing Co., Lift Bridge Brewing Co., Loon Juice, Nutrl, Summit Brewery, War Pigs, and more
Check out the hottest new vehicles from Jeff Belzer’s car dealership.
All American Atlas: One of the Midwest’s liveliest cities, Minneapolis is a superb destination for any visitor no matter their tastes.
This is especially so for anyone on the hunt for gastronomic delights.
Of course, you should try Minneapolis’s very own Juicy Lucy Burger and any number of dishes that celebrate many of the state’s inhabitants’ Scandinavian roots. But you shouldn’t stop at just trying Minneapolis’s most well-known dishes.
Check out at least a couple of the best bakeries in Minneapolis.
Seventeen delicious highlights can be found below!
Aki’s BreadHaus is a traditional German Bakery founded by a German native who, unable to find the foods he so dearly missed decided to make them himself.
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It goes without saying that the pretzels here are sensational.
However, it’s bread where Aki’s really comes into its own.
If the thought of freshly baked loaves of cardamom bread or French boule doesn’t make you salivate there’s something wrong with you.
To top it off the other sweet treats are all fantastic too.
Many of the flavors are fruitier and nuttier than you might find in your typical American bakery.
This leads to flavors that are perhaps more subtle, but no less sublime.
Black Walnut Bakery’s spacious patio is the perfect place to savor any number of French-inspired offerings available.
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Of all the bakeries in Minneapolis, this is the one you want to visit for a masterclass on how a croissant should taste, feel and smell.
Want to kill two birds with one stone?
Alongside a croissant grab a Kouign Amann – a traditional Breton cake.
Black Walnut is famed for these and you’re unlikely to find a better one in Minneapolis.
Outside exquisitely prepared croissants and pastries, Black Walnut offers a carefully constructed menu of hot pressed sandwiches, cakes, tarts, pies, and puddings.
This place is exemplary of everything that an artisan bakery should embody.
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The founder of Sun Street draws on her Scandinavian heritage and capacity for creativity to create both traditional fares suitable for all and unique treats that wow.
Serving breakfast, lunch and a multitude of sweet treats and bread loaves, a visit to Sun Street is likely to be a hit regardless of the time of day or what you’re looking for.
It’s difficult to go wrong with the Scandinavian-inspired Bergen Bread or Fyrstekake (a traditional Norwegian cake).
Otherwise, the Southern-style biscuits are a good call if you want a hearty breakfast.
Photo credit: A Baker’s Wife’s Pastry Shop Facebook Page
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A Baker’s Wife has been satiating their neighborhood for decades.
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This no-frills bakery serves delectable treats alongside freshly baked bread and breakfast croissants at tasty prices.
Taking a step back from high-blown concepts and complex flavors, A Baker’s Wife instead boils baking down to what counts – fantastic flavors made with the finest ingredients.
You’ll find an ample selection at A Baker’s Wife, from danishes to cookies.
Somewhat unusually, this bakery is located in a cookware store (Cooks of Crocus Hill).
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Once you’ve gotten over the setting, you’ll realize your mouth is watering as you take in all that Bellecour, another magnificent French-style bakery, has to offer.
All the French-style pastries and treats are near perfect, oozing with decadent flavors, while the textures are like something out of a dream.
With this being said, many visitors recommend the monkey bread above all else, so maybe start there.
Follow this up with a flaky croissant, a soup of the day, or a packed-out breakfast sandwich. At Bellecour, you’ll realize the world really is your oyster.
Come here for the best cupcakes in Minneapolis, you’ll honestly think they were made by angels.
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That is of course if you weren’t able to watch the bakers work when visiting – take a seat at the counter and watch all the drama that baking entails unfold.
Angel Food’s bold decision to give you a front-row seat in the baking process means you can rest assured that everything is made from scratch with only the finest of ingredients.
Outside of cupcakes, Angel Food is reputed for its doughnuts.
Maybe you saw Angel Food’s victory on the Food Network’s Donut Showdown?
Photo credit: Marc Heu Pâtisserie Paris Facebook Page
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Marc-Heu Patisserie Paris’s stated mission is to transport customers to Paris through enchanting fresh-baked French pastries.
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For most, this would be no easy feat. For founder Marc Heu however, a French-trained, former 3-star Michelin restaurant intern, it’s just another day at the office.
Every piece made at Marc Heu’s demonstrates his decades of experience working and studying in some of France’s finest institutions.
In particular, the tarts are visually stunning (the Fleur immediately springs to mind), combining a Parisian elegance with flavors that are nothing short of life-affirming.
Provided you’re looking for unforgettable food, Marc Heu’s is for you.
Whether that’s buttery croissants, French pastries, or delicately decorated cakes.
Photo credit: La Boulangerie Marguerite Facebook Page
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Formerly known as P.J Murphy’s Bakery, the rebrand reflects a number of changes – first and foremost, the introduction of a variety of French-inspired pastries, loaves, and viennoiseries.
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If you think these changes mean you won’t be able to find slices of Americana in the form of baked goodness you would be sorely mistaken.
Specifically, you’ll find an assortment of classic doughnuts, fritters and cinnamon rolls.
As a final note, repeat visits are required throughout the year thanks to the abundant seasonal products in constant rotation.