A Prior Lake family incorporates the best parts of cabin living into their daily lifestyle
10
Creepy Creativity
A Lakeville author uses her paranormal encounters to inspire others.
12
Authentically Good Tacos
A family restaurant brings a taste of Mexican cuisine to Lakeville.
14
Gather and Savor
Native Harvest Catering blends traditional foodways with modern dishes for memorable— and delicious—events.
18
Staycation Home
A Prior Lake family incorporates the best parts of cabin living into their daily lifestyle.
26 Wild Dining
Executive chef Andy Schrader incorporates game meat into lodge dinners at the Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club.
Donuts and Coffee
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of
Keep Kids Safe Online
A local expert shares three simple steps to take.
Campfire Cuisine, page 8
Photo: Chris Emeott
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PUBLISHER
Susan Isay
EDITOR
Liz Potasek
MANAGING CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Renée Stewart-Hester
MANAGING EDITOR
Hailey Almsted
DIGITAL EDITOR
Madeline Kopiecki
COPY EDITORS
Kellie Doherty and Sherri Hildebrandt
STAFF WRITERS
Mollee Francisco, Emily Gedde, Meredith Heneghan, Jennifer Pitterle and Paige Udermann
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Erin Holl, Scarlett Larson, Katie Tomsche and Paul Zyla
DIGITAL INTERN
Claire Krieger
EDITORIAL INTERNS
Ellie Heyerdahl, Diane Meyer, Emma Souza and Avery Vrieze
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Kati Bachmayer, City of Lakeville ; Jeffrey DeMars, City of Prior Lake ; Jeanne Hutter, Lakeville Chamber of Commerce ; Jenny Nagy, Prior Lake Savage Area Schools ; and Janet Swiecichowski, ISD 196 Rosemount, Apple Valley, Eagan
SENIOR MANAGING ART DIRECTOR
Sarah Dovolos
ART DIRECTOR
Allison Nolden
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR
Jamie Klang
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Yaz Lo
LEAD STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Chris Emeott
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Brittni Dye
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Lisa Stone
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Mimi Coz
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Laura Bjorgo, Cynthia Hamre and Sara Johnson
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Rochita Chatterjee and Gina Neumann
PRESIDENT
Pete Burgeson
This holiday, give kids the greatest gift: a
chance at a lifetime.
Imagine a world where no child dies of cancer. This holiday, help St. Jude give families hope and children the greatest gift: the chance to live life and celebrate every moment. Donate Now
St. Jude patient Sully pictured with her mom
Bacon-wrapped
Campfire Cuisine
Let’s be clear: we will always support s’mores as the bonfire foodie champ. But, as Minnesotans, we appreciate making the most of our time outdoors and that includes during gatherings around a bonfire at home, the lake or a campsite. Can we agree that we need more than chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows to share around a cozy, outdoor fire? We turned to our resident camper and outdoor living enthusiast Brittni Dye, our production director. At all times of year, she and her family can be found living their best nature-based lives, gathered around a campfire with good friends and good food. Find her recipe for Campfire BaconWrapped Jalapeño Poppers at citiessouthmag.com. —Renée Stewart-Hester
Cosmic Designs
Eric Holey’s Northern Lights Bowl (July 2020) is a striking 18-inch wide stoneware piece that reflects his dedication to creating large, gracefully formed vessels. Glazed in Holey’s signature combination, the surface evokes the vibrant glow of the Northern Lights. Known for his functional, yet artful, designs, Holey focuses on elegant lines and strong forms. He teaches pottery at the Lakeville Area Arts Center, and his work is available at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais and Indigo Swan Gallery in Stockholm, Wisconsin.
Title: Northern Lights Bowl
Artist: Eric Holey
Medium: Stoneware
Scarlett Larson is the recreation program coordinator for the Lakeville Area Arts Center. View more at lakevilleareaartscenter.com.
Photo: Chris Emeott
Campfire
Jalapeño Poppers
Creepy Creativity
A Lakeville author uses her paranormal encounters to inspire others.
