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Quartet of local chefs up for Food & Wine award

First came the James Beard Award nominees, and now comes Food & Wine magazine's competition for "Best New Chef." It's official: the Twin Cities are a gourmet paradise.
 
The magazine divided the country into 10 regions, and chose 10 restaurants from each. Four Minnesota chefs are on the list for the Midwest region.
 
The contenders are Sameh Wadi from Saffron Restaurant in Minneapolis, Landon Schoenfeld from HauteDish in Minneapolis, and Mike Brown and James Winberg, both from Travail Kitchen & Amusements in Robbinsdale.
 
Readers were asked to choose their favorites by voting on the magazine's website, and winners will be announced soon.

Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Minneapolis featured for interesting makeover

A recent USA Today story highlights the makeover of the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Minneapolis.

As a part of a $25 million project that started in December 2011, the hotel charged its designers with creating a “sleek, new look with an eye towards all things “local”--including Red Wing Pottery,” the story states.

Michael Suomi, design chief for Stonehill & Taylor, which came up with the architectural and design plans, is quoted saying "We had a specific goal of bringing as much of the manufacturing and sourcing back to America to promote job growth, increase speed to market and celebrate American craft"--adding that this way, “we saved money!"


Ellen DeGeneres helps Minneapolis couple

A local couple who were facing foreclosure got help from comedian and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, according to a Star Tribune story.

DeGeneres presented them with a $25,000 check from Fujifilm Medical Systems on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which aired last Friday.

Carrie Agnew had written to the show about the dire situation she and her partner, Rebecca Johnson, were facing.

When the show offered to fly them in to watch a taping, Agnew had no idea that the visit would involve financial help.

"It's such a relief," Agnew says in the story, adding, "Our lives are changing."



State job openings surge in latest report

As noted in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and compiled by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the state's employers reported nearly 50,000 job openings during the fourth quarter of 2011. That's an increase of nearly 48 percent compared to the same period of 2010.
 
Another significant number: there were 3.2 unemployed people per job opening in the recent fourth quarter, compared with 5.8 per vacancy in the year before.
 
About 11 percent of employers surveyed by DEED planned to hire more people in the next six months, and 83 percent noted that they didn't expect staffing levels to change.

OpenTable picks four local restaurants for list of best service in nation

Four local eateries landed on a list of restaurants that provide the best service in the United States.
 
Compiled by restaurant reservation service OpenTable, the list is based on reviews submitted by users of the website.
 
The quartet that rose above the others locally: Acqua Restaurant and Wine Bar in White Bear Lake, Capital Grille and La Belle Vie in Minneapolis, and Joan's in the Park in St. Paul.
 
"A huge part of what makes many of these restaurants great are the people themselves, working tirelessly to delight their patrons," OpenTable noted about the list.

An artistic representation of 100 things to love about the area

The Walker Art Center blog features artist Aaron Draplin’s graphic map, called, “100 Things I Love About Minneapolis.”

The image shows a map of the state, which is filled in with words and illustrations that touch on everything from the iconic Grain Belt Brewery sign to the common phrase, “You betcha.”

It includes landmarks along with bits and pieces of pop culture. Among the destinations it pictures are the Ideal Diner in Northeast Minneapolis, Ax-Man Surplus store in St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis skyways.


Fortune top 50 list of 'most admired' companies includes four local companies

A number of Twin Cities-based businesses are highly respected, according to Fortune magazine.

Four local enterprises made it into Fortune’s top 50 list of the “most admired” companies around the globe, notes the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

The magazine asked businesspeople to weigh in on everything from innovation to management practices in picking their favorite companies.

The list included 3M Corp., Target Corp., St. Jude Medical Inc. and General Mills Inc., while six others were contenders for the list. Several others that have a significant local presence were also named.   

Apple, Google, and Amazon.com secured the top spots in the list.   



Twin Cities restaurants, chefs announced as James Beard Award semifinalists

The prestigious James Beard Awards recognize the top chefs and restaurants in the nation, and the competition is usually fierce.
 
This year, the Twin Cities had 13 spots on the semifinalists list, including new restaurant The Bachelor Farmer and renowned chef Tim McKee of La Belle Vie.
 
