Eat the News in Bites: Local Food Community News, July 2021
Every 13th of the month, we’ll recap some of what’s happening in the local food community and how you can get involved. Some of it might make you joyous, some of it might make you pissed, but all of it shows the resilience of Minnesota food folks working toward a regenerative future that nourishes all people, all beings, and the entirety of our living planet.
What’s in this edition?
Youth Farm and Walker Art Center unveil new artist-made community garden
MIGIZI dedicates high school summer program to Indigenous food sovereignty
Living Earth Center’s community garden helps veterans and dementia patients
Twin Cities community restaurants prepare for grand (re)openings
North Minneapolis public art project doubles as urban garden
Last Saturday marked the grand opening for North Minneapolis’ newest urban farm, located at 2310 Lyndale Avenue N. It isn’t your average vacant lot-turned-garden plot, though. The farm is a multifaceted, multifunctional public art project, the brainchild of the Walker Art Center’s former artist-in-residence Jordan Weber. He created this space over the course of his two-year residence at the Walker, in collaboration with Twin Cities nonprofit Youth Farm and local community members. The project, called Prototype for poetry vs rhetoric (deep roots), examines ideas of environmental racism, land regeneration, and community resilience. The space includes a rain garden, community event space, herb and vegetable garden, meditation space, pollinator garden, and more. Through the farm, Weber wants to call attention to the ways food scarcity, pollution, and environmental degradation disproportionately harm communities of color. The garden is meant to be a healing space for the North Minneapolis community; one that provides not only fruits and vegetables to its neighbors, but also interpersonal connection and quiet reflection. Going forward, Deep Roots Garden will be managed by Youth Farm as part of their Northside community programming.
join in
Read more about Jordan Weber’s inspiration for deep roots here.
Jordan Weber recently joined the 2022 cohort of Harvard Loeb Fellows as the inaugural Loeb/ArtLab Fellow. Check out more of his work by following him on Instagram @jordan_j_weber
Learn more about Youth Farm on their website, and consider donating or volunteering.
Follow Youth Farm on social media @youthfarmmn
MIGIZI summer school teaches Indigenous food sovereignty
For a lot of high schoolers, summer means long days of unstructured boredom. But for kids in MIGIZI’s Hi Prep program, summer means growing, cooking and harvesting traditional foods alongside their friends and local Native leaders. The Hi Prep summer program teaches American Indian kids entering grades 9 through 12 about all aspects of Indigenous food sovereignty. Participants learn about gardening, fishing, berry picking, and other ways Minnesota’s Indigenous peoples connect to the land around them. They get hands-on experience digging in the soil with local food and farming organizations like Dream of Wild Health. Unlike many other summer learning programs, Hi Prep is free to attend--students can even earn money or high school credit for participating. The program kicked off on June 21st, and this summer’s cohort is already busy learning and growing.
Join In
MIGIZI has been supporting Indigenous youth for over forty years. Their mission is to “provide a strong circle of support that nurtures the educational, social, economic and cultural development of American Indian youth”. Learn more about MIGIZI on their website and consider donating to support their work.
Follow MIGIZI on Facebook and Instagram @migizimn to see what the Hi Prep students have been up to.
Living Earth Center uses gardening to heal
Mankato’s Living Earth Center garden brings together community members from all walks of life to connect and grow. The Center’s members recognize that food is more than just a form of sustenance--it’s a tool for empowerment and healing. This summer marks the first full season for the garden’s Eng-AGE-ment program, designed for adults with dementia and other memory issues. As part of the program, student volunteers from Minnesota State University help participants engage all five of their senses to interact with the garden. The smell of mint or feel of rustling leaves can trigger memories for the seniors, and the therapeutic benefits often outlast the seniors’ time in the garden. Living Earth Center hosts a number of other programs that help locals experience the joys of a bountiful garden. Mankato-area veterans gather at the garden every Friday to get their hands in the soil, connect with other service members, and find productive ways to cope with PTSD. Countless other workshops take place at the Center, celebrating everything from punk rock and pollinators to pickles and poetry.
join in
Check out all of Living Earth Center’s workshops on their events calendar.
Sign up for the center’s mailing list and follow them on social media @livingearthcentermn to get updates about upcoming events.
Support their work by volunteering and donating.
Twin cities community-oriented restaurants ARE back in business
Twin Cities eaters are in for a treat— three of the area’s finest community eateries are opening in July.
Over a year ago, the pandemic forced Gatherings Cafe to close their doors and shift their focus to feeding local Indigenous elders. Now, the cafe is ready to welcome visitors back into their Franklin Avenue restaurant. After a smaller soft opening, the cafe will officially reopen on July 27th.
Appetite for Change’s Breaking Bread Cafe also spent the pandemic distributing meals to community members in need. They are excited to finally reopen for takeout starting July 14th.
And the final pieces are falling into place at Sean Sherman’s much-anticipated Owamni by The Sioux Chef. Located in the new Water Works Pavilion on the banks of St. Anthony Falls, the restaurant centers Indigenous and decolonized ingredients. Final staff training is happening now, and the Owamni crew hopes to open reservations starting the third week of July.
join in
Follow the restaurants on social media for updates:
Gatherings Cafe: @gatherings.cafe
Breaking Bread Cafe: @breakingbreadmn
Owamni by the Sioux Chef: @owamni
About Lydia Fermanich
Lydia's relationship with the food system is grounded in communications and environmental stewardship. She has worked in training new sustainable farmers, food access, urban gardening, and energy efficiency. Lydia is also an avid cross-country skier and outdoor recreationist.