MINCED: The Finer Version of Chopped at Sprout

Additional Information

MINCED: The Finer Version of Chopped pits three Central Minnesota chefs against each other in an intense kitchen showdown which resembles the popular Food Network show Chopped. This is the third year of the culinary cook-off event at Sprout (609 13th Ave NE, Door 8, Little Falls), and local chefs are invited to nominate themselves to compete in this year’s event which takes place on Friday, May 8th, 5:00PM - 9:00PM. Interested chefs can complete a simple online form (https://forms.gle/tyDy2GTFQCDizyM56) to describe their culinary style, skills, and reasons for wanting to compete. Selected chefs will participate in three, timed rounds of cooking a dish for the judges. Prizes include a MINCED trophy, cash prizes, and bragging rights. The deadline for chef nominations is Monday, March 16th, 2020.

The MINCED cooking competition is one way Sprout seeks to excite Central Minnesotans around locally produced food, culinary art, and food culture. Attendees from MINCED 2019 will recognize the host of this year’s competition as Chef Matéo Mackbee, who was crowned the MINCED Master Chef winner last year. Chef Matéo is in the final stages of a new restaurant and bakery planned for 24 College Ave. N. in St. Joseph. Krewe, a farm-to-table Cajun, Creole restaurant is inspired by Matéo’s childhood summers in New Orleans visiting many relatives, and especially his grandfather. Matéo loved to watch his grandfather cook for large gatherings, and Krewe is one way of honoring this heritage. Information on Krewe’s progress can be found at www.facebook.com/krewerestaurant/. As the host of MINCED, Chef Matéo will follow the competing chefs, give commentary on their choices and challenges, and bring the audience right into the heat of the kitchen action.

The public is invited to attend and enjoy the show. Tickets to attend MINCED are $15 Per Person, $30 Family. A discount is currently available until April 15th for advance ticket purchases ($10 Per Person, $25 Family). Children ages 12 and under can attend MINCED for free. Tickets can be purchased by visiting sproutmn.com/minced or the Facebook event.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for companies & organizations who want to be involved with this exciting event, promoting culinary art, local foods, cultural connections, and live entertainment. For more information on event sponsorship visit https://www.sproutmn.com/mincedl#sponsor or contact event coordinator Fallon Ryan (fallon@sproutmn.com).

MINCED is just one of many culinary events that Sprout coordinates. On Saturday, March 14th, 1PM, Sprout will partner with Marie Kirsch of Knotty Pine Bakery (Brainerd) to combine pie, the tasty dessert, with Pi, the mathematical constant. In the Power of Pie + Pi (π) Baking Class, attendees will experience a mix of hands-on opportunities and cooking demonstration to guide through the recipes. Marie will share formulas to create flaky, flavorful pie crusts as well as a combination of sweet and savory pie fillings. The class fee is $35 per person and includes all ingredients and supplies to make and take home 2 different flavors of, 5 inch mini pies and 4 savory handpies. Tickets are available online on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-power-of-pie-pi-baking-class-314159265359-tickets-96156632075

BACKGROUND

Sprout strives to connect and strengthen the local food system as a regional asset, operating from their facility centrally located in Little Falls, Minnesota. The Sprout facility hosts the monthly indoor Growers & Makers Marketplace as well as a shared-use licensed kitchen to promote food entrepreneurship and community gatherings around food, art, and culture. Sprout is a federally recognized 501c3 non-profit organization. Interested growers, artists, chefs, community members, and educators who want to learn more, visit www.SproutMN.com and follow Sprout MN on Facebook.