Come sit around the “farm table” at the Seward Co-op Creamery Café and learn more about the Cultural Wellness Center, our February SEED recipient.

The Cultural Wellness Center is working on a new project that will create a blend of culinary heritage, self-love, and business incubation for African American food entrepreneurs.

Their new café space will be a cooperative and supportive environment focused on reconnecting, rediscovering and reinventing the culinary traditions of our past.

Enjoy a meal designed by Creamery Café staff and inspired by this work, with ingredients sourced from Community Foods producers.

Three-course dinner: $40

Non-alcoholic beverage pairing: additional $7

Beer, wine and other beverages will be available for purchase.

Click here to purchase tickets now.

The Seward-made Hot Link sausage captures flavors of the growing season—with Anaheim, serrano and padrón peppers from Sin Fronteras Farm & Food in Stillwater, Minnesota, and pork from Peterson Craftsman Meats in Osceola, Wisconsin. Both are local Community Foods producers.

Harness fresh, local pepper taste this winter by using the Hot Link as a chili starter. Below is one of our employee’s takes on super-spicy, super-tasty chili that gets its zing from the Hot Link. The Hot Link is available now at the Meat counter.

Hot Link Chili with Seward-Made Sausage

Ingredients
7-8 large tomatoes, halved and roasted
1 large red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Hot peppers, minced, to taste (jalapeños work)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. unsweetened chocolate
1 bottle beer (substitution: 1 1/2-2 cups stock)
1 Tbsp. cumin
6 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. coriander
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
Ancho chili paste (details below)
32 oz. beef stock
2 or 3 slices bacon, chopped
1 ½ – 2 pounds ground meat (1 lb. lean ground beef and 1/2 lb. Seward-made Hot Link, which is what makes this recipe HOT!)
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans (or substitute pinto)

Optional toppings: lime juice, sour cream, green onions, cilantro and/or shredded cheddar cheese

Method
Render the bacon, remove from pan. Brown the meat, remove from pan. Soak three dried ancho peppers for up to 30 minutes, remove their seeds and ribs, then puree with olive oil as needed to make a paste. Roast tomatoes by placing cut side down on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and salt, cook in 400-degree oven for about 15 minutes. Sauté onion, garlic and peppers of your choice to create the base of the chili, at least 10 minutes. Combine all ingredients listed above, except for meat and beans, and let this broth simmer for about an hour.

Then, add the browned meat, cooked bacon and beans. Add additional chili powder and chocolate, to taste. Cook for two more hours on low. Finish with lime juice. Garnish with sour cream, green onions, cilantro and/or shredded cheddar cheese.

This winter, we’re featuring classes on food-mood connection, soap making, fermenting vegetables and more. Seward Co-op owners save $5 on registration.

Click the links below to register.

Intro to Soap Making
Jan. 16, 6-8 p.m., Franklin store
Learn soap making from one of Seward Co-op’s most popular soap vendors! In this demonstration class, students will be shown soap making using the cold process method. Each student receives an instruction manual and takes home five bars of soap ($25 retail).
John Hanson, Seward Soap
$30/$25 co-op owners

Nourish 101: Beef Stroganoff
Jan. 22, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Friendship store
Nourish 101 classes feature basic scratch-cooking techniques and recipes that feed a family of four for under $10 ($15 with meat). We’ll make beef stroganoff, a simple and classic comfort food.
Jessica Toliver, Jess Delicious
$5; Receive a $5 gift card at the class!

A Perfect Bowl of Soba
Jan. 24, 6-8 p.m., Franklin store
Have you made Japanese Dashi stock before? Let’s learn to make dashi stock from scratch and cook soba to make a delicious bowl of Soba noodles with Kakiage tempura and mushrooms. This tried and tested recipe is from Tanpopo Noodle Shop, a Japanese restaurant that was once located in Lowertown St. Paul. You will be able to recreate flavors from Tanpopo after this class.
Koshiki Yonemura and Benjamin Smith, Tanpopo Studio
$35/$30 co-op owners

