Ep. 18 – Jared Brewington: Race, Restaurants, and Country Livin'

08/21/20 • 52 min

Jared Brewington has had quite the year. Not only did he have to shut down a restaurant but his very identity as a black man became under attack, once again, during one of the biggest race movements of all time. Thankfully, he’s had a chance to escape all the noise under the trees at his farmland in Cologne, MN.
I drove 45 minutes west from St. Paul to visit Jared, a good friend of mine, to talk about how he has been processing this year and what’s coming next.
As of right now, Jared has no physical restaurant that you can support. However, he is in the process of reviving some old concepts (Funky Grits, Thigh Times Birdhouse) and starting a new one (family restaurant in Cologne).
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“What True Self, Feels Bogus, Let's Watch Jason X” by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/
“Another Version of You” by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/
“CGI Snake” by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

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Ep. 17 – Facundo Javier Defraia: The Resilience of Argentinian Pizza

Facundo Javier Defraia runs Boludo: a tiny pizza and empanada shop in South Minneapolis. Growing up in Argentina, he always dreamed of running his own place and being a true maestro of the kitchen. Well, his dreams came true, and now he's trying to expand his Argentinian street food concept to multiple stores.
But the pandemic got in the way of that. So how is he doing right now? Let's find out.
Want to support Boludo? Visit this link to find out everything you need to know, including hours and ordering details: https://www.boludoempanadas.com/contacto
Keep in mind that demand is very high. Not only are wait times long, but Facundo has stated that online ordering is not active during the weekends.
As stated in the intro, shoot me an email if you have recommendations for guests! I have a lot of exciting people in the works, but I am always looking for suggestions. It can be anyone in the food & drink industry who has an important story to tell in the context of COVID-19 and they can be from anywhere in the state, nation, or world!
My email is [email protected]
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“What True Self, Feels Bogus, Let's Watch Jason X” by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/
"BossaBossa" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/3455-bossabossa
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"No Frills Cumbia" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/3571-no-frills-cumbia
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Ep. 19 – Tracy Singleton & Gary Wertish: Is Farm-to-Table in Danger?

Tracy Singleton (owner of Birchwood Cafe) and Gary Wertish (president of the Minnesota Farmers Union) have been faced with an especially large challenge this year. These two have a famous collaboration at the annual Minnesota State Fair, but with the fair gone, they lost what was normally a huge revenue stream for both organizations. So... now what? Well, these are the type of people that think on their feet, so they prepared a pop-up installation (called F + B) in downtown Minneapolis’ Mill District as a way to keep serving out fair favorites while still deriving some sort of profit from the situation.

However, despite this whole ordeal, I wanted to talk to them about a singular topic that I’ve been trying to wrap my head around this whole pandemic: How has the relationship between farmers and restaurants been affected?

If you’d like to support F + B and Birchwood Cafe during these difficult times, I’m going to copy and paste the instructions from their website below. If you’re nearby and have the money to do so, please support them!
For downtown F+B Pop Up hours, menu + ordering CLICK HERE

"When you arrive you can either call us at 612.436.8877 and we’ll bring your order out to you, or you can enter the building, shop our Grab + Go market and pick up your order at the counter. Masks are required."

For Birchwood Cafe hours, menu and ordering CLICK HERE

"When you arrive for curbside pickup please do not enter the cafe. Give us a call from your car at 612.722.4474, pop your trunk and we will bring your order out to you! If you are walking or biking, please wear a mask while you wait, and observe social distancing with our employees + other guests."
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Find the Food Under Fire Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWE_j8s2NfM3y4RnaQixzjA
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“What True Self, Feels Bogus, Let's Watch Jason X” by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

“Divider” by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/