All About Food

Coffee Talk: Stumbeano’s Coffee Bar now pouring over downtown

November 5th, 2014

Photo by Raul Gomez

Greg Stumbo of Fergus Falls started roasting coffee in the early 2000s as a hobby. He said it was a popular trend at the time and he was starting to see an annoying push from advertisers for roasted coffee.

“It was weird to see how advertisers marketed buying coffee back then – it was really sexist – like guys angry at their wives because they had burnt the coffee,” Stumbo said.

Therefore, he stuck to roasting his own beans from then on for his family, friends and for wholesale.…

Lucy’s in the Sky

October 30th, 2014

We all have had one of those moments, you know, where you are just craving something and you just have to have it. No substitutes, just gotta have it. A couple weeks ago I was struck with a monumental craving for Chinese food. I am talking off the charts -- must have it now if not sooner. I haven’t really pursued Chinese food here in Fargo. Thai, yes, but not Chinese. And a buffet was not on the ticket.

So I called a friend asking, “What is the best Chinese restaurant in town?” and…

The Keng of food

October 22nd, 2014

Keng // Photo by J Earl Miller

You know that feeling when you think, “I've just met somebody pretty special”? Well I have always felt that way about Thamrong “Keng” Dechawuth, owner/co-owner of many, many restaurants in Fargo-Moorhead and Grand Forks. Without even knowing it, his restaurant ventures with his father-in-law, Dave, have changed the Fargo-Moorhead area -- all to the positive.

In our interview, Keng talks about his future plans in the local restaurant business, including the selling of a number of…

Authentic African Cuisine

October 22nd, 2014

On Oct. 8, when news broke from the Dallas Texas Presbyterian Hospital about Thomas Eric Duncan’s fatal demise, assistant chef Mohamed Yasser continued about his morning routine: waking up minutes before 7 a.m., preparing his girlfriend's daughter for school and finally shelling out items (ideas) from his freezer in order to accommodate the head chef’s daily specials. Named the Afro Latino 18 Cuisine, the eatery figured to cater to the rising population of Africans (as well as…

The many lives of salt

October 16th, 2014

How many people use salt on their food? My husband, Mike, and I were just at the movies and enjoying a nice big box of popcorn. Although I thought there was the perfect amount of salt already on it, I noticed that Mike continued to put more on. So it got me thinking about how we use salt and how many different forms of salt there are.

We live in an age now where, like everything else, salt is not a bad thing in moderation, but it's not the first thing you should grab on the table,…

“It was just a crumb”

October 9th, 2014

To someone with celiac disease that “crumb” could wreak havoc on their lower intestine and cause crippling pain. Not all sufferers of this disease are that sensitive to small amounts of gluten, but like radiation, it stores itself in the body until it reaches a critical mass. So what might seem minor in fact will be a major issue down the road. Just follow the crumbs.

“Gluten Free,” you see it everywhere these days and even people without gluten sensitivity have got on the band…

Seasons they are a changin’

October 2nd, 2014

I did my usual trip to the farmers market on Saturday to stock up on tomatoes and other wholesome goodness and was saddened to realize that tomato season is almost over. It was a little bit later in the day than when I normally go and it was slim pickings. They were still lovely and full of luscious summer flavor but waning slightly. So I will have to start hitting up all the markets earlier in the day to hoard as many tomatoes as possible and then, once home, do some cooking, canning…

Moorhead Gets Tastier

August 21st, 2014

Photo by Spencer Boechler

HPR reviews Rustica

When you cross the Main Street Bridge from Fargo into the sort of culinary wasteland known as Moorhead you will notice a change, a change for the better. Eric and Sarah Watson of Mezzaluna and Mosaic Foods have expanded their culinary empire into the space once occupied by John Alexander’s, breathing new life into a cool architectural remnant of old Moorhead while raising the culinary bar for Moorhead with their new venture, Rustica.

I like how the Watsons are going…

Milkhaus: Ice cream innovators

August 7th, 2014

Chris Wilkes and Seth Locken / Photo by J Earl Miller

By April Knutson

On an unbearably hot and humid Saturday afternoon I strolled into Square One Rental Kitchen where Milkhaus creators Chris Wilkes and Seth Locken worked diligently at placing labels across hundreds of plastic containers. In the neatly organized freezer these plastic containers create a treasure trove of pastel-colored pushed pops filled with innovative and inventive flavors.

Milkhaus first appeared in grocery stores in New Town, N.D. after Locken first tried mixing garden…

West Acres and The Botanic Garden Society

July 31st, 2014

I had a conversation with Jacqueline Williams, a volunteer with The Northern Plains Botanic Garden Society. Williams and Botanic Gardens have helped establish West Acres Shopping Center’s new outdoor farmers market. I was a little curious as to how this market started and thought a conversation with her would help clarify a few things.

HPR: Can you give us a brief history on the Botanic Gardens?

Jackie: The Northern Plains Botanic Garden Society is a 501(c)3 that has an eye toward…