Minnesota Food Writing I Am Loving Right Now
Some essential reads!
Look y’all, it’s crappy out there, let’s talk about some food writing I’ve been loving right now.
I want to specifically uplift Justine Jones at MSP for her tireless work on compiling resources right now. I also want to lift up Stephanie March from The Pickle and MSP for her resources guide from this week. I’ve been really moved by this team’s recent work and direction, not just in this flashpoint moment, but since March took over as Editor-at-Large. Exciting stuff is happening over there.
Here’s a few pieces about what restaurants are doing right now:
I particularly think Sharyn Jackson at the Strib is in her element right now, and I’m glad for her voice. You should read her work: James Beard nods come at a time when chefs, restaurants have little to celebrate and How Twin Cities restaurants are changing amid ICE surge: ‘We are pretty much back to COVID’.
With the Twin Cities Under Siege, Restaurants Become Hubs of Solidarity by Em Cassel for Racket
When ICE Targets your Restuarant by Tiffany Lukk for MSP
Minneapolis restaurants step up to help amid ICE presence by Joy Estelle Summers for The Star Tribune
Ways to Support Minnesota’s Immigrant Communities as ICE Activity Escalates by Justine Jones at MSP Mag
Wrecktangle Pizza has also gone national with a feature in Today, as well
I also really appreciated national writer Ryan Sutton’s write up at The Lo Times—it’s a good blueprint for how to cover MN right now
It’s been a hard time to be a Minnesota food writer
I want to also say that almost every single writer I know has received a lot of flak right now for not covering things the exact way specific individuals want us to. So much of that is that we are balancing getting you to go out to restaurants, covering tragedy, and also making sure that restaurants stay protected. Most of my interviews right now have been off-the-record. I’m going to assume that’s true for everyone else.
I’ve personally been criticized for:
Not calling out restaurants that are being silent when I have talked to those chef/owners and know they are driving their staff to work to keep them safe.
Going to a coffee shop that isn’t owned by an immigrant and posting a photo of my coffee. Or: going to a coffee shop that is owned by an immigrant and posting that photo with someone in my DMs saying I’ve “never been there before” even though I have, and if I hadn’t, what a great time to go!
Not making a list in the exact way someone else would.
Naming immigrant-owned restaurants and on the flip, not naming them, when they’ve asked me not to.
Naming one single place for people to go because, “All restaurants need us,” or, on the flip me saying, “All restaurants need us,” and someone saying, “But this restaurant needs us more,” or, “This restaurant doesn’t need us.”
Hosting a one-day event for Taco Tuesday, because “every day is Taco Tuesday,” even when over 1,000 people got tacos, or telling people to go out to eat more because, “It’s classist to assume people can go out to eat.”
Using a translator and, on the flip side, not using a translator.
Doing rapid response work and then on the flip, not doing rapid enough response work.
Not making a GoFundMe and distributing the funds to restaurants personally myself.
Literally writing about my cancer experience because “ICE is worse.”
The expectations on food writers in Minnesota right now are impossible.
A lot of this criticism has been loud, from people who don’t write about restaurants every day, and some of it has been straight up mean and personal.
This is a gentle reminder from one food writer that we are all doing our best and together, we can meet the moment. If you see a gap in our coverage, fill it!
That’s how I started BBB. I saw a gap in restaurant coverage. I came in and filled it.
None of us can hold the work alone. We are all doing our best and hoping other writers will fill in where we can’t.
The journalism coming out of the state right now is inspiring. It all deserves recognition, even though we have different tactics. I think what I love right now is that we all have really different points of view and are writing from them authentically. Together, collectively, we reach more people when we embrace our differences. That includes anyone reading this who wants to get in on the work.
See you out there, folks. And hey, if you’re getting dinner tonight, head on over to Eat Street.
The truth is, you’re going to get critiqued no matter what you do. Everyone's an expert. But if the people who actually matter , the restaurants and the folks working in them are feeling supported and are telling you it helps, then you’re doing the right thing. Please keep doing what you're doing. I appreciate the list of places to visit, and am going to Hai Hai tomorrow.
It is a tough journey with cancer, I am a 2 time survivor and there were some difficult days, I hope you have strong support around you right now.
Appreciate your honesty and resilience in not only navigating the impossible nature of writing about food in these times, but your perseverance in the face of cancer, your seemingly unending energy to provide support for neighbors and promote food shelf/hospitality urgencies, and being a voice of reason, a voice of hope, and a voice of truth in these times. I am so happy to have found you (through the old fashioned way of searching for food reviews and seeing your long-form blog posts show up in the results) — you've been a beacon of strength and integrity. Thank you.