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City Cast Twin Cities

Sean McPherson

We’ve been putting a spotlight on the West 7th neighborhood in St. Paul this month so we’ve crafted some fun questions that rely on your knowledge of our capital city. Good luck to you!

 For a number of months, I was wondering when Minneapolis Public Schools would drop an announcement that would truly transform the school district. MPS's financial woes, and its mishandling of said financial woes, have been big news in the Twin Cities for almost half a decade. Though there's been some really severe belt-tightening from the district, there hadn't been the kind of belt-tightening I thought would be needed to move the needle on these financial problems.

Then September 15 comes around, and the MPS school board announces an 

 to shut down a double-digit number of schools. I should say that the “Transformation” web post from Minneapolis Public Schools states that these cuts are going to create a school system where everybody thrives “academically, socially, and emotionally through a holistic, culturally sustaining education that engages and prepares contributing citizens”.

But this caused a lot of distress. Part of that is the school closures themselves, and part of it is that this isn't really belt-tightening, because these closures would not save a significant amount of money. The community response has been largely negative, and anti-transformation groups have been mounting protests, including one that happened on September 29 at the Davis Center.

 The announcement of 16 schools potentially closing is jarring enough, but it's still numerical. It isn't personal. So we connected with parents of students at Kenny and Cityview. Both schools are proposed to be closed and merged in some of the scenarios presented by MPS.

 We want to welcome on Shakiya Carter, who has children at Cityview. Thank you for being here, Shakiya.

 And we'd also like to welcome on Alyssa Olson, who has children at Kenny. Alyssa, thank you for being here.

 Have the two of you talked to your children about the potential for their schools to close? And how do you explain that?

 I had a conversation with my children. I actually have two who attend Cityview. One of them is kind of a veteran kid at this point, because she's been there since kindergarten, and then I have a new incoming kindergartner this year. When I had the conversation, my son, the kindergartner, didn't really understand. But my fourth grader was like, "Well, Mom, what does that mean for me and my friends? I won't be able to see my friends next year, and I won't be able to see my teachers next year. Where's everybody gonna go?"

 Yeah, I spoke to mine too. I actually have two Kenny kids: a fifth grader and a third grader. I think the initial reaction was, "Well, why?" She sees all the amazing things that are happening at her school, and she feels such a deep connection to her teachers and her principal and her friends. So the immediate reaction was just, "But why? It's so great. I love it here. Why would they want to close it?" Those were tough conversations, and I probably didn't have answers, because the district hasn't really provided any answers. So, yeah, tough conversations for sure.

 These tough conversations involve communicating really adult issues to children, which is a struggle in and of itself. There are also the decisions you'll have to make as parents. There's transportation. Are we switching school districts? Are we looking for a different school? There's a lot to manage, especially because there are multiple scenarios.

Shakiya, I want to start with a question about Cityview. There are a couple of different scenarios for what might happen there. In one, Cityview students would join Lucy Laney. In another, students from Hmong International Academy would come to Cityview. Independent of the conversations you're having with your kids, have you thought about what you're going to do if Cityview closes? Are you going to move districts, or move to a different school, or are you still trying to figure out the decision?

 I'm at a place where I'm still trying to figure out the decision. I'm so deeply vested in my community that I feel like if the schools are going to close, it's going to be a disinvestment, right? We're going to see people disinvest. We're going to see people leave.

Personally, I still haven't made a decision, but here's what I can tell you. It sounds nice that if they close the school, we can realistically move children to other schools. However, that's not what families want. What the district fails to realize is that Cityview is a gateway for families who want to come into the district and build a home here. It's also a school where families who are already in the district choose to stay. And Cityview isn't the only school I'd consider an entry school or a gateway into the district. There are many other schools on that list that could be considered the same or similar. If we lose these schools, we are inherently going to lose families in the community.

 Alyssa, did you have a sense that Kenny was on the verge of closing, or was this a total shock?

