FEAST! fans may recall reading about Chef Greg Jaworski and NOSH in the FEAST! Magazine, or seeing that he was part of FEAST! Restaurant Week for the past two years. If you haven’t yet made it to the scenic eatery, we suggest doing so before April—that’s when NOSH says goodbye to their current location. Greg says, “It’s a beautiful spot and it made NOSH a destination, but it gets lonely in the winter.”

He’s looking forward to being in a larger city. “With a population of 30,000, Winona has a lot more people to feed, and a lot more available staff. Plus, if we’re busier, that just means more markets for the growers we buy from!”

The new location will be downtown, in a historic building at 2^nd and Walnut that’s currently being completely rehabbed as part of a major rejuvenation and rebirth. “Investors have been trying for years to attract a quality restaurant downtown,” Greg explains.

He’s been enjoying the chance to be a part of the design effort for the new kitchen and front of house, and while he sees some additions, like a new pasta extruder, on the essentials, NOSH will stick to the tried and true—the commitment to local stays strong, and diners will find much of the same menu as well as some of the key staff.
 
They’re hoping to minimize downtime to a couple weeks during the move. Stay tuned to the NOSH website and Facebook page for the exciting announcements, but in the meantime…there’s still a few opportune months to enjoy their locally-grown fare on the shores of Lake Pepin.

Fresh & Tasty

EJ Mushrooms, LLC

Are you a gourmet, or more focused on health? Either way, EJ Mushrooms has you covered! A new year-round mushroom growing business being launched by husband-wife team Efraim and Jessica of Kasota, MN will soon be ready to market their fresh gourmet and medicinal oyster, shiitake, chestnut and lion's mane mushrooms.

They recently received a loan from the FEAST! Grow a Farmer loan program, which is funding equipment, supplies and inventory. They're almost finished renovating their dedicated positive-pressure lab and climate-controlled grow rooms, and expect to have product ready in February for local restaurants, co-ops, farmers’ markets in the Mankato and St. Peter areas, and possibly some select CSAs.

To find out more, contact them at [email protected] or (507) 382-1840.

DID YOU KNOW?
Mushrooms breathe oxygen, produce vitamin D, and break down free radicals. [More on mushroom nutrition]

TRY THIS!

Fettuccine with Shiitake Mushrooms & Basil
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 oz shiitake, stemmed and sliced (1½ c.)
2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice, juice
¼ tsp salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 oz fettuccine
½ c. chopped fresh basil, divided
½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1 oz)

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant but not browned, about one minute. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
2. Cook pasta until just tender. Drain, reserving ½ cup cooking liquid.
3. Add the pasta, the reserved cooking liquid, Parmesan and ¼ cup basil to the mushrooms in the skillet; toss to coat well. Serve immediately, garnished with remaining basil.

Treasures at FEAST! 2018

Did you win something at FEAST!, like Ron Cobb? 

Ron was the first of FOUR gift basket winners, plus one GRAND PRIZE winner that was awarded after the BINGO card entries were tabulated.
We enjoyed meeting some of you this year through our newsletter contests, and look forward to doing more!

If you have a suggestion for a contest, drop us a line...
[email protected]

Who's Fueling FEAST!?

Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Supporting value-added agriculture and food businesses development is a serious commitment for the MDA, where the New Markets Program in the Ag Marketing & Development Division offers cost-sharing to help Minnesota food makers extend their marketing budgets and explore new markets by doing more store demos and tradeshows, through their AGRI Tradeshow Support Program (TSP).

The New Markets Program also coordinates Minnesota Pavilions at some of the largest national food and beverage tradeshows, including the recent Winter Fancy Food Show, where MN Pavilion participant Sarah Pritzker of Atlas Provisions, met with Whole Foods buyers to solidify a relationship that was initiated at FEAST! MDA has also awarded one FEAST! tradeshow vendor annually with a prize of booth space in one of their pavilions. Deserving recipients have included Kakookies (2016), Grandma’s Gourmets (2017), and CannonBelles Cheese (2018).
 
New Markets Program Manager Brian Erickson has served on the FEAST! Tradeshow Committee since the beginning, helping plan branding and marketing speakers and sessions. Finally, MDA has been an important presence at FEAST. Their food safety and marketing divisions have presented and offered technical support during the tradeshow and they’ve staffed a sponsor booth each year as well, helping welcome attendees to the festival.
 
We’re grateful to have them as part of the team!