The Skinny on Fat
Jan. 30, 6-8 p.m., Friendship store
We get a lot of mixed messages about fat: “fat makes you fat,” “eat fat to lose fat,” “saturated fat gives you heart attacks,” “saturated fat is the key to hormonal balance.” No wonder everyone is confused about fat! Culinary nutritionists Jenny Breen and Jesse Haas are teaming up to tackle this controversial topic. Join us for a conversation about the nutritional myths and truths surrounding fat in our diets. We’ll also prepare and enjoy recipes featuring cooking oils, nuts and seeds, and other fat-rich foods to help participants put this information into action. Bring a notebook…and your appetite!
Jenny Breen and Jesse Haas
$30/$25 co-op owners

Gyoza: Japanese Dumplings
Jan. 31, 6-8 p.m., Franklin store
At this class we will share the skill of delicious and savory dumpling making: mixing, rolling and shaping the dough; stuffing the filling, and preparing the homemade ponzu sauce. Locally sourced ground pork is mingled together with Napa cabbage, garlic chives and ginger to make the flavorful fillings. Then these beautifully shaped dumpling are pan fried to perfection.
Koshiki Yonemura, Tanpopo Studio
$35/$30 co-op owners

Nourish 101: Chicken Noodle Soup
Feb. 5, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Friendship store
Nourish 101 classes feature basic scratch-cooking techniques and recipes that feed a family of four for under $10 ($15 with meat). We’ll make a cozy pot of chicken noodle soup.
Jessica Toliver, Jess Delicious
$5; Receive a $5 gift card at the class!

Food as Medicine: Your Food and Mood Connection
Feb. 12, 6-8:30 p.m., Franklin stor
You are what you eat. Learn about foods that impact your anxiety, depression, stress, and inflammation as well as principles for healthier eating using a lecture format. Take control of your health and be able to make food choices to help balance your mood. In this class, you will describe how food affects your mental health, understand how to eat foods to balance your mood, identify your own food rules, and gain understanding about how stress and inflammation affect your body.
Monica Peterson, LICSW
$25/20 co-op owners

Blending Herbal Teas
Feb. 14, 6-8 p.m., Franklin store
In this workshop participants will meet 15 everyday tea herbs that are useful for a variety of nourishing and system-supporting functions. We will delve into the characteristics of these herbs, where they work in the body, how to blend them with other herbs, and how to prepare an herbal tea. You will take home some tea! This workshop is open to participants of all income levels: to make alternative arrangements with the instructor, please email arogosheske@seward.coop.
Monarda Thrasher, Tea for the People, LLC
$15/$12 co-op owners

Intro to Soap Making
Feb. 20, 6-8 p.m., Friendship store
Learn soap making from one of Seward Co-op’s most popular soap vendors! In this demonstration class, students will be shown soap making using the cold process method. Each student receives an instruction manual and takes home five bars of soap ($25 retail).
John Hanson, Seward Soap
$30/$25 co-op owners

Nourish 101: Fermenting Veggies with Pickle Witch
Feb. 28, 6-8 p.m., Friendship store
Nourish 101 classes feature basic scratch-cooking techniques and recipes that feed a family of four for under $10. Learn the basics of fermenting in a hands on workshop that will teach you to turn almost any vegetable into a nutritious, delicious, fermented pickle. Bring your own container to take your ferment home!
L. Kling, Pickle Witch
$5; Receive a $5 gift card at the class!

Important Class Information
Please preregister for all classes (including free classes) online. For assistance with registration, please visit Customer Service. Walk-ins are welcome as space allows, but Seward Co-op may cancel classes if there are fewer than three preregistered attendees. In this case, participants will be notified and given a full refund. Payment must be made at time of registration. To ensure a refund, cancellations must be made 48 hours before the class date.

New Fee for Nourish Classes
New in 2019, Nourish classes have a $5 registration fee, with participants receiving a $5 gift card at the class. Scholarships are available by contacting arogosheske@seward.coop. We hope this change will make classes accessible to the largest number of people in our community by reducing no-shows at our free classes.

Check out Classes & Events Calendar to see everything we have in store this winter.

The Sioux Chef works to educate and make indigenous foods more accessible. Attend this year’s Annual Owner Meeting Tuesday, Oct. 30, 6-8 p.m., at the University of Minnesota’s student union, to enjoy a meal designed by founder and CEO chef Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota) and executed by Seward Co-op Creamery Café. The results of the board election will be announced, as will our 2019 Community Choice SEED grant recipients.