By Liz Potasek
Lakeville author Jessica Freeburg has always been drawn to creepy tales: She still has a battered copy of her favorite childhood book, Trick or Treat by Richie Tankersley Cusick, and as an adult, she even survived her own haunting, which was documented in 2019 in an episode of the Travel Channel’s My Horror Story (season 1, episode 6: Heirloom of Doom).
Not surprisingly, her writing life has followed suit, from her first published book, The Homecoming, to the popular Monsters and Ghosts series she cowrites with Natalie Fowler for Adventure Publications. The pair recently published four books in their series: Monsters of the South, Monsters of the Pacific Northwest, Ghosts of the Wild West and Ghostly Tales of Ohio.
Yet Freeburg uses her gift for telling stories to uplift and inspire. She got her start as a high school teacher, and she still loves to visit schools to talk to kids about writing. She also hosts creative retreats for adults with Ghost Stories Ink, a group of writers and illustrators who share her passion for the paranormal. In December, the group is planning a Winter Creative Retreat in Stillwater.
Freeburg has loved writing since she was a child, but she didn’t start working on a book until she left teaching to stay home with her children. When she set out to write her first novel (which was initially released as Living in the Shadows and rereleased as Homecoming), Freeburg wanted to write a paranormal tale that she would have enjoyed reading as a child.
She also happened to be dealing with her own haunting, and she was looking for a way to explain it to her children and to help them discern between good and bad spirits. “This was like one of the most profound hauntings I’ve ever personally experienced, and it wasn’t scary, but it was frustrating because it did scare the kids,” she says.
Freeburg wasn’t frightened because she’d had experiences like that from time to time her whole life. “It’s just really an awareness of spiritual energy around people and spaces,” she says. “I don’t really know the best way to describe that without sounding super weird … I kind of tell people it’s sort of like tuning a radio into the right frequency … You can tune it up a little bit more, so that you can have a better, stronger awareness. And if you don’t want to have awareness, I think you can do things to kind of turn it down.”
Photo: Chris Emeott
Jessica Freeburg
HAPPY, NOT HAUNTED
In addition to Jessica Freeburg’s writing, her interest in the paranormal has led her to co-host the podcast Darkness Radio with Tim Dennis and to tour haunted places throughout the United States with her Ghost Stories Ink crew. Given all this knowledge, experience and research, it begs the question: How does she sleep at night?
When we do our events, we kind of teach people that you can have an experience, but you don’t have to let the experience have you,” she says. “You can tell them to go away. As the person with the physical body, you have dominance over these spiritual energies that are around you.”
Whether she’s talking to kids or adults, Freeburg stresses the importance of connecting to your inner guidance and being yourself. “Embrace your passions and be who you were created to be,” she says. “Embrace your weirdness, and feel good and comfortable in your own skin to be who you are. And for me, that means I’m talking about ghosts a lot.”
Her paranormal experiences inform her monster and ghost books, but Freeburg and co-author Fowler aren’t trying to scare readers. “[The stories] could be creepy. They’re startling,” she says. “A lot of the monster stories are rooted in legends that have been carried forward hundreds of years. [And] you can’t have a ghost story without history. As much as I love ghosts and spirits... I think my deeper passion is just carrying history forward and telling the stories of the people that lived and breathed and loved before we were here.”
Monsters and Ghosts Book Signing 11 a.m.–1 p.m. October 4
Jessica Freeburg and Natalie Fowler will read from their newly released books, answer questions and sign books at Niche Books in downtown Lakeville.
jessicafreeburg.com
SMARTER DOWNSIZING STARTS HERE
Aut hentically Good Tacos
A family restaurant brings a taste of Mexican cuisine to Lakeville.
By Meredith Heneghan
If you’re looking for authentic Mexican food in Lakeville, look no further than Taqueria Los Compadres. “It’s a dream come true for my parents [Lucas Sanchez and Patricia Habana],” says Edgar Sanchez, manager. “My mom and dad have a passion for cooking, and opening a restaurant was one of their biggest dreams.”
