This one is close to my heart. As a Nordic-American I have a deep fondness for the traditional folk school model, and as a Minneapolis resident I treasure the rich cultural diversity of our city. It was an honor to speak with Anna and Cal and share their vision with @racketmn.com readers.

I'll always be down for cheese shopping in the name of journalism.

One of the toughest things I've ever had to write—and also it made me fall in love with Minneapolis all over again.

www.thecurrent.org/feature/2026... Loved chatting with Holly Hansen and learning how pivoting from the music industry to a coffee shop isn't as much of a stretch as you'd think

In which I get in *way* over my head at a local puzzle contest and learn about an awesome community

Anyway, if you're not backing Heavy Table, consider it. We're a team of Minnesota- and Wisconsin-based human beings out there in the world interviewing and photographing and illustrating other human beings and the food they make. It's good stuff. 4/4 heavytable.substack.com

Also tomorrow: killer interview with Shane Oporto and his partner Sarah McDonough from the newly revived Dark Horse in Lowertown, Saint Paul. Story by @tangledupinfood.bsky.social, photos by Joshua Feist. Plus details on the upcoming Level Up barista event here in Minneapolis. 2/4

Here's roughly what my tomorrow looks like. Can't wait to get out there with John Garland, Becca Dilley, @amyrea.bsky.social, @tangledupinfood.bsky.social, @jeannelakso.bsky.social, Joshua Feist, Andy DuCett, @wacso.bsky.social, @mccronin.bsky.social and Nathan Wold. Bring on the chaos!!!

The comment period for this ends in 3 DAYS. Please leave a comment telling them EVERYONE should be able to get covid boosters. www.regulations.gov/commenton/FD...

Hell of a newsletter today with a big rundown on the flavors of HmongTown in Saint Paul - words by @amyrea.bsky.social and photos by @tangledupinfood.bsky.social - check it out here: heavytable.substack.com/p/kinsleys-a...

New post about eating bagels and delving into Jewish history in NYC www.stillproofing.com/the-jewish-t...

www.stillproofing.com/my-most-jewi... Who knew the Dear America series would have such a long-term impact on my life?

The rise of Asian markets has powered some of the most innovative and celebrated dining in Minnesota and been a lifeline for immigrants and their children. Tariffs that threaten those markets threaten the whole food ecosystem here.

The past several weeks have been...a lot. Here's to writing through the grief over all of this (*gestures broadly at the world*) and working towards something better. www.stillproofing.com/a-mourners-k...

Nerdy Valentine's references are the way to my heart <3

Always proud of what the Heavy Table team gets up to, but tomorrow's spirits stuff by @louisgarcia12.bsky.social and @tangledupinfood.bsky.social is particularly strong (figuratively, and literally at least in the case of the whiskeys.)

www.tangledupinfood.com/seven-years-... Time for my annual update on freelance life! It seems weird to report that in the midst of so much chaos things are going well for me career-wise...I guess I'll take it?

www.thecurrent.org/feature/2025... Huge thanks to The Current for assigning this to me—one of chillest evenings I've had in a long time

New essay about how the oft-confusing Jewish calendar has led me to a deeper spirituality www.stillproofing.com/the-unexpect...

www.tangledupinfood.com/itinerary-ex... My guide to experiencing Nordic culture in the Twin Cities in one food-filled day

Worth it: chocolate babka, lefse, pretzels, tomato sauce Not: eggrolls—I attempted them as an inexperienced cook so maybe I’d have better luck now? But they were such a PITA and so awful I’ve never wanted to find out

All 28 of these stories have been temporarily UNLOCKED from the paywall—enjoy! 🔓

Just under the wire, here’s my annual roundup of the best things I ate www.tangledupinfood.com/best-things-...

Wrote about giving myself the Jewish childhood I never had—it’s never too late to fall for Fievel Mousekewitz www.heyalma.com/as-a-convert...