 They've been trying to close Kenny for years. This has been a rumor in our community for years and years, and they've tried in the past, and the community was able to step in and stop it. So was I surprised? Not entirely. But I'm surprised they would think this is a positive step for the district as a whole. I'm surprised they haven't thought about the ripple effect. This isn't just about Kenny or Kenny kids. From Kenny to Cityview, the ripple effect through this district will be catastrophic. So am I surprised? I'm not surprised, but I am surprised at the lack of transparency and the lack of thoughtfulness that went into this plan.

 I'll ask you the same question we asked Shakiya. Does your family have a plan? Do you know what you'll do if these closures go through?

 I'm kind of in the same boat as Shakiya. Do I want to leave MPS? No, I do not want to leave MPS. We are a proud Minneapolis family. We're proud to be raising our girls in Minneapolis, and we were so proud to send them to Kenny. So the thought of Kenny closing is devastating. I don't know what we'll do, and I know we're not alone in that. A lot of people are contemplating what they would do, and I'm not sure the district has put any thought into that.

You're asking us, "Would you leave?" But that's not a question the district has ever asked. That's the most interesting part to me. It would be the first question I'd ask as a district official and a district leader. So it feels like a huge misstep.

 I just want to agree with everything Alyssa said about being vested in our schools and our communities. It's not just about one school in particular. It's about all of the schools.

 I really appreciate you using the word "vested," and I know you mean it in a community sense, too. But if y'all walk and take your children with you, that's truly a loss of money for Minneapolis Public Schools. Suppose what happens from these closures is a bunch of people going, "I can't deal with MPS anymore," or "This is not what I signed up for," or "My student who has been learning one language won't be able to continue on that path." Then the district might lose a bunch of its student body, which ultimately impacts the bottom line.

I think I could have more understanding of this very drastic school closure plan, though not full understanding, if they said, "This is going to put us on really strong financial footing for years to come. We're just trying to right-size based on our enrollment and the amount of square footage we currently have per student." That square footage, I should add, is way above most public school systems. MPS has 315 square feet per pupil, and you'll find many districts with approximately 150 to 200 square feet. There might be reasons to close schools, but not if it isn't for cost savings.

What I want to ask y'all is this. As difficult as it is to face the idea of your own school closing, a school you're so connected to, do you see something in this proposal that might enable more academic, social, and emotional thriving? Is there something in these statements where you go, "I'm not happy, but I get where the district is coming from"?

 I think that's what's missing. This is a conversation we've been having a lot in our community. It would have been one thing for the district to come out and say, "We have to close Kenny Community School, and because we're closing Kenny, the district as a whole is going to be in a much better spot." I think that would be an easier pill to swallow.

But they've come with so little evidence, such a lack of data, and such a lack of thoughtfulness. That's the part where I'm like, "So you're going to come in and do this really hard thing and destroy communities without any facts to back up how it will actually benefit children across this district?" I don't think anyone disagrees that change and transformation are necessary, but we need change and transformation done in the right way. The lack of evidence is astounding to me. Their plans leave us with a lot more questions than answers.

 To add on to what Alyssa said, here's my personal perspective. There are three options for building closures, and none of them is a good option. When the board addressed the team that put these proposals together, they asked, "What is this based on, if it's not based on financial savings?" And the team said it's based on the MPS guaranteed student experience.

Well, here's the thing. If you don't know what experience students and families are already having, how can you guarantee them a different experience? You can't. Families are asking, and even board members are asking, "Well, what is it?" We understand they have a chart showing that social-emotional learning and academics will be at the core of this experience. It sounds good, but realistically, that's not an experience you can guarantee. Children come from different homes and different cultural backgrounds, and they speak different languages. So it's good to have this as a goal, but you cannot confidently say it's something you're going to achieve.

Just to give a little history: during the 

, I was a new family in the district. My oldest had just started pre-K when COVID happened and we had e-learning. Then came the CDD and the boundary changes, and my child was also part of the back-to-school pilot. She switched schools three times between pre-K and first grade until we finally landed at Cityview, where she found her school home. That's a lot of transition for a new family to go through, constantly having to switch their child's school every year. And not because they want to, but because they have to.

