Twin Cities

You don’t have to be vegetarian to appreciate the food. 

On May 10, the MPI Minnesota chapter celebrated its members and the successes of its 2016-17 year at Union Depot in St. Paul. The theme was “Soirée: An Evening in Paris,” and attendees dined on French-inspired food from Crave. The 2017-18 Board of Directors and incoming president, Jen Ruthig, CMP, were welcomed, and EMPI awards and scholarship recipients were announced.

Do you wish you had the opportunity to entertain around the world? The international cuisine options in Minnesota are the next best thing. Some are restaurants with event space or private dining, others do catering and even food trucks. Take a tour of world fl avor with these local culinary options—no passport required.

Chino Latino

Based on the belief that clean eating doesn’t have to be boring and bland, Sprout has been distinguished as the first fast-casual salad concept in the Twin Cities since opening its first of three locations in 2014. With a catering menu packed with chefcrafted salads, wraps, house-made lemonades and more, Sprout is quickly becoming a crowd favorite for large-scale healthy eating.

It’s the new year, and the Twin Cities are filled with new resolutions, many of which may sound like the following: “I’m going to start eating healthier. I’m going to eat more salads.” Well, if you’re anything like me, creating a salad that substantially qualifies as a meal always begins as a hopeful process but somehow results in a dejected bowl of limp foliage smeared with, you guessed it, ranch. Such consistent salad failures are why I jumped at the opportunity to sample Sprout Salad’s new seasonal menu.

Tracy DeJong, director of tour guide services for metroConnections, has been honored with the 2016 National Concierge Association Affiliate Volunteer of the Year Award. DeJong is also a board member of the Minnesota Chapter of the NCA. Previously, she was co-chair of the fundraising committee for NCA’s Minnesota Chapter.

“Tracy DeJong is a public relations asset,” says David Graves, president and CEO, metroConnections. “She works hard at getting out into the industry and showcasing metroConnections. We appreciate her efforts and congratulate her on this well-deserved award.”

Chef Doug Flicker of Esker Grove, the Walker Art Center’s new restaurant, has added mixologist Jon Olson, chef de cuisine T.J. Rawitzer and general manager Kim Tong to his team.  

Olson is a well-known Twin Cities mixologist who has worked at La Belle Vie, Ice House and Bradstreet Crafthouse. In 2015, he won the local Iron Bartender competition. He and his friend, Adam Gorski are the co-founders of TRUEpenny, which hosts pop-up bars across the Twin Cities.

Allan Law, a 32-year veteran in the Minneapolis Public School system, founded Minneapolis Recreation Development in 1967. Law made the program with a focus to feed and provide emergency assistance to as many people in need as possible. Since then, he has volunteered more than 175,000 hours, and has personally spent almost $500,000 serving the poor and homeless in the Minneapolis area.

This past Memorial Day weekend, the Mall of America was abuzz when over 500 bloggers gathered for the Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX), the world’s largest gathering of travel bloggers, writers, new media content creators and social media travel industry professionals. Here, bloggers spent the weekend networking with one another, finding out how to keep their blogs relevant, and touring both the new and old gems of the Twin Cities.

Hilton Hotel and Minneapolis-based Kaeding Management Group have teamed up to open the Hampton Inn and Suites Minneapolis University Area in early October.

“It’s the first Hilton hotel project within the Kaeding Management Group portfolio, and the first one that combines the essence of the neighborhood, the Hampton brand and the Kaeding touch,” says Jamie Goodchild, general manager of the Hampton Inn and Suites Minneapolis University Area.