On August 31, 2010, Minnesota Farmers Union and Food Alliance Midwest will present Minnesota Cooks^TM, a local and sustainable foods cooking event at the State Fair 

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Now in its eighth year, the Minnesota Cooks^TM program (www.minnesotacooks.net) at the State Fair is poised again to host a celebration about the relationships between premier Minnesota chefs and cooks, local farmers, and consumers with a full day of demonstrations, discussions, and sampling of delicious, sustainable cuisine. The program will begin at 9:00 AM and will continue with eight hourly presentations. All shows take place on the Minnesota Cooks Stage in Carousel Park, just south of the Grandstand. 

Minnesota Cooks brings together those who value and support our sustainable food system: farmers, consumers, and chefs. Onstage, these chefs will create amazing dishes using fresh ingredients supplied by local stewards of the land. As they prepare their creations, emcees JD Fratzke of The Strip Club Meat & Fish and Lori Sturdevant of the Star Tribune will engage the chefs and a taster panel of farmers and local celebrities in lively and meaningful discussions about their sustainable philosophies. At the end of each demonstration, the panel, as well as fairgoers, will sample the mouthwatering, farm fresh fare. 

“I'm very proud of what this program has accomplished. We've been in lockstep with consumers' increasing concern about where their food comes from and who produces it,” said Doug Peterson, Minnesota Farmers Union President and creator of Minnesota Cooks. “We're pleased to educate about not only where to purchase these products, including restaurants and retailers, but also the community connection that purchasing local, farm-fresh foods brings about." 

2010 farm/restaurant pairings:

• Paul Otten, Natura Farms in Marine on St. Croix and Donald Gonzalez, Forepaugh’s in St. Paul;
• Corinne & Stu Peterson, Camp Aquila in Dent and Ian Pierce, 128 Café in St. Paul;
• Marijo & Tim Fischer, Fischer Farms Pork in Waseca and Joe Hatch-Surisook, Sen Yai Sen Lek in Minneapolis;
• Mike & Dan Minar, Cedar Summit Farm in New Prague and David Jones, The Marsh in Minnetonka;
• Connie Karstens & Doug Rathke, The Lamb Shoppe in Hutchinson and Kevin Kathman, Barbette in Minneapolis;
• John Jacobson & Jeanne Jacobson, Pine Tree Apple Orchard in White Bear Lake and Jason Littlefield, Manitou Station in White Bear Lake;
• Ed Eichten, Eichten’s Hidden Acres in Center City and Paul Lynch, FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar in Minneapolis;
• Lori and Alan Callister, Callister Farm in West Concord and Justin Schoville, Sontes in Rochester;
• Lin & Doug Hilgendorf, Whole Grain Milling in Welcome and Dan & Hallie Patterson, Rabbit’s Bakery in Lake City;
• Michelle & Roger Benrud, PastureLand Dairy farmers in Goodhue, and Mike Phillips, Green Ox Foods in Minneapolis/St. Paul;
• Pat Ebnet, Wild Acres in Pequot Lakes and Ben Pichler, Grand Cafe in Minneapolis;
• Leslie & Brian Axdahl, Axdahl Farms in Stillwater and Shawn Smalley, Smalley’s Caribbean Barbeque in Stillwater;
• Sandy & Lonny Dietz, Whitewater Gardens in Altura and Kristen Tombers, Clancey’s Meats & Fish in Minneapolis;
• Maureen & John Maloney, Cannon River Winery in Cannon Falls and Dick Trotter & Lisa Scribner, Trotter’s Cafe in St. Paul;
• Jack Hedin, Featherstone Farm in Rushford Village and Lucia Watson, Lucia’s Restaurant and Wine Bar in Minneapolis; and
• Leah Nesbitt, Nesbitt’s Nursery in Prescott, WI and Philip & Desiree Dorwart, Create Catering in Minneapolis. 

The beautiful 16-month Minnesota Cooks calendar will continue its tradition of debuting at the event. This stunning publication, available for five dollars, will proudly feature gorgeous photography, enticing stories about the rich relationships these farmers and chefs share, and stellar recipes. For the duration of the Fair, it will be available for purchase at Minnesota Farmers Union’s building at 1635 Dan Patch Avenue. 

For the first time since the inception of this important program, Minnesota Cooks is asking for financial support from individuals. People have asked for years how they can be involved in a more significant way and Minnesota Cooks’ GiveMN page is the way in which to do just that. 

Minnesota Cooks is presented by Minnesota Farmers Union and Food Alliance Midwest and receives major sponsorship from Agricultural Utilization Research Institute. For more information about Minnesota Cooks, please visit the website at www.minnesotacooks.net or contact Jill Grunewald of Food Alliance Midwest at 651-209-3382 or e-mail info@minnesotacooks.org. 

Minnesota Farmers Union (www.mfu.org) is a nonprofit membership-based organization working to protect and enhance the economic interests and quality of life of family farmers and ranchers, as well as rural communities. 

Food Alliance Midwest (www.foodalliance.org), an affiliate of Food Alliance in Portland, OR. Food Alliance is a nonprofit that offers the most comprehensive certification program for sustainably produced food in North America.