Stoked to announce that Heavy Table is teaming up with bakehouse (by the creators of Honey and Rye) to kick off a winter baking series with maximum-strength hygge. Pies! Bagels! Fresh pasta! Biscuits! Orange rolls! Great instructors, terrific setting. gatheringsbybakehouse.square.site/classes

Holiday bars? Or are they Christmas bars?

My (mostly futile) attempt to find Hanukkah representation at Twin Cities “holiday” pop-up bars racketmn.com/an-exhaustiv...

🚀 Exciting update for #rstats enthusiasts! Our engineers have powered-up R deployments on Connect Cloud. Shiny Apps & Quarto Docs now deploy and reload in just seconds! 🔗 Sign up for free to experience the speed: connect.posit.cloud And please help us spread the word—repost to share the news!

My answer to the first question I get when I tell folks I’ve converted to Judaism www.stillproofing.com/but-youll-st...

So many great makers, events, and shops are featured here—keep it local this holiday season!

Combine 2 c. crumbled leftover stuffing with an egg, mix well, add 2 Tbsp stock or broth, mix well. Pat into even layer on preheated waffle iron, cook until golden brown. Serve with cranberry sauce or gravy.

Me: *excited to color the Strib turkey* Strib: Here’s Stribby the Duck instead! Thanksgiving has been ruined😭

Happy Polyamory Day! Thankful today and always for both my loves 💗

Working on this Friday's newsletter, remembering the absolutely killer bananas foster we ate at Lagniappe on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. We'll have some thoughts on leaving X and a dive into the business model of the newly opened La Estancia, too.

Ingebretsen’s is one of my happy places (Salted licorice! Nordic noir! Lefse!), it was an honor to write this 🇫🇮🇩🇰🇳🇴🇸🇪🇮🇸

The team behind the magazine: We've put together a Heavy Table starter pack chock-a-block with writers / editors / artists / generally talented folks. Mostly but not entirely Minnesota-based. Lotta food knowledge in one place. Cheers! go.bsky.app/BQEEyqm

Rereading this and I'm going to bed to cry: "Ernest Hemingway was paid $1 a word in 1936. That's more than $21 per word in today's dollars. The maximum I was ever paid to write for a glossy magazine in print was $2/word, in 2021." defector.com/the-money-is...

In the latest installment of Racket's "Better Know a Twin Cities Suburb" series, let's check out Champlin! racketmn.com/better-know-...

There’s so much pain in the world now. But let’s hold on to this for some light: This is the first time EVER that it is Purim, Ramadan & Palm Sunday all at the same time. 🌙 Ramadan Kareem, 🌴 Palm Sunday blessings, & 🎉 Purim Sameach, all. ♥️ Thx to erev rav Talia Kaplan for pointing this out.

General Mills wouldn't answer our hard-hitting Qs, but a food historian did:

I’ve been doing the self-employment thing for six years now, time for my annual quitversary blog post! www.tangledupinfood.com/six-years-in...

Just gonna say this again — journalism doesn’t need more journalists. It needs more journalism jobs. If you’re rich and want to help journalism, buy a bunch of alt weeklies, set up a trust, and fund them indefinitely.

Founder and chocolatier Daniela “Denny” Rain decorates each one by hand with vivid swirls and splatters of color, and once set, the surface of each chocolate is glossy enough to reflect light. racketmn.com/cocoa-flakes...

I have a new writing project! Still Proofing is an email newsletter with essays about Jewish identity, spirituality, and ritual, through a convert’s lens. Read the first post and subscribe here www.stillproofing.com

At Tropes & Trifles, romance isn’t a guilty pleasure—it’s unapologetically celebrated. racketmn.com/tropes-trifl...

The Malibu Barbie Cafe: Is it all that bad? racketmn.com/freelance-jo...

That time I ate a bunch of croissants for journalism

We've posted half of our 12-essay State Fair gastro-extravaganza over on the website! (All 12 can be had, in PDF format, via our Patreon page.) Cheers and happy fair-going! heavytable.com/eating-and-d...