Cool memories of splashy summer openings and tasty events

Sooooo, August has arrived and that means summer is on the way out. Looking back over the season, we had an amazing amount of once-in-a lifetime hot happenings and grand openings this summer that would never have been the same without the cool food served. I strongly believe the food really makes an event, and it’s the food that one remembers.

It didn’t hurt that we also had the luck of the draw with exciting event settings like these…

FOOD FUN AT THE SHOWCASE HOME…Party at a Mansion on Lake Minnetonka? What could be better? It was not only great to have the chance to explore the famous 1919 Brooks family, old English-style cottage at the 10th Annual Showcase Home this year, but exciting to see so many familiar faces cooking in the kitchen. During nearly 30 days of daily house tours (which benefited four charities), this elegant lakeside home also hosted many food events, from their opening night gala to afternoon teas and sunset boat rides.

I loved the house tours and the gala opening, but it was a rainy night and very crowded. I loved the sunset boat rides, too, which took off right from the cottage’s dock. But it was the culinary evenings, which featured local guest chefs that seemed totally irresistible to me. They would actually cook and serve to small groups in the kitchen as if we lived in the house. The schedule included Scott Irestone from 20.21, Rick Kimmes from Oceanaire, Scott Rosenbaum from Kitchen Window and David Fhima from Fhima’s and LoTo, to name a few.

I chose the dinner that David Fhima whipped up (a yummy Moroccan lamb with mint and cumin), which was paired with wines from E & J Gallo. Great teamwork made it all happen and it was so fun for the guests all the way around. A grand round of cheers to MSP Magazine Special Events Division for sponsoring another winning year of Showcase Home Tours.

TASTY FUN AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY…“S” is for shrimp, sushi, Spanish tapas and more. That’s what we found among the stacks at the $138 million Minneapolis Central Library when we explored the great glass and brass open spaces at their outstanding Grand Opening Benefit Gala. Their new home is a stunning showcase with 38 miles of bookshelves and over 290 computers. But on opening night, it was much more than the magic of the unveiling of architect Cesar Pelli’s creative vision. It was also a tribute to food and fun as well among the stacks.

They called it a Movable Feast on their evening program, a four-floor progressive dinner, coordinated by the library’s official caterers, Mintahoe Hospitality Group. This kickoff event was a big job that called on all their resources and even a few outside experts. Each level focused on a colorful themed buffet of edible delights, from an artistic assortment of carved ice bowls brimming with shrimp on the main level to California cuisine with carved beef tenderloin on the fourth floor.

On the third floor, they boasted Spanish tapas with sangria and huge skillets of paella while on the second level, the guests were greeted by Fuji Ya owner Tom Hanson and Sushi Chef Kevin Kamin and their sushi team. As raw fish experts, they are often brought in to cater local events when sushi is requested on the menu. They have a portable glass display cooler, which they can set up for business anywhere. Who knew? It’s a great story. And—speaking of a story—that’s the theme we carried away from the library: “Be Part Of The Story,” with our own little red canvas book bag which read “ready sit read.” Not bad advice at all.

DON’T MISS THE MIA…that’s the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, which celebrated the opening of its newly designed wing in June with rounds of fun, festivities and, yes, food. And that little red Target symbol had a new roll to play. The new $50 million wing has been named the Target Wing and was designed by Michael Graves, famous for his Target design collections.

The world renowned Art Institute is also well known locally for their fun food at the ArtsCafe and their coffee shop, ArtsBreak, operated by D’Amico & Partners D’Amico & Sons division. They also cater events at the museum under D’Amico Catering and helped throw the glamorous opening bash in a tented area in front of the museum for hundreds of MIA patrons. Then the next round came for thousands of the rest of us MIA members.

I was in the second tier group who, between 8 p.m. and midnight, joined what they called the First Night Frolic. More than 2,000 people joined in for the member’s preview and were greeted with cocktail bars and fancy-fun dessert tables from the grassy outdoor entrance, and danced the night away in their third level reception hall. The room was sparkling in red accents and the bars boasted the famous Targetini for sipping with their take-home souvenir glass.

They never ran out of their delicious, frosted celebration cookie with a colorful MIA logo stamped into the frosting. D’Amico partner Steve Davidson reminded me this item was just one example of the detail prep needed ahead of time. They baked enough for the thousands at the Saturday party and the thousands at the Sunday public opening.

GOING GAH GAH AT THE GUTHRIE…Last but not least was a look into the magnificent, $125 million riverside Guthrie complex with its great French influence from architect Jean Nouvel. We all knew it would be exciting as we watched this Navy blue silhouette grow and grow along the banks of the Mississippi River, from the much-awaited street level restaurant (Cue) to the amazing fifth level cantilevered bridge and ninth level, yellow glass box lobby. It’s so awesome on your first visit, it’s hard not to go “gah gah.” The complex not only houses three theaters and the famous endless bridge that’s juts out to the river, but there are nearly a dozen bouncing bars when the place is going at full tilt and two, full-service restaurants: Cue and Level Five Café, both open for lunch and dinner.

The Guthrie has rolled out many private dinners, tours and subscriber events since June, but the big opening night private gala, co-hosted by Target Corp., was the piéce de résistance. The food and beverage for the Guthrie complex is coordinated by the Bon Appetit management team, headed up by David Toay here in the Midwest. He has surrounded himself with talented people from the likes of Executive Chef Lenny Russo to Food and Beverage Director Hays Atkins and Director of Catering Susan Davis.

Davis and David Russell, the Guthrie’s Director of Theater Services, have their fingers on the pulse of the building and the balancing act of keeping all spaces running smoothly from the food and beverage side of things.

Their stage is all the riverfront nooks and hallways of party space, inside and out, top to bottom. At the glamorous private Benefit Gala, Susan said they had 800 people for an early sit-down tented dinner that ran like clockwork with a team of Bon Appetit chefs and servers from across the region. Before the guests arrived for their watercress salad with shell peas and roast tenderloin, I had a chance to peek into the black-lined white tent with luminous hanging panels of greens and blues, giving almost an underwater feel. The party only went up from there—all the way up to the ninth floor, that is.

The Level Five Café became the setting for cocktails, champagne and pastries –and up on the ninth level, the Black Box Theater was morphed into a sizzling hot night club complete with red target lighting and bar. And the martini for this tasteful Target go around? This time it was a creative chocolate creation called the Choxie-tini, after their famous chocolate candy brand. So much more, so little space—more later on the irresistible Cue Restaurant and Level Five.

And looking back over all, we can thank Target Corp. for their generous underwriting in so many of our arts celebrations–they really helped put the frosting on the cake and the cookies and the cocktails. Cheers!