 Shakiya, I'm going to interrupt you real quick. CDD is the redistricting that happened around 2020 and 2021. Is that about the era?

 Yes, it was the Comprehensive District Design. I call it the district redesign. What we do know from that data is that 18% of families who were in the district during that time did leave. That's a large percentage of our district.

I also want to mention that the district has to understand that engagement looks different for different groups of people. Something I've been hearing lately is that our families who are homeless and highly mobile haven't been involved in the conversation. Nobody's asking them how it's going to affect them, or stepping in to say, "Hey, here are the plans. How can we help you prepare?"

We have Somali families, Hmong families, and Hispanic families where a lot of the time the adults don't speak English. They're not being properly communicated with, and that's a barrier the district has yet to dissolve. So there are a lot of people being left out of this conversation, and still a lot of Black families who don't know.

 I won't give them an A-plus for communication. When there are really hard things to break down, the least they could do is make sure it's well presented and soundly researched. Personally, I share your frustration and your feeling that it's been neither.

I will say that y'all seem very well researched and very capable communicators, and you've shown real courage during a time of crisis for your own families. I can't imagine all the stuff you're managing right now, so taking time out to chat with us means a lot. Hopefully your stories and the things you've shared today will reach more ears, and people will get a sense of what's happening with this transformation at Minneapolis Public Schools.

That was Shakiya Carter and Alyssa Olson, parents of children at Cityview and Kenny. I sincerely thank you for your time today, and I'm sending my love out to you as a fellow parent for what you're facing in the coming months.

MPS's financial woes, and its mishandling of said financial woes, have been big news in the Twin Cities for almost half a decade.

Minneapolis Parents React to Proposed School Closures

Local News

Roseanne Pereira

Pumpkin spice lattes are all about combining nostalgia with the warming spices of fall — but don’t just stop there! Below is a sampling of the flavors local coffee shops are offering this time of year.

Nearly every Saturday last fall, I treated myself to a hot oat milk chai (or sometimes a chai and chapati!) from 

 at the Mill City Farmers Market. Red Wolf, named for the 

 from the Bale Highlands of Oromia, Ethiopia, brews its chai for hours and uses Kenyan black tea as its base. At the farmers market, there’s no extra charge for oat milk (yesss!). The four friends who run the business describe themselves as “

 who have set their sights on building community one cup at a time.

, a Nepali and Indian restaurant in Uptown. (If you look at the restaurant menu, you can see how seriously they take their chai, with a variety of 

.) I typically order this chai at the cafe inside 

, where I can sip and read a good book (or write these newsletters!).

We’re lucky to have some Scandinavian spots that use warming cardamom to great effect. These include 

 at the American Swedish Institute, where you can order a Hot Swede — their house-brewed coffee with cardamom syrup and cardamom whipped cream. In St. Paul’s Como neighborhood, 

 sells a pulla latte, inspired by the pulla rolls they sell, with almond, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom mixed with espresso and steamed milk. And 

, with multiple metro locations, offers a Nordic latte with cardamom, vanilla, and cinnamon syrup.

The fall menu at New Zealand-inspired cafe 

 includes a Cookie Butter Latte (made with Biscoff cookies), a Cinnamon Roll Latte, and a Carrot Cake Latte with cream cheese cold foam. The Northeast Minneapolis cafe also offers seasonal drink flights, so patrons can try four mini-drinks in one sitting. (P.S. Silver Fern is also 

, which are served with seasonal spreads such as maple butter and housemade apple butter.)

 and witnessed the same fall drink ordered by multiple patrons one after the other, 

, a drink made with miso-maple-brown sugar syrup and topped with a brown butter whipped cream and toasted brown sugar. The friend I was meeting ordered it as well, and while we didn’t taste the miso, we both loved the brown-sugar creaminess.

Fruits and Vegetables (That Aren’t Pumpkin!)