You’ll find plenty of authentic Mexican dishes on its menu, including ceviche,
tamales and tostadas, but tacos are the favorite. “The tacos are the No. 1 thing,” Edgar says. “It’s simple, fast and delicious to enjoy.” Asada (grilled beef) tacos are the most popular, but al pastor (marinated pork), is a close second with grilled pineapple on top. “It’s a tradition in Mexico to give it that extra sweet flavor,” Edgar says.
The tinga de pollo tacos, which includes
most popular
The al pastor (marinated pork), asada (grilled beef) and tinga de pollo (shredded chicken) tacos are some of the
menu items at Taqueria Los Compadres. The ceviche (top left) is also popular.
shredded chipotle chicken, are another popular option. “People are scared that it’s pretty spicy, but we just add a little bit of chipotle, and it’s not that spicy,” Edgar says. “It’s really juicy.”
All the meats are seasoned and marinated in-house, and all beans, rice and sauces are made onsite by Edgar’s parents and uncle, Lupe Sanchez, who have extensive experience creating delicious Mexican dishes.
“My dad has always worked at restaurants. His specialty is mostly meat dishes,” Edgar says. “My mom is mostly about the salsas, the rice and the beans. My mom grew up cooking with my grandma in Mexico. She’d sell pozole on the street in Mexico.” Lupe, who is a co-owner of the restaurant, specializes in seafood, Edgar says, noting his older brother, Pedro Sanchez, and older sister, Mariele Sanchez, also work at the restaurant.
The restaurant opened in the midst of COVID-19 in 2020. The family had been successfully catering parties for a few years. So when the family couldn’t host a quinceañera for Edgar’s younger sister, Concepcion Sanchez, due to pandemic restrictions, they decided to funnel money set aside for the party to open Taqueria Los Compadres instead.
Impressively, the restaurant succeeded during an uncertain time. “Thankfully, people really liked our food. We did a lot of takeout orders,” Edgar says. “It was busy every day.” Business has only grown from there. When additional space opened up next door earlier this year, the family expanded and added a bar, which Edgar now manages, slinging specialty cocktails, made with homemade ingredients.
There’s a crop of regulars who come to Taqueria Los Compadres for daily meals before work or for lunch, and the reviews are always the same. “People always say, this is really authentic,” Edgar says.
It’s cliche to say that the secret ingredient is love, but there might be something to it. “I’ve heard from my dad that he’s given his recipes to a bunch of people, but it just doesn't come out the same as when he makes it,” Edgar says.
Taqueria Los Compadres
taqueria-los-compadres.square.site
Taqueria Los Compadres
Written by Jennifer Pitterle
GATHER AND SAVOR
Native Harvest Catering blends traditional foodways with modern dishes for memorable—and delicious—events.
A culinary store both modern and ancient is unfolding in Prior Lake—one wild rice bowl at a time. Native Harvest Catering, an enterprise of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC), offers catered meals for events around the Twin Cities, focusing on fresh, local ingredients and a commitment to sustainability.
When SMSC’s beloved natural foods store, Mazopiya, closed its doors in 2023, the culinary team, including senior manager of SMSC food services Andrew Basil, decided to breathe new life into some of the store’s most popular deli dishes. “The store served our surrounding community, and one of our most popular items was the wild rice bowl with different proteins and a lot of fresh toppings. We wanted to keep those alive,” Basil says.
The bowls are still available at the SMSC campus cafe and are making their way into all kinds of catered events as part of the new Native Harvest menu options. “You’re allowing your guests to create their own meal in a way that is unique,” Basil says. Vegans, vegetarians and otherwise adventurous eaters can craft something truly personal, starting with a bed of traditionally harvested and prepared wild rice, and adding veggies and other toppings of their choice.
Native Harvest caters all kinds of events, from relatively small family graduation parties to larger meetings and galas for municipalities, nonprofits and school districts. The 13-member team provides all setup, serving and tear-down services and oversees the food from beginning to end.
