Yelp Cooks CMYE with Kitchen in the Market, Death’s Door Spirits and Grass Roots Gourmet (January, 20, 2010)
For the first-ever Yelp Cooks event, Minneapolis yelpers were treated to a night of culinary curiosity and boozeology that will be hard to top. Kitchen in the Market, Death’s Door Spirits and Grass Roots Gourmet collaborated on every aspect of the event and focused on ingredients that can be purchased inside the Midtown Global Market!
As yelpers arrived, they were greeted by a countertop full of empty martini glasses… which John Kinder of Death’s Door Spirits quickly filled with a scrumptious kumquat cocktail. And once all the guests had arrived, Grass Roots Gourmet got things going with a tasty cheese course. The store’s owner, Vicki Potts led yelpers through an fun, accessible tasting of creamy Camembert, cumin-laced Gouda and others from her curated collection of all-local cheese. Her store is located in the Midtown Global Market and specializes in regionally sourced groceries like meat, dairy, jam, honey and more.
Next, John and Death’s Door Spirits were back on deck to walk through the lost art of punch-making. Death’s Door is a Wisconsin-based distillery known for its gin, vodka and white whisky, as well as its commitment to all things local and sustainable.
Yelpers learned that a perfect punch should strike a balance on the taste buds with five ingredients. For his delicious demo, John even shared some of his personal serving tips—I know my freezer will be stocked with frozen water balloons come party time! Recipes at the bottom of this post!
Finally, Tracy Morgan and Molly Herrmann of Kitchen in the Market led these foodies in a hands-on cooking activity. Kitchen in the Market’s recently expanded space is a multi-use kitchen for local chefs, caterers and more. Yelp Cooks was the very first of many cooking classes and demos to be offered in this new location.
A smiling Molly Hermann (also of Tastebud Tart) demonstrated and assisted as yelpers made their own Minnesota-inspired spring rolls, made with tea and spice-rubbed pork, blackened tofu, real wild rice, Brussels sprout slaw and cilantro. Everyone cleaned their plates in record time—and recipes for the spring rolls and dipping sauces can be found here if you’re hungry!
After wrapping their rolls, yelpers retired from the countertops to the seating area to chomp on their creations and chat (mostly about how fantastic everything tasted). In mere minutes, they had also devoured the crudite platters waiting on the tables. Who knew veggies dunked in Death’s Door Vodka and smoked sea salt would be so life-changing?!
Thanks to the lovely Katie Workinger of Point & Blog for snapping pictures and to everyone who attended. Check out the photos on Flickr and the reviews on Yelp to see more. This was truly one of my favorite events ever, ever, ever—and Yelp Cooks II is already in the works!
SYOY (See you on Yelp),
Annie D.
Yelp Twin Cities Community Manager
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Winter Gimlet
COCKTAIL/MARTINI GLASS
2 oz. Death’s Door Vodka (or Gin)
¾ oz. local maple syrup (e.g., Hustad’s Sugar Bush)
¾ oz. lime juice, fresh
2 – 3 kumquats
GARNISH: kumquat (1 or 3)
Muddle maple syrup, lime juice and kumquats in bottom of shaker glass. Add Death’s Door vodka or gin and ice. Sharply shake and strain into chilled cocktail/martini glass. Garnish with one or three kumquats.