When I first tasted the sweet potato chai (also available as a latte) at 

 last year, it was so smooth and balanced that it made me question my previous pumpkin spice commitment. Sweet potato lattes are also available at 

, made with sweet potato syrup, nutmeg, espresso, milk, and topped with mini marshmallows.

, which started as a beloved coffee trailer at farmers’ markets, now has two brick-and-mortars in Linden Hills and downtown Minneapolis. (For more on their journey, 

!) My go-to is their egg coffee, but if that pale purple color is calling you, check out their popular 

. Ube, a vibrant purple yam, has a mellow, nutty, and mildly sweet profile. The latte combines a housemade ube syrup with equal parts robusta espresso and Vietnamese-grown arabica. This month, they’ll start serving their draculatte, a raspberry white mocha topped with espresso or matcha.

 over the last few years after it made multiple 

. Red beans are a highlight at this Hmong-influenced restaurant, appearing in dishes such as the 

warm sesame balls with red bean caramel sauce

, as well as some of the cafe drinks. My go-to is the red bean steamer for its comforting and earthy flavor. Try it! And for coffee drinkers, there’s also a red bean latte. The restaurant’s recent renovations include an expansion and a new grab-and-go cafe. Uptown’s 

 also serves a red bean latte and a red bean milk tea.

Fatuma Ali, a former finalist for Minnesota Teacher of the Year, opened

 this March along with her brothers, Ahmed and Abdulqadir. The cafe, located across from U.S. Bank Stadium, offers a Somali-inspired menu, with fall features including a 

 made with a house-crafted fig syrup, almond milk or oat milk, and served as a matcha, latte, or chai. When I visited, I was asked which sweetness level I wanted: One for lightly sweetened, two for their standard, and three for sweetest. Grab chai sugar cookies and slices of cardamom spice loaf to complement your drink.

Looking for seasonal warm beverages beyond the pumpkin spice latte? Here’s a roundup of our favorite fall drinks at local coffee shops.

The Best Fall Drinks in the Twin Cities

A Cornucopia of Fall Drinks in the Twin Cities

Keep It Local

Sign up for Keep It Local from City Cast Twin Cities

✏️ Find past crossword puzzles below: 

September 24, 2026 - How About Them Apples

Try out this Twin Cities crossword on delicious fall flavors, and put your knowledge to the test!

Can You Solve This Twin Cities Crossword?

; now we talk apples. SweeTango, First Kiss, and Honeycrisp are popular customer apple picks. Below are more AppleHouse goods.

judging of the University of Minnesota’s 175th anniversary ice cream flavor

 from their College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS). The winning flavor is 

, a creamy vanilla ice cream with oat crumble, swirls of Minnesota-grown aronia berries, and yes, apples. It’s available at the AppleHouse the week of Oct. 5.

Other currently available CFANS flavors include Cinnamon (perfect with apple pie!), Huckleberry, Honey Lavender, Black Raspberry, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Vanilla, and Minnesota Sundae (honey ice cream with salted sunflower seeds). They’re available while supplies last! Students, staff, and faculty produce the ice cream in a state-certified dairy plant.

 is the retail store in the basement of the University of Minnesota’s “Meat Lab” (officially known as the 

. At the AppleHouse, you’ll find freezers full of meat in classic and innovative flavors. Think: beef patties, meatballs, summer sausage, bacon (smoked and apple cinnamon flavors!), snack sticks (like Hot Hawaiian Maple!), brats (jalapeño & cheddar; apple; wild rice; pickle-jack, and more), as well as ground meats like elk and pork.

If you can’t make it to the AppleHouse, Goldy’s Smokehouse 

 operates an on-site truck in front of the AppleHouse Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., through Oct. 30. Their apple cider mini-donuts are served hot and cost $9 for a dozen, $17 for two dozen, or $24 for three dozen. Hot cider, hot coffee, crafted cold brew, maple lemonade, and apple cider slushies are also available. I can attest to the comforting effect of North Star’s warm, cinnamon sugar-dusted donuts on a cool, crisp morning.