In addition to the popular wild rice bowl buffets, the Native Harvest Catering menu reads like a love letter to Minnesota with a focus on local and regional ingredients. Produce is sourced from local growers whenever possible, including from SMSC’s own organic, on-site garden. Bison meat is raised by Minnesota farmers. A popular themed menu is the Native to Minnesota option,
Left: Roasted elk tenderloin with rosemary and wild mushroom jus from the Native to Minnesota menu.
Right: Braised bison short ribs with mushroom demi-glace, roasted vegetables and sweet corn and hominy mash from the Native to Minnesota menu.
NATIVE HARVEST FALL SALAD
“This is a recipe that showcases a lot of my favorite fall harvest items,” senior manager of SMSC food services Andrew Basil says.
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 3 medium-sized beets, peeled and diced
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 12 oz. fresh Brussels sprouts
• 8 oz. baby arugula
• 1 each Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apple, diced
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. grainy mustard
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. local honey (or more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground, plus more to taste
• 2–3 oz. goat cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the pecans on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove, and set aside to cool. Increase the oven temp to 400 F. Toss diced beets and squash in 2 Tbsp. olive oil, and lay out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20–25 minutes or until the beets and squash are fork tender. Set aside to cool.
Use a sharp knife to cut away the end of the core of the Brussels sprouts and finely slice around the core of the heads one at a time, discarding the core. Place Brussels sprouts in a large bowl with arugula. Scatter in the apples, roasted beets and squash.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 Tbsp. of olive oil, vinegar, mustards, honey, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour desired amount of dressing over the salad, and toss well to coat. Season with more salt and pepper if desired. When ready to serve, sprinkle with chunks of goat cheese and chopped pecans.
SUN BLOSSOM COOKIES
“This recipe is a crowd favorite and is our go-to cookie for a healthier, vegan alternative to a butter, sugar and flour cookie,” Andrew Basil says.
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin seed flour
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour
• ¾ cup sunflower seed butter (or your choice of nut butter)
• ¾ cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
• 1 cup white chocolate chips (omit if making a vegan recipe)
Preheat the oven to 325 F. In a small bowl, combine the flours, and mix well. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the sunflower seed butter, syrup and oil. Whisk to combine. Fold cranberries and chocolate chips into wet ingredients. Add in flours, and mix until combined. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, and press gently to create a disc. Cookies should be flat but not thin. Bake for 8–10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
DINNER INSPIRATION
As fall arrives and families gather to mark the turning of the seasons, Andrew Basil suggests using what’s available from local growers. “Fall is easily my favorite season for fresh vegetables and fruits,” Basil says. “When I head to a local farmer’s market, I go in with an open mind and a bit of excitement. You never know what you will come across from week to week. Farmer’s markets are a great opportunity to support our local farmers and a good time to have a conversation with them about their upcoming harvest schedule.”
What are some of his reliable autumn standbys? “During the fall season, I look forward to root vegetables, squash, Brussels sprouts, pears and apples,” Basil says. “I love using these ingredients on flatbreads or in a salad with toasted nuts and soft cheeses. Local honey is something else I keep an eye out for in the late summer and early fall months. Fall honey differs quite a bit from the lighter spring honey and is absolutely delicious.”
where clients can choose a local protein (from bison or elk to trout or walleye), two sides inspired by traditional Dakota foodways (braised beans, hominy, roasted squash, Three Sisters succotash or wild rice pilaf) and fry bread with wojape sauce, made from berries cooked down to a perfect blend of sweet and tart.
But Native Harvest offers other menus inspired by cuisines and regions farther afield. The South of ’Sota-themed menu includes build-your-own nachos or tacos piled with grilled chicken, ground beef or pork carnitas, plus an abundance of fresh fixings. The You Betcha BBQ menu takes inspiration from the southern United States and offers barbecue beef brisket, chicken or pork ribs, along with classic sides like baked beans, dirty rice and macaroni and cheese.
The Native Harvest team can also cater hot or continental breakfast buffets featuring homemade cinnamon rolls and muffins, or provide an array of desserts from its Northern Lights Delights menu.