Restaurant Alma was named as a contender for Outstanding Restaurant, and in terms of outstanding service, Manny's Steakhouse garnered a nod. In the chef category, St. Paul favorites Lenny Russo and Russell Klein got nods, along with Piccolo's Doug Flicker, Tilia's Steven Brown, and others.
 
Winners will be announced at the beginning of May.

Kansas newspaper highlights Minneapolis as spring break destination

Forget sun-drenched beaches and ocean views: for this spring break, college students might want to consider Minneapolis instead.
 
That's the view of one editor at the Kansas State Collegian, the newspaper for Kansas State University. She posits that students there may not be considering a road trip northward, but that they should.
 
Highlighted in the story are the Guthrie Theater, the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden, Hell's Kitchen, and the Mall of America.
 
"Minneapolis is a city with specific attractions for all sorts of people," she writes in the article. "The city takes pride in its ability to entertain a diverse group of out-of-state travelers."

Swedish Institute grand reopening draws royalty

The American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis recently announced its June 30 grand reopening with the addition of the Nelson Cultural Center.

The expansion and other campus enhancements will get a visit from Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia in October. During their Minnesota trip, the king and queen will also go to the Swedish-founded Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, which will be celebrating its 150th anniversary.

“The Nelson Cultural Center’s innovative design and handcrafted, Swedish-inspired detailing embrace Nordic values--including respect for nature and quality materials, as well as for the environment, through energy conservation and sustainable building practices,” the statement from the American Swedish Institute reads.  


KPCNews.com: Tourist describes a Twin Cities visit

On KPCNews.com, which serves northeastern Indiana, writer Lou Ann Homan-Saylor describes her recent Twin Cities trip.

Her itinerary included catching Garrison Keillor’s live radio show, “A Prairie Home Companion,” at the Fitzgerald Theater, the St. Paul Winter Carnival, and in Minneapolis, Bryant Lake Bowl and the Mary Tyler Moore statue, among other things.

“A Prairie Home Companion” is a highlight: “The show lived up to all my expectations and I did not stop smiling for the entire two hours. Keillor received a standing ovation,” she writes.

On a quick tour of Minneapolis, she finds that “The city is breathtaking with arts facilities everywhere … home to this ballet, that musical company…The lights and sounds of a big city draw me in and certainly make me wonder how I can capture this energy to bring home to my own small town.”




Korean-American community thriving in Twin Cities

The Korean Beacon reports that Korean-Americans are thriving in the Twin Cities, in part because of a sizable adoptive population.

It studied the Twin Cities' Korean-American population, influential people in the community, local programs, and "hotspots."

The story states that "The booming population of Koreans in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and in Minnesota in general, is due not only to a vast number of immigrants, but also to adoptees from the Motherland--the latter of which is estimated to comprise 50% of the state’s rich Korean population."


Knight Foundation blog features the work of a couple of St. Paul grantees

The Knight Blog features a couple of its local grantees who were recently profiled by Minnesota Monthly. 

Dana Nelson of GiveMN and Laura Zabel of Springboard for the Arts are Minnesotans who are “changing the way we think about the world--and its future," according to the magazine story.

Nelson is giving philanthropy a new twist while Zabel is empowering artists, it states.


LA Weekly highlights local artist Brock Davis

Stonehenge recreated in miniature with Rice Krispies. A bearskin rug made from a single Gummi Bear. A treehouse built into a single stalk of broccoli.
 
These charming, diminutive creations are the work of Minneapolis-based artist Brock Davis, who captured the attention of LA Weekly recently. In a blog posting, the newspaper featured photos of Davis' work, along with an appreciation of his style.
 
"In some pieces, Davis elevates a humble product, often iconic out of ubiquity in its own right, by manipulating it to resemble an iconic image," the writer noted, pointing to a work that recreates a Pink Floyd album cover out of Dorito bags.
 
The blog states that in Davis' world, junk food can be medium, muse, and, perhaps even a message.

Defense Industry Daily notes local firm's "throwbots"

Local robotics company ReconRobotics has garnered attention in a recent Defense Industry Daily article, which profiled the firm's Recon Scout robot.
 
"It won't shovel your driveway after a Panhandle Hook has come through, but if you're trying to see into the next room, or over a wall, or even under rubble after a natural disaster, ReconRobotics thinks they have just thing for you," the article's writer notes.
 
After covering the robot's key features, the article provides details on recent military contracts won by the company.
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