AppleHouse staff recommends the fresh-pressed apple cider and 

, which started with a father and son tapping maple trees on their family farm. Root beer fans can also try their maple root beer, also available at the AppleHouse. Faxon Farms hosts a 

 in Henderson through Oct. 25 that includes chickens, goats, cornhole, a pick-your-own pumpkin patch, and a scarecrow contest.

 in nearby Chaska takes pride in its small-batch, slow-cooking methods. Their jams (such as strawberry, blueberry, and fig), glazes, and fudge sauces are other AppleHouse staff recommendations. If you want to try a thickly caramel-coated apple — some might say the AppleHouse’s are the clearest representation of a caramel apple — try one of theirs. Kettle Creek Kitchen makes them with caramel from 

, a fourth-generation family chocolate and candy business located in Apple Valley. The AppleHouse also sells tubs of Abdallah caramel dip, great for dipping fruit or topping ice cream.

It's apple season, and we know where to get the best varieties, ripe for picking. Check out this guide to AppleHouse.

Take a Fall Field Trip to the AppleHouse in Minnesota

Take a Fall Field Trip to the AppleHouse

Discover your fall equinox ritual with these wellness-oriented shops.

 has been in business for over 40 years. It was founded by Bob Gallagher, a pioneer in the world of herbalism. He passed away in 2018, but the shop is still in the family. With herbs, loose-leaf teas, books, tarot decks, stones, and incense, 

 has so much to explore. I was particularly wowed by the range of crystals, including ones from Australia, Indonesia, and Brazil. I also looked at a section of the store that included braided sweetgrass and hand-rolled bundles of cedar. As the signage explained, these can be used for smudging, the process of burning herbs to allow the smoke to purify what it touches and clear negative energy. People smudge rooms, objects, pets, and themselves. A store employee told me the bundles are antibacterial as well as ceremonial.

Founded by certified naturopath and master herbalist Eva Nyrie Garrett, 

 in North Minneapolis brings together herbal medicine, wellness education, and community care. Here you’ll find products like immune-boosting 

, but also an ethos of learning together. 

 are offered the last Thursday of every month from 6 to 8 p.m., each focusing on a different local herb. During these hands-on workshops, participants make herbal medicines such as syrups, tonics, tinctures, and teas. Subjects for this year include holy basil (tulsi), raspberry leaf, red clover, lemon balm, marshmallow root, and more.

Cultivate Consciousness Wellness Boutique

 opened this year and offers a variety of services including wellness consultations and intuitive readings (tarot oracle, crystal ball, and more). But if you walk by, you may be most drawn to all those mesmerizing crystals and stones — perfect for holding onto during tense meetings, or as a retired therapist friend told me, as a stress-relieving fidget. Each month, a theme is woven throughout 

; September’s is “The Power of Slowing Down: Creating Space to Notice What Matters Most.” To sample what the boutique offers, stop by the 

 festival at Father Hennepin Bluff Park on Sept. 19.

This autumn, how about some aromatherapy? 

 in Gaviidae Common includes handmade soaps, body oils, and perfumes. Owner and founder Ana Castillo Jiménez, who has a background in molecular biology, makes many of the products in-store where customers can choose which scents they want. Castillo Jiménez says popular scents include Love, a floral scent, and Tranquility, a scent with prominent notes of cedarwood, lavender, and chamomile. A fall special called The Slow Down Bundle includes a full-size soap bar, roll-on perfume (scented with essential oils), and a pillow/linen/room spray in the scent of your choice. Castillo Jiménez says she’s planning the shop’s first anniversary celebration for October.

, it felt like its own island, a much-needed grounding spot in a traffic-hectic part of the city. I went to pick up ingredients for a warming spice herbal mix for winter that included ashwagandha, dandelion root, licorice, ginger, and cardamom. The shop sells herbs by weight as well as stones, books, teas, and more. On Super Saturdays, which occur on the first Saturday of the month, everything in the shop is 20% off. The herbery is connected to a 

 that sells potions and elixirs in addition to healthy grain bowls and salads. (I consider both healing spaces.) 

