[Chef Sara Watson & Terri Trickle]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by Dan Francis Photography  When childhood friends, Sara Watson and Terri Trickle noticed The Pickle Factory near Dent, Minn., was up for sale, they couldn't resist the challenge. Despite the odds of opening a restaurant during a pandemic, the two were determined to redesign the historic schoolhouse into a dining destination. Keeping it casual for the area's lake patrons, they worked together to create a bar and menu that would pay homage to the building's past, explore fresh fusions, and delight their guests with nostalgic offerings. If you're ready to get a higher education in culinary studies, raise your hand and find your seat at Blackboard.
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[Brew Ales & Eats, Perham, Minn]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by Kristen Perala Creative  With plans to span nearly every mile of local lakes country, first, we headed east to Brew Ales & Eats in the beautiful vacation town of Perham, Minn. In the midst of charming boutiques, coffee shops, cafés, and florists, Brew's rustic-modern dining experience is a welcome retreat with a must-try menu. In addition to their current lunch and dinner menu, they're now serving up a brand new brunch menu, complete with morning-inspired cocktail flights. When we heard the Mini Brunch Flight included a Pineapplemosa, Pizza Mary, Tropical Screw-up, and a Toasty Roaster - we put down our coffee and grabbed a prime spot on the patio.
[A Gathering with the Skaff Family]Story by Laneil Skaff & Tracy Nicholson Photography by Dan Francis Photography  Laneil's littlest helpers; Lauren Stowers - 2, Ella Skaff - 9, Whitney Skaff - 4, Beckett Skaff - 5 When Moorhead's Laneil Skaff invites you to a family gathering, we'd advise you to drop everything and see what's cooking. This time, we visited the South Fargo home of her daughter, Jenna Stowers, and were greeted with seven of the nine Skaff grandchildren, along with her other daughter, Julie Stoe, and daughter-in-law, Christine Skaff. With Laneil at the helm and the entire family slicing, dicing, and rolling dough, this was a celebration of life, love and family favorites.
[Lighthouse Construction, Detroit Lakes + Helenske Design Group, Fargo]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by Dan Francis Photography  Located on the shores of Lake Le Homme Dieu in Alexandria, Minn., Lure Lakebar is a hotspot where Midwest comfort meets coastal cuisine. Seven months prior to its opening in May of 2019, its facade was primarily pink and pastel; the home of a Caribbean-themed restaurant named Bug-A-Boo Bay. Under the new ownership of Lake Life Hospitality Group, the team recruited Helenske Design Group of Fargo and Lighthouse Construction of Detroit Lakes. Together, they completed a massive overhaul of the 10,800 square foot space, in a mere seven months. Today, Lure Lakebar is a year-round destination, inspiring a classic twist on Minnesotan lake vibes, with an "Industrial Cabin" and coastal design.
[Girl Meets Farm]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by Chantell and Brett Quernemoen, Portrait courtesy of Food Network  While this fall, Food Network was debuting Molly Yeh's fourth season of Girl Meets Farm, Yeh was debuting baby Bernie (now nearly eight-months-old). Filming in the home she shares with her husband Nick Hagen, a fifth-generation farmer in East Grand Forks, Yeh has been busy baking up a little holiday spirit. This month, we're sharing her homemade version of the ever-popular Snickers that is bound to be the sweetest gift under the tree!
[HoDo Lounge + Kirsten Waverek of Studio West Homes + Dash & White]Story by Kirsten Waverek, Studio West Homes Photography by Penny Burns, Northern Stories
Whether it’s a neighborhood happy hour or a full weekend of forced family fun, a home holiday gathering can be a great opportunity to flex your festive expertise. To get our creative juices flowing and expand our party hosting horizons, we teamed up with one of the industry's best mixologists, Nate Stensgard of the HoDo Lounge. He broke down three seasonal sips that are sure to fill your guests with holiday cheer. To perfect our presentation, we took a quick trip to Dash & White to find glassware and serving options to pair with these perfect pours.
[ Coteau des Prairies Lodge ]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by Micah J. Zimmerman, Amdak Productions  Marking the perfect entrance to Autumn, our team hit the wide open road and ventured south to Havana, North Dakota. Just beyond the Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge, is where we found the breathtaking hilltop of Coteau des Prairies Lodge and their 3rd Annual Farm to Table dinner, sponsored by Agweek. Between four courses, locally sourced and curated by Chef Steven Schulz, we met the Breker family; passionate, fifth generation farmers who spent two years building the lodge, so others could experience the 360-degree view of the landscape they'd come to love.
[Sol Ave. Kitchen, Moorhead]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by M.Schleif Photography  From Left: Sol Ave. Kitchen's General Manager, Anna Macy, Luna's Executive Chef/Owner - Ryan Nitschke, Sol Ave.'s Chef - Shea Syverson and owner, Nikki Berglund When it comes to Fargo-Moorhead's foodie scene, restaurateurs, Nikki Berglund and chef Ryan Nitschke love to "stir" things up. Finding success with their first venture, Luna Fargo, they worked with chef Shea Syverson to curate another - Sol Ave. Kitchen in North Moorhead (NoMo). Finding a hot spot next door to Junkyard Brewing Company, Sol Ave.'s already been tempting the craft beer crowd, and locals have happily embraced their farm fresh flavors. With globally and thoughtfully-inspired street food, Sol Ave. Kitchen is Midwest soul food that will have diners on both sides of the river, eating happy.
