ITINERARIES FOOD CULTURE What to Eat, Drink and Do on a Road Trip from Minneapolis to the Iron Range By Andrew Parks Two foodies taste their way from Minneapolis-St. Paul to the Iron Range and back, enjoying a piece of music history, scenic outdoor adventures and many mindblowing meals along the way. Photographer Ben Hon (@stuffbeneats) and marketing expert Claire Mosteller (who represents Yobo Soju, Burlap & Barrel, and Padma Lakshmi) are always searching for new spots to celebrate their love of food and travel, so we sent the longtime friends on the ultimate culinary tour of Minnesota. The trip featured everything from the postcard-worthy landscapes of the Iron Range, the state’s historic iron-ore mining districts, to the iconic Minnesota State Fair. Sample the tasty spots for yourself. Minneapolis & St. Paul CATCH A LOBSTER (MUSHROOM) There’s a reason why Mike Kempenich, a.k.a. the Gentleman Forager, calls himself “The Most Interesting Man in the Woods”. As one of the region’s chief foraging experts — see also: fellow Minnesotans such as Ironwood Foraging founder Tim Clemens, James Beard Award-winning chef Alan Bergo and ethnobotanist/TikTok phenomenon Linda Black Elk — he supplies many restaurants with wild ingredients. Kempenich also hosts everything from mushroom identification classes to special events centered around chanterelles, morels and porcini. Check out his schedule at gentlemanforager.com , or trace Mosteller and Hon’s journey off the grid in the mystical woods of Eveleth. Cambridge BREAK FOR BRUNCH IN A HISTORIC DEPARTMENT STORE The A.W. Johnson Family has owned and operated Leader since 1918, but its restaurant space is more of a recent development spurred on by fourth generation owners Grant and Michelle Johnson. The couple sees Leader as a cornerstone of their Cambridge community — a place to shop for locally sourced goods and tuck into terrific all-day breakfast dishes like a salmon popover scramble and Swedish pancakes with lingonberry jam and powdered sugar. Lunch is also lovely here, whether you’re sipping on wild rice soup with garlic chives, puffed grains and pulled chicken, or crushing a Canadian perch sandwich that’s been smeared with tangy North Shore tartar sauce and brightened up by Nordic pickles. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE #ONLYIN MN | 93
Explore Minnesota Travel Guide 2025 Explore Minnesota Travel Guide: Page 93