“We rely on our team and give them the opportunity to flex their creativity,” Basil says. “It’s a collaborative effort.”
Alongside its locally focused menus, Native Harvest finds other ways to decrease its eco-footprint. “We use all compostable goods,” Basil says. “Our packaging and all of our tableware is compostable, and we try to have zero waste in our kitchen.” The SMSC Organics Recycling Facility takes most of the kitchen’s food waste and turns it into compost, which is then offered to gardeners on its own or blended with other materials for landscaping.
Native Harvest Catering nativeharvestcatering.org
@nhcateringmn
An independent pediatric practice
with
over 50 years of serving children and families in the Twin Cities.
Families appreciate the convenience of our evening and weekend hours and same-day appointment availability. Parents and kids love our pediatricians. We’re proud to grow by word-of-mouth recommendations and delight in watching babies grow into healthy young adults who return to Metro Peds with their own children.
Top: Senior manager of Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community food services Andrew Basil sets up a buffet at Hoċokata Ti.
Bottom: Guests assemble thier burrito bowl from the South of ’Sota menu.
Staycation Home
Written By Liz Potasek
Photos by Chris Emeott
A Prior Lake family incorporates the best parts of cabin living into their daily lifestyle.
The first time that Amy and Doug Johnson toured their home on Prior Lake, they fell in love—with the lot. The original home was a lake cabin they purchased about 12 years ago, which they fixed up temporarily and lived in while they fantasized about building their dream home on the property. “The nice thing is, we were able to live here on the lot for a number of years and really get a feel for what we wanted, how we used it and what kind of house we would want to put on it,” Doug says. “It ended up being a really thoughtful process in what we designed and what we ended up building.”
In 2021, when the timing was right, they built a mono-pitched house that highlights a sweeping view overlooking Prior Lake, sized perfectly for their family of four and decorated with West Coast modern flair to reflect their clean, easygoing aesthetic.
LAYOUT
The couple wanted every room in the house to have a purpose and to be wellused, so the floor plan was designed with efficiency in mind. “I think what it spawned from was just wanting one big room that kind of did everything, with a lot of windows,” says Doug, describing the inspiration for their home.
The house is designed around a large kitchen, dining and living room facing the lake that is the focal point of family life: The Johnsons gather daily for
The main living area in the Johnsons’ home overlooking Prior Lake offers sweeping lake views.
breakfast around their kitchen island, relax in a seating area with a fireplace and close out their day with dinner together in the same room.
Amy enjoys making meals for the family, and the well-used main kitchen counters are kept clean with the help of a convenient butler’s pantry off the kitchen, complete with a small refrigerator and blender for morning smoothies, as well as pantry and appliance storage.
Three main entries to the house all lead to the main room with clever design touches. There’s the formal entry, flanked
by three surf boards from the street-facing side of the house. The entrance from the garage features a hallway with plenty of storage for backpacks, jackets and sports equipment, as well as a dog feeding station, complete with a low faucet for filling water dishes. Finally, a side entry is equipped with an outdoor shower for rinsing off from the lake.
DESIGN
The family was living in Montana for a few months when they decided to rebuild the house, and they were influenced by
the mountain-modern aesthetic, as well as a West Coast design style.
Jen Cirone of Cirone Design helped the Johnsons’ design vision come to life. She says one of the most important parts of working with clients is helping them edit and hone their style. “We kind of knew what we wanted in a sense, but putting all the pieces together and having it, as Jen says, ‘flow,’ is something I never really considered,” Amy says.
The main room features a lot of sharp corners with black-framed windows and white walls; yet it doesn’t feel stark thanks
Left: Kitchen counters are kept appliance-free thanks to a butler’s pantry off the kitchen.
Right: Three surfboards decorate the home’s entrance, contributing to the home’s West Coast modern flair.
to a beautiful white oak, wood-paneled ceiling and a black accent wall with a black steel fireplace and textured, black grasscloth wallpaper. The neutral palette helps the room feel calming, Cirone says. There’s a similar balance in the kitchen with white upper cabinets anchored with walnut lower cabinets.