Looking for the best shops to create your fall equinox ritual? Check out this roundup of shops around the Twin Cities for your crystals, herbs, and aromatherapy fixes.

Twin Cities Wellness Shops to Shift Your Energy this Fall

Shops to Shift Your Energy this Fall

To learn and to play mahjong, check out these local spots. As the game’s popularity grows, free community meetups can be found online, such as on this 

rave about walking into it the first time

 on the City Cast Twin Cities podcast (at the 20:33 mark!). It was an experience. The community-focused cafe and Asian-inspired retail boutique in Uptown hosts popular mahjong nights every other Tuesday from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Moona Moono offers three modes of play to fit all levels: Learn to play, Reserve a table, and Join our Pool. Owner Angie Lee explains that for folks who join the pool, “we help them find players across a wide range of play variations including Taiwanese, Hong King, 

whose members teach Mahjong 101, most recently Taiwanese mahjong. The class tickets that participants purchase help fund the university mahjong travel team.

Claire Joseph and Tara Duginske are former law firm partners who share a passion for mahjong, both for the game and the way it brings people together. They founded 

. Players can move through Mahj 101, where they learn the basics, to Mahj 102, where they get more practice play, and on to Open Play where they can play without teacher assistance. There’s also a social league that offers a bit more infrastructure and competition (it includes scoring). The club hosts 

 at a number of local businesses around the metro including 

, Dangerous Man, Bad Weather, and Minneapolis Cider Company. Duginske says in the dark days of winter especially, it’s a great way to get out of the house and be with people for a fun event. The founders are proud of how welcoming and inclusive the club is. ”It’s such a wonderful community,” Duginske says. “I love seeing someone walk in the door who at first looks a little nervous. And they're just taken under somebody’s wing. It’s fantastic.”

 founder, Abbe Blacker, is known to many as the “queen bee” of mahjong and is a popular local instructor of the game. The club’s new storefront in the 50th and France neighborhood offers drop-in days, mixers, and a 4-week beginner class series marketed as “the best most comprehensive way to learn Mahj!” They aim to maintain a low teacher-to-student ratio of approximately 1:8. You can take a look at their current class list 

Fox and Willow Mahj Club - at Josefina’s (Wayzata)

If you play mahj and are near Wayzata, know that the Fox and Willow Mahj club meets Tuesday mornings, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at local restaurant, 

 is a luxury tabletop and fashion boutique shop and even has a 

 including tiles, mats, and racks. In the past, they’ve partnered with 

, Claire Briggs’ “Mahjong with Southern Hospitality” business. Briggs is a Deephaven, Minnesota-based certified mahjong instructor who offers lessons on Lake Minnetonka and around the Twin Cities.

The game of tiles, strategy, and luck has a growing following in the United States – including in the Twin Cities.

Mahjong in the Twin Cities Metro

Mahjong in the Metro

I see you at that grill. Did you know you can grill cheese? 

originated in Cyprus and can be grilled, pan fried, and seared without losing its shape. It’s typically made from sheep and goat’s milk. Pick it up at 

 or at local specialty cheese shops. Here’s a 

, a vendor at the Kingfield farmer’s market as well as the Lowertown St. Paul farmer’s market, offers Rustica, a cheese that also can be grilled, pan fried, or even broiled. Mary Falk, LoveTree’s owner, says, “You can even make shish kabobs with it, your vegetarian friends will love you for it!”

 in Minneapolis, summer Thursdays-Sundays are particularly exciting. That’s when they make their own hand-pulled mozzarella balls, typically 1/3-1/2 lb. each. Come early to get your fresh mozzarella before it runs out. 

 also sells hand-pulled mozzarella on Fridays and Saturdays – check out this 

. Summer is also burrata season, so get it while you can. Unlike mozzarella, burrata’s center oozes creamy stracciatella. 

that makes excellent use of ripe summer tomatoes.

