Northern Minnesota is under a new alert until Friday at 7 p.m.

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

, interviewed a writer who’s been keeping close tabs on the Twin Cities food scene for 25 years, and tasted dozens of delectable dishes. 

Here are a few of our favorite conversations with the chefs, cookbook authors and tastemakers who make the Minnesota food scene vibrant:

Amy Thielen, author of ‘Company: The Radically Casual Art of Cooking for Others’

Minnesota author and chef Amy Thielen is out with her third book, which she refers to as her “so-called entertaining book.” In it, she encourages hosts to drop the Martha Stewart act and reframe entertaining as the “radically casual art of cooking for others.”

In her new cookbook, Amy Thielen argues hosting should be more party than performance

What’s the secret to cooking for others? In her new cookbook, 

 advises giving up on Martha Stewart perfectionism. 

She practiced what she preached as she hosted the Appetites team in her home near Park Rapids: “If the host is all nervous and worried too much about things being absolutely perfect, it really kind of infects the group in a bad way,” Thielen said with tongs in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. “Is it a party, or are we performing food here?”

Chef Scott Graden, owner of New Scenic Café

Appetites stopped in Dulut and Tom Crann talked with New Scenic Cafe owner and chef Scott Graden

The New Scenic Café has been around long enough that it’s no longer new but this North Shore icon manages to keep things fresh. 

 talked to All Things Considered host Tom Crann about how the Duluth restaurant continues to remain relevant by pushing the region's culinary boundaries.

Listen to Tom Crann's conversation with Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl

award-winning writer Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl

 has been a frequent guest on Appetites. 

When she released her book “The Essential Dear Dara: Writings on Local Characters and Memorable Places,” it was only natural for her and Tom Crann to settle in for a wide-ranging conversation about writing, food and life in Minnesota. 

Eric Pham’s mother Khue Pham and her relatives were the family behind Quang, a Vietnamese restaurant that's become an institution in Minneapolis. Now, he’s looking to forge his own way by building on their legacy.

Eric Pham of Quang Restaurant legacy is forging his own path

 grew up in Minneapolis’ Quang Restaurant family. Now a chef in his own right, he talked to Tom Crann about opening his own place — Khue's Kitchen, named for his mom Khue Pham — and showed us how he makes his favorite dish: bánh mì xíu mại, Vietnamese meatball sandwiches. 

Loretta Barrett Oden and Beth Dooley, co-authors of ‘Corn Dance: Inspired First American Cuisine’

MPR News Host Tom Crann talks with Native chef Loretta Barrett Oden and Minnesota food writer Beth Dooley about their new cookbook "Corn Dance," which showcases the recipes that made Oden one of the most influential chefs in the nation.

Native chef Loretta Barrett Oden creates a cookbook of Indigenous and Southwest inspired recipes

Native chef Loretta Barrett Oden credits her friend Beth Dooley

 for getting her to write her first cookbook. 

The two share anecdotes about their collaboration, discuss the evolution of the Indigenous food scene and share a recipe for Three Sisters and Friends Salad.

Heidi Raschke

Author

This year Appetites took a tour of the state, interviewed a writer who’s been keeping close tabs on the Twin Cities food scene for 25 years and tasted dozens of delectable dishes. Here are a few of our favorite conversations.

Appetites stopped in Duluth. MPR News Tom Crann talked with New Scenic Cafe owner and chef Scott Graden about the iconic North Shore restaurant.

Appetites in Greater Minnesota: Duluth

MPR News with Angela Davis - Listen to Tom Crann's conversation with Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl from last week's MPR News event.

Appetites looks back on 2023: Restaurants, Vietnamese meatballs and the secret to entertaining

Go Deeper.

Like this?