Chris J. Benson
Executive chef Scott Graden, of the New Scenic Café in Duluth, won the Superior Award and $750 at a Minnesota Sea Grant event for his lake herring dish.
Local on the Lake and the Third Wave
Minnesota Public Radio checks in on the food and drink scene in Duluth, where several new breweries and a “third wave”-style cafe have popped up. These new businesses, like Duluth Coffee Company and Borealis Fermentery, typify the trend toward finely crafted local products, in Duluth and other cities around the Lake.
+ Canal Park Brewing Co. opened its doors last week to much fanfare. In West Duluth, Bent Paddle Brewing Co. started indoor construction on its 30-barrel facility, expected to open in the spring.
+ Fitger’s Brewhouse, also in Duluth, started its own cattle ranch last month in Saginaw, Minn., reports WDIO.
+ The University of Minnesota Duluth student newspaper, The Statesman, chatted with alum Eric Faust, owner of Duluth Coffee Company.
U.P. “Underdogs” in New York City
Because of a Michigan age limit for athletes, Eric Dompierre, a 19-year-old Ishpeming High place-kicker with Down syndrome, would have been barred from competition this season, his senior year. But after a long legal battle, his father won a waiver from the state for Eric, and the football team defeated a favored Detroit Loyola team to take home the Division 7 state championship.
Eric’s story was featured on Sports Illustrated's "Underdogs" series in the fall. Viewers voted it the most inspiring, for which the school was awarded a $25,000 grant and a trip to New York City this week for the SI Sportsman of the Year event, reports the Mining Journal.
Top Chefs
Two regional chefs – Duluth’s Scott Graden of the New Scenic Café and Thunder Bay’s Steve Simpson of The Sovereign Room earned recent recognition.
Scott, whose recipes have appeared in Lake Superior Magazine, won the Superior Award at Minnesota Sea Grant's Salute to Lake Superior Sustainable Fisheries competition last month. His dish, which he calls Sea Grant Lake Herring, also won the People's Choice Award. John Occhiato, of Cosmos in Minneapolis, was named the Grand Champion. Avery Cassar, from At Sara's Table/Chester Creek Café in Duluth, earned an honorable mention.
The event highlighted the recovering lake herring population. The Sea Grant website has the recipe for Scott's dish (and others).
And in Ontario last month, Steve won the Top Chef Thunder Bay cook-off, besting 12 other competitors.
MINE UPDATE: Orvana Minerals Corp. continues to develop plans for a copper and silver mine near Ironwood, Michigan, according to an Associated Press report. Comments on the company’s resubmitted permit application will be accepted through Dec. 18.
LOVING LOCKS: From the Ashland Daily Press, a 5-year-old donated her never-cut locks to kids in need.
A GRAND SUNRISE: Paul Sundberg’s latest photo of the week.
COOKING UP SOLUTIONS: University of Minnesota Duluth researchers hope their work will allow West Africans to turn a damaging, invasive cattail plant into much-needed cooking fuel, reports the Duluth News Tribune.
ABOVE THE SAULT: Artist John Hartman unveiled a painting of an aerial Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, this week at the East Street gallery. The oil painting measures a whopping 66 by 93 inches. The Sault Star has more.
A Look at the Week Ahead
Saturday, Dec. 8: Santa arrives in Bayfield, Wisconsin, on the Madeline Island Ferry.
Sunday, Dec. 9: Holiday B&B Tour, Duluth.
Monday, Dec. 10: Opening reception for the Arrowhead Biennial, at the Duluth Art Institute.