Informed by The Sioux Chef’s mission to re-identify what is recognized as North American food, the dinner will feature indigenous foods and ingredients native to this region. Expect fruit, vegetables, meat, foraged ingredients and no sugar, gluten, wheat or dairy. Vegan and vegetarian options will be available.

While Sean is sometimes misidentified as The Sioux Chef, the name actually refers to the entire team. The Sioux Chef is a group of Anishinaabe, Mdewakanton Dakota, Navajo, Northern Cheyenne, Oglala Lakota and Wahpeton-Sisseton Dakota. The team includes chefs, ethnobotanists, food preservationists, adventurers, foragers, caterers, event planners, artists, musicians, food truckers and food lovers.

Tickets for the Annual Owner Meeting are $5 in advance or $15 at the door. Children (5-12): $3; Children 4 and under are admitted for free.

Menu
Roasted Native Harvest Veg with Maple + Pepita
Wild Rice Salad
Hominy and Squash Soup
Smoked Turkey + Sunchoke (Vegan Option is Smoked Forest Mushrooms + Sunchoke)
Sweet Blue Corn Pudding + Dried Fruit + Berries

The menu is naturally free of gluten, dairy, soy, processed sugar, beef, pork and chicken. Vegan and vegetarian options available.

Purchase tickets via Eventbrite.

A Leader in the Indigenous Foods Movement

Sean has been cooking across the United States and Mexico over the past 30 years. He is internationally renowned in the culinary movement of indigenous foods.

In 2014, he opened The Sioux Chef as a caterer and food educator in the Twin Cities area. He and his business partner, Dana Thompson (Wahpeton-Sisseton/Mdewakanton Dakota), also created the Tatanka Truck, a food truck featuring pre-contact foods of the Dakota and Minnesota territories.

In October 2017, Sean and his team performed the first decolonized dinner at the James Beard House in Manhattan. His first book, “The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen,” earned the James Beard medal for Best American Cookbook for 2018.

This year, Sean was selected as a Bush Fellow. The Sioux Chef team of 12 people continues to spread their mission to as many communities as possible through their recently founded nonprofit NATIFS.

Why The Sioux Chef?
Seward Co-op hosted Tunde Wey at the 2017 Annual Owner Meeting. Tunde is a Nigerian chef who led staff in the preparation of a Nigerian meal and a discussion with LaDonna Sanders Redmond, the co-op’s diversity and community engagement manager, about Blackness, immigration and labor in America. This year, Sanders Redmond wanted to go deeper—into the impact of white supremacy on Indigenous people. She invited Sean and The Sioux Chef team to design the menu and offer teachings on indigenous food sovereignty.

Come meet the farmers who grow our food! Wisconsin Growers Co-op will be providing samples of their sweet potatoes Saturday, Oct. 6, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Franklin store as part of our Know Our Grower series.

About Wisconsin Growers Co-op
Wisconsin Growers Co-op was founded in 2006 to help 20 families maintain ownership of their farms. Its members are dedicated to the idea that if farmers take “good care of the soil, the soil will pay back with high-quality produce.”

This mindset has proven effective; Wisconsin Growers often brings us produce all year long, from greenhouse radishes at the first sight of spring clear around the calendar to over-wintered parsnips.

The key to the longevity of their growing season are labor-intensive, fossil fuel-free farming methods. On nearly 40 acres of the co-op’s land, these farmers plant, tend, and harvest crops exclusively using horses, horse machinery, and hand tools.

Local businesses and entrepreneurs showcased their efforts at the Powderhorn Shark Tank at Powderhorn Park on Saturday, May 19. Attendees shopped local goods at the marketplace, grabbed free samples and voted for one of the 15 finalists.

Seward Community Co-op was one of the sponsors of the event and provided special prizes to support finalists using a cooperative or collaborative business structure. The two winners of the Seward Co-op prize for proposals with a cooperative or collaborative business structure were: Support Local Hustle ($100 Seward Co-op Creamery Cafe gift card) in the emerging business category and Fortress of the Arts ($50 Seward Co-op Creamery Cafe gift card).

The Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association gave away over $8,000 in prizes to small businesses. The event sponsors were Seward Community Co-op, U.S. Bank and AM950Radio. Learn more at www.ppna.org/powderhornsharktank.