LIFESTYLE
The entire house is designed so the Johnsons can make the most of lake living. Large doors in the home’s main room open completely to the backyard lake, allowing for seamless indoor and outdoor living.
A patio with outdoor dining, as well as a deck with a firepit and seating above the Johnsons’ boathouse, provide outdoor living spaces that are comfortable to access throughout the day. The house, patio and deck all sit on a hill above the lake, providing soaring views of the water.
Cirone Design cironedesign.com
Schedule an appointment today!
Written by Hailey Almsted
Homemade Happiness
Let’s Dish! brings the ease of cooking back to your table— so you can enjoy the moments that truly matter.
Welcome to Let’s Dish!, where your love for home-cooked meals meets the convenience of ready-to-cook perfection.
With over 20 years of Minnesota roots, co-founder and CEO Darcy Olson says that Let’s Dish! has evolved from its origin—which welcomed customers to participate in sessions to assemble their meals—into what it is today. With five locations across the Twin Cities—and now available at select Target locations—Let’s Dish! offers a wide selection of simple-to-cook meals made with fresh ingredients that can be easily stored in the freezer and prepared when you’re ready.
Heidi and Mark Maes started using Let’s Dish! shortly after its inception, when their children, Lydia (23), Paul (21) and Peter
(19), were young. As new empty-nesters, Let’s Dish! is still an integral part of the Maes’ mealtime. “I love the Prior Lake store, which is right around the corner from me,” Heidi Maes says. “I have never had anything that my family does not like, and everyone is always so helpful to suggest new dishes that I may like. It’s so fun to have variety to choose from. I have my go-tos, but there are always new menu items to switch things up.”
That’s what Olson and the team like to hear. “For all the unpredictable things that happen in the world, it’s great to make dinner a sure thing,” Olson says. Plus, with a variety of options, including gluten- and dairy-free, vegetarian, low sodium and under 400 calories, there’s
something for just about everyone.
“It’s ready to cook and ready when you are,” says Katie Suttenberg, chief operating officer. “Dinner happens 365 days a year, and our meals make your life so much easier so you can enjoy other things. You don’t have to have the stress and mental load every day of, ‘What’s for dinner tonight?’”
Whether you’re a professional, a parent on the go or simply someone who values quality meals, Let’s Dish! makes it easy to create delicious meals in the comfort of your kitchen. Favorites, such as Barbacoa Beef Burrito Bowls, Bourbon-Glazed Meatballs & Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Cheese Curd Crusted Chicken Ranch Bake, Crunchy Chicken
Queso Bake, Indian Butter Chicken with Rice and Skillet Pot Roast, are available year-round. At the same time, seasonal items are added throughout the year. All options are available in serving sizes of three ($20) or six ($35).
Let’s Dish! prioritizes a successful shopping experience by inviting customers to shop online or in-store at any one of its welcoming locations, including Apple Valley, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Prior Lake and Woodbury. Additionally, the aforementioned favorites in serving size of three are available to shop at 25 Target locations. “We’re excited to bring a small selection of our quality family meals to the aisles of these select Target stores” Olson says. “These are meals made by our team, just like the wide selection of meals in our Let’s Dish! stores.”
For Olson, it’s all about providing that homemade happiness. “Life is so busy. We’re running around and doing so many things,” Olson says. “Sometimes that happiness and joy that we’re chasing is right there at home, and we like to make it easy to enjoy that.”
Maes shares that sentiment. She says meals such as the Baked Ham and Swiss Sliders and the Family-Style Chicken Pot Pie have become family favorites and are perfect for gifting. “I often will get that as a gift for someone who has just had a baby or just needs a little pick-me-up,” she says. “What is so great is that you can just put it in your freezer for just the right time!”
Let’s Dish!