Of course you can’t go wrong with a variety of snackable hard cheeses. Aged cheeses are easier for lactose-intolerant folks to digest, and you won’t have to worry about 

pulling them from the sun after two hours

. When I worked as a cheesemonger, my favorite crowd pleasers were Chӓllerhocker, a nutty Swiss wonder, and Ossau Iraty, a mild hard sheep’s milk cheese from the French Pyrenees. These can be found at Surdyk’s along with 

, a beloved aged alpine style cheese from Wisconsin made only in the summer months.

Feta is traditionally made with sheep’s milk cheese, or sheep and goat’s milk combined. (Both are easier for lactose intolerant folks to digest.) The quality of feta can vary widely. A local shop known to have the good stuff is 

 in Uptown. They have a variety of feta including French, Bulgarian, and Dodoni (a popular Greek feta). Another option for feta variety is 

 near the University of Minnesota at Stadium Village. Both of these places let you taste, so find your favorite feta, and perhaps try it in this recipe for 

 Honey Habanero Quark is a good choice if your picnic idea is cheese and crusty bread or crackers. They recommend serving it with crackers that include dried fruit. Taste the quark when you next visit the 

 in Kimball, WI is also a cheese and crackers option (sold at 

 sells an herb-encrusted goat cheese called The Big Holmes – and for the even more adventurous, there’s Gin Berry, which includes juniper berries and peppercorns, or Black Bear, dusted with ash.

As a former cheesemonger, I pulled together some ideas to make your summer events that much gooier.

Labor Day Picnic Cheese in Minnesota

Labor Day Picnic Cheese

This beloved, family-owned establishment in Northeast has been around since 1973. From spinach pies to pints or quarts of what I consider the best tabbouleh in town (my desert island food, people!), 

 has many affordable picnics and cabin weekend options. In the mood for meat pies filled with pine nuts, ground beef, and lamb, or smoky baba ganoush and pita? Hot tip: their stuffed grape leaves include ground lamb in addition to rice - mwha! So good.

Whenever I’m in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, I seem to leave 

 with to-go containers of two items – their traditional creamy coleslaw (a guarded family recipe), and their potato salad that’s bright (egg yolks must be involved!) and has notes of mustard and pickle juice. The chunky texture and mix of flavors hits the spot, truly. It’s no wonder, as 

 for decades. The deli’s been around since 1949. With an array of bagels, sliced meats, and in-house baked bread, discover your own picnic go-to to-gos next time you visit.

If I really wanted to impress someone, I would fill my picnic basket with 

,” an artisan elixir made with elderblossom syrup. Add sparkling water or one of the liquors recommended by owner, Mo Kotb, for a refreshing summer drink. (The former Tilia bartender knows his stuff.) Dervish Mazza spreads are familiar, but with a surprising twist, like 

, which takes the fire-roasted eggplant of classic baba ganoush and mixes it with the flavors of tahini, sweet-tart pomegranate, and chermoula herbs. One of my favorites (and a Dervish Mazza bestseller) is 

, where hummus meets Thai chili and sun dried tomato. Here’s a recipe for an 

) that prioritizes personal, engaging service. The friendly staff offers recipes and samples, and they sell dried fruits such as unsulfured apricots, a wide variety of nuts, dates, Middle Eastern pastries, and oh so many olives. You’ll likely discover something you’ve never tasted before. The last time I was there I learned about how the inner kernels of apricots (a sweet, almond-like seed) are eaten as snacks - and of course I was given one to try.

Labor Day weekend will be here before you know it, so let’s eat well on our summer get-togethers while we can.

Easy Minnesota Picnic Delights - Savory Pies, Dips, Salads

Easy Picnic Delights - Savory Pies, Dips, Salads

We’ve been spotlighting on the West 7th neighborhood in St. Paul this month so we’ve crafted some questions that rely on your knowledge of our capital city.