Targeting Busy Families for Minneapolis Cooking Class

Executive Chef Shaun Holtgreve with First Cook Matt Jacobs assisting during the cooking demo

Employees at Target City Center in Minneapolis, MN, are spoiled when it comes to access to fresh produce. The Nicollet Mall farmers’ market sets up right outside the front door, and they can join the Hay River Farm CSA that’s exclusively for Target employees — farmer Jim Bruns makes the 1.5-hour drive to drop off boxes weekly onsite.

With all the wonderful fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs surrounding people, Executive Chef Shaun Holtgreve fields a steady barrage of questions on how to use them efficiently and deliciously. In response, he decided to offer a special afternoon cooking class aimed at busy parents. Using the ingredients of that week’s CSA box and some pantry items, Shaun created a three-course meal that was simple, fresh, and nutritious—as well as easy to teach and learn.

The fresh, local spring greens, radishes, kohlrabi, herbs, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, and goat cheese became a gorgeous starter to the meal. For a hearty side dish of grains, Shaun used a mixture of black quinoa, Minnesota wild rice, and wheat berries tossed with lemon, sugar snap peas, and herbs from the farm, along with toasted almonds and extra virgin olive oil. The entrée featured fresh, local turkey from Ferndale Farms and fresh-made pasta sautéed with fresh farm herbs, ripe tomatoes, sugar snap peas, spring onions, and garlic with a white wine sauce. Attendees were grateful for the training and inspired to nourish their busy families on the go.

Submitted by Kathy Vik, Operations Manager