by Bree Landherr, nutrition student volunteer

Did you know?

Consuming healthy protein in sufficient amounts is important for all, and especially during periods of growth such as childhood, adolescence and pregnancy. It has also been found to be beneficial during aging, for optimal muscle maintenance, and during injury healing. Protein forms the building blocks for new cells, and has the benefit of triggering our body's sensation of satiety. 

As you make your way around the FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace, keep an eye out for these companies that provide healthy options for protein! Here are a few of those businesses along with some facts about protein:

Ferndale Market (Cannon Falls, MN)- Turkeys just in time for Thanksgiving! Free range turkey that are rotated onto fresh pasture each week and antibiotic free.

Fun fact: one 3 ounce serving of turkey of has 24 grams lean protein 

Hidden Stream Farm (Elgin, MN) offers chicken, beef, pork, eggs, and seasonal vegetables. This environmentally friendly farm uses regenerative farming practices without chemicals or antibiotics.

Fun fact: one 3 ounce serving of chicken breast contains 23 grams of lean protein

From the coveted People's Choice Award at the FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace, to the Innovative Local Sourcing and Inspiring Social Benefit Awards presented at the Tradeshow, we strive to hold up exemplary food businesses.

FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace People's Choice Award

We launched online voting at the 2021 Marketplace, when Panache received the award for their tangy, balanced Ayurvedic-inspired juices. Online voting is now routine during the festival, though in 2023 we brought back paper ballots, tallying votes from both systems.

The People's Choice Award went to Sailor Mercy (Stillwater, MN) in 2022, and then again in 2023—our first repeat in this attendee-vote contest. 

In 2024, Madame Chu (based in Madison, WI) won the People's Choice. At right is Madame Chu owner and founder Josey Chu receiving the award from John Monsen of Compeer Financial.  

Pictured at right, the 2025 People's Choice Award went to a first-time exhibitor at the festival—Jen Schulties of Bernie's Bloody Mary (Blaine, MN).

Here's a review of the People’s Choice Award winners we've given out at the FEAST! Marketplace since 2016:

K-Mama Sauce (2016), kmamasauce.com

Mama Stoen’s (2017–tie), mamastoens.com

Millner Heritage Winery & Cidery (2017–tie), millnerheritage.com

The Bee Shed (2018), thebeeshed.com

CannonBelles Cheese (2019), cannonbelles.com

Panache (2021), panacheapple.com

Sailor Mercy (2022, 2023), sailormercy.com

Madame Chu (2024), madame-chu.com

Bernie's Bloody Mary (2025), berniesbloodymarys.com

After four years of sharing stories, the staff at LOCAL FEAST! Magazine wanted to include some content from you, our readers. So, we created a contest to learn a little more about the joys and challenges consumers experience in adding more local foods to the routines of daily life. 

Many thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about the Localize Your Pantry contest and entered the contest by answering our question: 

In 100 words or less, tell us:

What does buying, cooking and eating local foods mean to you? 

Describe the challenges you face incorporating them into your kitchen and lifestyle.

Our Grand Prize winner was Meeghan P. of Minneapolis, whose winning entry highlighted her appreciation for the way local food nourishes the mind and body, connects her to the past, present and future, and supports farmers and co-ops “who are contributing to a sustainable, healthy, and beautiful world.”

Here are some of the other thoughts you shared:

Cannon Falls, MN – The FEAST! Local Foods Network held its first-ever standalone tradeshow earlier this month to introduce wholesale buyers to the many unique food businesses in the tri-state region of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. 

The FEAST! event included recognition of exhibitor businesses for exemplary practices in two categories: supporting regional farms by using locally-grown ingredients in their products, and giving back to their communities in charitable and inspirational ways. 

Ameeta Jaiswal-Dale of Panache talks with fellow exhibitor John Shonyo of The Bee Shed at the FEAST! Local Foods Tradeshow, March 17, 2022 in Cannon Falls, MN.

