Our popular outreach program, Minnesota Cooks, highlights our commitment to local food producers.
We all need farmers because we all eat. Unfortunately, with the general population becoming further removed from the family farm, we have lost touch with those who raise our food.
The good news is that chefs and restaurants in Minnesota are trying to change that. When we started Minnesota Cooks in 2003, we wanted to recognize those people for the good work they are doing, buying directly from family farmers, and to recognize the farmers themselves. Local food markets have proven to be a viable option for many family farmers to support themselves. When farmers do well, rural communities do well, as does our state as a whole.
Each year, Minnesota Cooks produces a cooking show-style program at the Minnesota State Fair. In fact we have earned the title “Minnesota Cooks Day.” Twelve chefs prepare a dish onstage with Minnesota grown ingredients, and the farmers they work with tell the audience about themselves. They are joined by “celebrity” taste-testers, which have included governors, senators and media personalities.
In conjunction with the State Fair program, we release a calendar annually with this same group of farmers and chefs. Each month of the calendar features the recipe made onstage at the fair with beautiful photography by Katie Cannon. Every Minnesota Farmers Union member gets a copy of the calendar.
The Minnesota Cooks team consists of:
Bruce Miller, Director – bruce@mfu.org
Bruce also serves as the Membership & Outreach Director for Minnesota Farmers Union. He is a partner with Minnesota Public Television on the creation of the Upper Midwest Emmy award winning television program Farm Fresh Road Trip. Bruce serves as a member of the board of directors for the Minnesota Film Commission and is a member of the Upper Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Arts & Science.
Claudine Arndt, Program Manager – claudine@mfu.org
Claudine is the manager of Minnesota Cooks, acting as the team lead organizing Minnesota Cooks Day at the Minnesota State Fair. She is the author of the stories featured in the annual Minnesota Cooks calendar. Claudine is also an Integrative Nutrition Counselor with Wellness with Claudine, specializing in digestive and hormonal health. www.wellnesswithclaudine.com
Katie Cannon, Photographer – katie@katiecannonphotography.com
Katie Cannon is the photographer for the Minnesota Cooks program and annual calendar and for the public television program Farm Fresh Road Trip. She is the principal in her photography business, Katie Cannon Photography, focusing on environmental and lifestyle photography of food, families, farms and travel. www.katiecannonphotography.com
To learn more about Minnesota Cooks, visit its website, www.minnesotacooks.org.