[Tru Blu]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by M.Schleif Photography
Opening their doors two years ago, in West Fargo, Tru Blu quickly made its mark with sleek, American steakhouse cuisine and a classically designed interior. A stone arched ceiling creates old-world ambiance and their casually-elevated dining takes patrons back to a time when a fine steak was served in fine style. This month, dinner's on us as we take you inside to meet the chefs, gather a few secrets of the steakhouse trade, and steal their sinfully delicious, caramelized root mash potato recipe.
[Shantel Fagerholt]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by Dan Francis Photography  This month, we take you to the beaches of Detroit Lakes, in the kitchen of Barb and Tom Thomsen, to introduce you to our newest cuisine contributor, Shantel Fagerholt. She's an at-home chef who practices a unique diet approach called The Plant Paradox. Living a lectin-free lifestyle, founded by Dr. Steven Gundry, Fagerholt gives us the rundown on how lectin can adversely affect our gut and our mind. She offers simple advice on how to get started and serves up her go-to salad recipe that's both healthy and tasty. PART One OF TWO - Take a Taste[At Home with Nichole Hensen: Nichole's Fine Pastry & Café]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by M.Schleif Photography, catering photo by Fernweh + Liebe, café food photo by Maria Slette  When Nichole Hensen opened her pastry shop in Downtown Fargo's Block #8 in 2003, she couldn't have begun to imagine the big impact her small-batch baked goods would make. Sixteen years later, Hensen is well-known and celebrated as the region's premier pastry chef. Specializing in traditional European and classic American favorites, Nichole's Fine Pastry is a local sweet-spot for savory bites, delicate desserts and steaming espresso. Hoping to find her secret recipe for success, we headed to her home on Fargo's historic eighth street where she treated us to a French favorite - salade nicoise, and a classic strawberry shortcake recipe with a Midwestern twist.
[A sneak peek pop-up of Moorhead's newest dining destination]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by M.Schleif Photography  Nikki Berglund - Owner, Executive Chef/Owner - Ryan Nitschke, Sol Ave. Chef - Shea Syverson With continued success in their first venture, Luna Fargo, it's not surprising that restaurateur, Nikki Berglund and chef Ryan Nitschke are ready to stir up the foodie scene with their second restaurant, Sol Ave. Kitchen. Finding an ideal space next to Junkyard Brewing Company in Moorhead, the partners launched a 45-day Kickstarter campaign, raising enough funding to help make their cuisine dreams a reality. Although the official opening day is still in the works, Berglund and Nitschke invited us to Sol Ave. Kitchen's first ever pop-up, inside Luna Fargo. Here, Sol Ave. debuted their eclectic menu, gathered feedback, and gave an intimate group of diners a taste of what's to come.
[Indulgence Baking Co.]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by M.Schleif Photography, additional photos by Fernweh & Liebe Photography  photo by Fernweh & Liebe Photography By day, Kayla Houchin's Oak Grove students know her as Ms. Houchin, their physical education teacher. By noon, Houchin is stirring up sweetness with her business, Indulgence Baking Co. As if 138 students and a thriving baking company weren't enough to keep her busy, she also devotes much of her off-time to an organization called charity: water. Although she seems to always be creating something beautiful, this month, her beautiful baked goods will benefit a beautiful cause. Join us as we take you inside Houchin's kitchen to see how a simple birthday party and a few French macarons can change the world.
[ SEASON #2 MEETS BABY #1 ]Story by Tracy Nicholson & Molly Yeh Photography courtesy of Molly Yeh  With holiday excitement in the air and a bun in the oven (due in March), Molly Yeh debuted the big news last month, during the premiere of her second season of Food Network’s show, Girl Meets Farm. Filmed in the home she shares with her husband Nick Hagen, a fifth-generation farmer in East Grand Forks, this local food blogger has been stirring up the food scene since 2009. Since her number one fans are right here in the Midwest, we reached out to Yeh to help us kick off our holiday baking with a fresh take on an old favorite, brown sugar cookies.
Story by Katie Sullivan, Pretty Domesticated Photography by Micah J. Zimmerman16
[TAYLOR & VALERIE SNELLING]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by M. Schleif Photography  If you’re in the fine-dining industry like Taylor Snelling, the end of the holidays marks a time to celebrate survival. To see how Mezzaluna dines after-hours, we joined Taylor and his wife, Valerie at their Brandt Crossing home in South Fargo. This time, instead of pampering the guests, their hardworking team took a seat and toasted to another successful year; in the kitchen, and behind the bar. We started with the main course of maple-glazed duck, paired it with a side of white sweet potato and apple risotto, then chased it with a hibiscus punch that’ll make you forget all about your new year’s resolutions.
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