Food and Drink

Wine has sommeliers. Now, beer has cicerones
If you've been to a fancy restaurant, you've probably seen a sommelier -- those wine experts who make sure you get the best possible match for your meal. But what if you don't want a chardonnay or pinot? What if you want a nice cold beer? A new program is working to bring this same level of knowledge to the world of malt and hops by turning out batches of certified beer experts known as Cicerones.
Appetites: Prairie cuisine on the cutting edge
The southern Great Plains is a great place to eat, says Appetites contributor Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl of Minneapolis-St. Paul magazine.
A new program designed to serve healthy, locally grown food to young children kicks off on Monday at 62 child care centers around Minnesota.
Midwestern cuisine? They know it when they eat it
Our guests discuss what we mean when we talk about Midwestern cuisine.
Appetites: Twin Cities home to numerous vibrant farmers markets
It's time to talk farmers markets with Beth Dooley here on Appetites. She is the author of "Minnesota's Bounty: The Farmers' Market Cookbook."
Friday Festival: Cheese shop raises money for cheesemonger scholarship
Local cheesemonger Benjamin Roberts is raising money for a cheesemonger education fund this weekend at the two cheese shops he runs -- France 44 in Minneapolis and St. Paul Cheese Shop in St. Paul. A portion of the proceeds will go for a cheese scholarship in honor of the woman he describes as his "cheese mentor." Benjamin Roberts spoke with MPR's Tom Crann.
Judges at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest will consider more than 1,700 cheeses entered in the contest at Lambeau Field.
Appetites: 5 things you should know about the James Beard Awards
Rachel Hutton, senior editor of Minnesota Monthly magazine, told MPR's Tom Crann five things you should know about the James Beards Awards -- including the chances of a local nominee winning.
Butcher & the Boar gets James Beard nomination
A new Minneapolis restaurant, Butcher & the Boar, has been named a semifinalist in the the James Beard Awards as Best New Restaurant in the country. A record 17 Minnesota restaurants and chefs have been named semifinalists for the awards, the pre-eminent competition that recognizes the culinary arts.
Bright Ideas with Omar Ansari
Omar Ansari, the founder of Surly Brewing Co., talked with MPR's Stephen Smith, host of the "Bright Ideas" series, before a live audience in the UBS Forum on November 27, 2012.