Have you heard about the new Artisan Plaza in Cannon Falls? It's just the latest and greatest way to celebrate the creative, sustainable and enterprising local businesses in the Cannon Falls area. And Harvest Fest on Saturday, September 29, 2018 is the perfect time to get acquainted!

From 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, they'll have the local farmers market vendors along with a handful of FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace vendors exhibiting produce and products, plus craft vendors and other great activities. 

Vendors include...

(June 19, 2018) – The Fifth Annual FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace is now accepting applications for food and beverage businesses from Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota for its event Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2018, Mayo Civic Center.

FEAST! hosts more than 100 juried exhibitors who utilize locally grown ingredients when possible and operate at or near a distributor-ready scale. Exhibitors show, sample and sell their artisan food products to wholesale buyers and consumers during the two-day event. They also participate in a Friday tradeshow with networking and workshop sessions. (2017 exhibitors here).

FEAST! 2018 brings new opportunities for engagement, including a Virtual Pitch Experience and more interaction with wholesale buyers during the Friday tradeshow. FEAST! Restaurant Week returns, with local restaurants featuring FEAST! vendor products. The Saturday festival will once again invite the public to pick their favorite for the People’s Choice Award. Three new award categories, focusing on innovation, social benefit and booths/displays, have been added for 2018.

by Elena Byrne

With the recent release of their Vintage 2017 batch of bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup, Bree Breckel and Eric Weninger have hit their stride. It’s their third batch, and they’ve gathered resources, earned fans, and created crazy demand.  

"Folks are eating - or drinking it- faster than we can fill the bottles!" says Bree.

B & E’s Trees has risen to regional fame with their inventive collaboration, combining the luxury of pure maple syrup with the decadence of bourbon. Their secret is to age the maple syrup in barrels formerly used to age bourbon which creates a precious sweetness. The symphony of maple and oak is an inspiration that belies the imagination—no longer just for pancakes, you’re motivated to go full out and do waffles. Or better yet, use it to add nuance and depth to countless other savory concoctions and delightful mixed drinks.

Bree and Eric started mapling by selling bulk to Maple Valley Co-op, with both working off-farm jobs to support their maple habit.  Then in 2013 a good friend connected them with Central Waters Brewing Co., and a plot of deliciousness was hatched.  Central Waters would source fresh Bourbon Barrels, B&E would use them to age their maple syrup, and then the maple soaked barrels would return to the brewery to age their Maple Barrel Stout.  

The initial batch of Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup hit shelves in the Autumn of 2015, and an extremely limited release of the Maple Barrel Stout was launched at the brewery in April 2017.

by Elena Byrne

Partnering this year with the Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, the Feast! Local Foods Marketplace festival planning team is happy to bring some new family-interactive fun to the festival’s Children’s Area. 

The Feast! mission involves connecting people with their food, so it’s fitting to feature the Farmers’ Market and Garden exhibits.

As seen in the museum pictures here, there’s lots of potential hands-on play for ages 3-8 to enjoy with parents and others. Kids can identify the veggies and load them into shopping baskets at the market, and plant “veggie” markers in the fabric rows of the garden.

For making it come to life on another level, the Museum’s play farm truck will be great for climbing on, loading up and hopefully, making some “vroom, vroom” sounds!

Also on loan from the Museum will be their (almost) life-sized Holstein cow model, another great way to keep farms in our hearts and minds. We won’t be surprised to see some grown-up kids sneaking in some photo ops! (It might be a perfect selfie station for those so inclined!)

Along with this partnership, all Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester members can show their membership card at the festival entrance to get free youth admissions with any paid adult ticket. Also, the Museum will be handing out 2-for-1 general admission coupons in the week leading up to Feast!

by Kelli Wickard

What mom wants their child to eat an unhealthy breakfast? Not Sue Kakuk, founder of Kakookies!

When Sue found out that her daughter and her daughter’s friends were eating donuts before their collegiate cycling races, she took it upon herself to find a way to give nutritious breakfast on their big race days. Not only was it important to give her daughter a healthy breakfast, but also to provide something that was  convenient, individually wrapped and would fit easily in the back pockets of her daughter’s cycling jerseys. Sue started baking cookies and Kakookies was born.

        When she first started baking the cookies, Sue wanted to accommodate for needs of many people with dietary restrictions, so she began by substituting typical cookie ingredients for healthier alternatives, baking regular, gluten free, and vegan cookies. To her surprise, most people, vegan or not, chose to purchase the vegan cookie over any of the others. She took that information and ran with it. She said goodbye to the flour, dairy and eggs and added no other substitutes for these missing ingredients. Now, all of her cookies are completely vegan.

"This little red head is excited for Fresh Curd Friday!" WW Homestead Dairy wrote on their Facebook page on October 20, 2017.

by Kelli Boylen

In July 2017 WW Homestead Dairy, Waukon, Iowa, added the "Coffee Barn" to their existing retail store and ice cream parlor.

“There were no specialty coffee shops in Waukon and we felt that it would be a great complement to our ice cream parlor,” says Liz Murphy of WW Homestead Dairy.  “It also allows us to feature our milk and some great locally roasted coffees. Currently, we serve Verena Street Coffee out of Dubuque, Iowa and Impact Coffee out of Decorah, Iowa.”

In addition to their delicious ice cream, cheese, butter and milk, they now offer a full line of espresso drinks, fresh brewed coffee, tea, and seasonal options such as hot apple cider and hot chocolate made with their own chocolate milk.  

“The response has been great from the community and visitors passing through,” Liz says.

WW Homestead Dairy is a family-run dairy processing plant operated by the Walleser and Weighner families. They  began producing their first cheese curds the summer of 2011 and has since adopted the title of “The Cheese Curd Capital of Iowa.” All the milk used to produce their dairy products comes from the Walleser and Weighner family dairy farms, located in Allamakee County.

This past year they expanded their markets by working with colleges and schools, and are currently working on introducing cottage cheese into their product line.