The FEAST! Local Foods Network will hold its first-ever standalone Local Foods Tradeshow for wholesale buyers and manufacturers on Thursday, March 17, at The Grand O2 Event Center, Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Buyers and foodmakers from Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota are encouraged to attend.

The Tradeshow focuses on strategies for growing a regional food business such as building relationships with buyers, entrepreneur peer networking, financing and marketing. The FEAST! Network believes it’s vital to support these businesses because they enhance their communities positively—creating jobs, markets for regional farms, unique food products, and business models that give back to the community. “When we support our local shops, local food growers and local food makers, we are helping our neighbors succeed,” says Katie Ruff, owner of By the Spoonful, a small grocery in McGregor, Iowa that champions local foods.

The day’s schedule includes a wholesale expo, networking lunch, and Makers’ Forum comprised of panel discussions and an optional driving tour of Cannon Falls area businesses.

Rochester, MN – Buying unique local foods is a great way to amplify the holidays, and the FEAST! Local Food Marketplace makes it easy. 

Starting now, you can browse the FEAST! Online Marketplace and order online anytime until midnight Dec. 9 for curbside pick-up at the Mayo Civic Center on Sat., Dec. 11. In addition, you’re invited to come in person for the eighth annual FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace festival, Dec. 11 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester. Find links to shop and buy festival tickets on the website at local-feast.org.

“This is much more than a farmers’ market—it’s like a farmers’ market on steroids,” says event co-host Tim Penny, President and CEO of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. “The FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace offers dozens of items ranging from Caribbean and Southeast Asian sauces to regeneratively raised meats, and vendors ranging from beekeeping chocolatiers to artisan cheesemakers.”  

by Kathryn Orme

Joyce Ford and Jim Riddle began Blue Fruit Farm in 2008. This organic farm in Winona, Minnesota grows a variety of nutrient-packed berries, including aronia berries, black currants, blueberries, honeyberries, and elderberries. They also grow and sell cherry plums and plums. Additionally, they sell jams and juices made from their antioxidant-rich fruits. These fruits are even more nutritious because the perennial shrubs are tended with the utmost care for soil health. 

by Kathryn Orme

Luvafoodie began as a dating website for single foodies in 2014. From there, it evolved into a brand dedicated to clean eating options for sweet treats in 2015. Starting off with caramels and chocolates, the ambitious owner, Michelle, has continued to grow her product line, most recently adding iced tea and all natural spice blends for humans and dogs. Michelle points out that many of the big companies selling spices add so many unnecessary ingredients, and it appears they don’t care about their customers’ health. Her spice line includes blends with no salt, because she knows that excessive salt can be a problem for some people. She emphasizes that she would never make or serve products that she wouldn’t consume herself. 

by Ellen van Roekel

Panache is a women-owned business based in Minnesota’s Twin Cities specializing in artisan, infused apple juices and hard ciders, using Ayurvedic recipes. With these health-conscious drinks, founder and CEO Ameeta Jaiswal aims to amplify the benefits of heirloom apples and support the market for regional orchards’ sustainable farming practices, as opposed to mass production of “table apples.” 

With Panache, Ameeta is committed to maximizing nutritional benefits and creating 100% apple juice with no preservatives, added sugars, or chemical colors. Their apples are sourced from the region around La Crescent, MN and all of its surrounding ridges and valleys formed by the river beds of the Mississippi, St. Croix, Iowa and Kickapoo rivers. The infusions of ginger, mint, turmeric, and elderberry and their creative names tie back to Ameeta’s culture of origin in South Asia, focusing heavily on ayurveda—the food science that is part of the yoga philosophy and lifestyle.

By Lilah Doster

Deeann Lufkin and Jackie Ohmann first decided to attempt making cheese in the fall of 2012. You might say it was a whim. Jackie had married a dairy farmer, so she had a constant supply of delicious milk. Logical, right?

The first time Deeann and Jackie made cheese together they thought it was fantastic, but soon decided to put some serious time into improving it. They kept at it—trying different ingredients to make the perfect cheese. When they created a cheese that looked, felt, smelled and tasted amazing, they knew they were hooked.