On June 25, 2018, some of the most influential voices in the food of our region will gather together on the Walker Art Center auditorium stage to talk about Northern Food. Twin Cities food writer Steve Hoffman (expanding on an article, “What is Northern Food?” that he recently wrote for Artful Livingmagazine) will host a discussion with some of the brightest lights currently shining in our food culture:

• Lynne Rossetto Kasper (legendary host of NPR’s The Splendid Table)
• Alex Roberts (chef and visionary behind the iconic Alma Restaurant)
• Ann Kim (James Beard finalist and owner/chef of Young Joni, Pizzeria Lola and Hello Pizza)
• Beth Dooley (James Beard Award winner and coauthor of 2018’s Best American Cookbook, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen)
• Yia Vang (chef and owner of Union Kitchen and passionate spokesperson for Hmong culture and cuisine)
• Beth Kracklauer (Food & Drinks editor at the Wall Street Journal)

Among the topics to be explored: What does it mean that we are newly a national food destination? What, actually, is a regional cuisine and what does ours look like—from the inside and the outside? How do we get past the clichés we still tell ourselves about a cuisine made up of bland Northern European survival food? How might a definition of Northern Food include cuisines as varied as Anishinaabe, German, Norwegian, African American, Ecuadorian, Somali, and Hmong? To what extent are we still bound by the rules of place—which here include what they have always included: fertile glacial soil, abundant fresh water, proximity to wild land, and the constraints of northern latitudes?

Please come join us. Let’s talk. Let’s move beyond hotdish.

Place: Walker Art Center Auditorium

Time: 5-9 pm

• 5-6: Cash bar, conversation, and light snacks
• 6-8: Keynote by Alex Roberts followed by panel discussion and audience questions
• 8-9: Mingling, cocktails and food at Esker Grove

Tickets are $9.00 and available for purchase here.