@letsdishmn
Learn more at letsdish.com and visit Let’s Dish! at the following locations:
15052 Gleason Path #103A, Apple Valley; 952.997.2380
16364 Wagner Way, Eden Prairie; 952.208.2163
12187 Elm Creek Blvd., Maple Grove; 763.425.9383
6880 Boudin Street NE, Prior Lake; 952.226.3663
10150 Hudson Road Suite 110, Woodbury; 651.730.6600
Written by Meredith Heneghan
Photos by Chris Emeott
The Bacon Wrapped Pheasant and Bison Butter Burger are two clues that Trigger’s Bar & Restaurant’s menu stretches beyond typical American grill fare. Under the direction of executive chef Andy Shrader, the restaurant located at the Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club in Prior Lake celebrates seasonal food and culinary creativity.
This is especially true of Shrader’s Lodge Dinners, ticketed dinner events, featuring exclusive menus highlighting local ingredients that are often picked from the grounds of the Horse & Hunt Club. “I don’t know if people have ever dined the way that I feed them in these din ners,” Shrader says. “To me, they are the ultimate form of hospitality. There’s no lack in presentation, ser vice, detail, flavor or portion size. It goes back to when I used to watch Andy Bourdain in and I’d see how happy people get when they eat that way.”
Shrader’s lodge dinners feature five hearty courses, including a main course and a decadent dessert—plus, as a bonus, he always sends diners
Wild Dining
Executive chef Andy Shrader incorporates game meat into lodge dinners at the Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club.
Got Game?
As for cooking wild game, Trigger’s Bar & Restaurant executive chef Andy Shrader says it’s important to keep an eye on the cook time. “The biggest thing that I’ve learned is that we overcook everything, thinking we have to to make it food safe,” he says. “There’s a sandhill crane, the ribeye of the sky. It’s one of those birds that you cook to medium, like a wild duck. The longer you cook wild game, because there’s no natural fat in its diet, the tougher and more livery it’s gonna get.”
Bison Butter Burger
Bacon Wrapped Pheasant
home with a few cookies to-go. Upcoming dinners in October, November and December will highlight the season, as well as whatever is inspiring Shrader in the moment.
“I feel like the Lodge Dinners are a reward for people who opt to come and experience everything that I’ve learned,” Shrader says. “And for me, it’s a reward because it’s a creative outlet. Everything in my head goes onto a plate, which makes more room for ideas.”
After 26 years in the restaurant industry, Shrader has a lot of experience translating his ideas into tasty plates of food. It’s fitting that he gets to put his experience to use at the place where it all got started.
“It’s kind of a funny story,” he says. “I’m a Prior Lake kid, and when I was 12 or 13, I used to watch Minnesota Bound on Sunday nights with John Schumacher, who was a wild game chef. I wrote him a letter about how to be like him. He said to start at the bottom, work hard and eventually go to culinary school. So I started out here, and Trigger’s was my first job.”
After doing just about every job in the restaurant industry, Shrader got his full-circle moment. When David Penn took over ownership of the club in 2020, he asked Shrader to come on board. Since then, Shrader has brought his lifelong love of fishing, foraging, hunting and wild game to the kitchen at Trigger’s.
“When I came out here, I made the effort to do everything from scratch,” he says. “We make our own bread, stocks, soups, dressings and desserts. We have a good 600 acres here that I can forage on, and we have a garden right by our restaurant. Come the summer months, we grow vegetables and herbs ourselves.”
Shrader has a bounty of enthusiasm for innovative thinking when it comes to his menus, and the Trigger’s menu changes a handful of times each year.
Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club horseandhunt.com
Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club
CREATE. LAUGH. LEARN.
Your child will grow and develop through a research-driven, relationship-oriented, play-based learning curriculum. Serving infants through Pre-K children. Family- and Locally-owned since 1976. www.EspeciallyforChildren.com
Since 1986, we have been serving students from kindergarten through eighth grade. We offer a rigorous curriculum in a safe environment with no hidden agenda—building leaders with a heart to serve the world.
Christian Heritage Academy
7320 175th St. W., Lakeville 952.953.4155
chacademy.com
GIFTED SHOPPING
A Prior Lake pop-up shop has shoppers covered for everything from seasonal home decor to holiday giving.
The Barn on the Hill Boutique in Prior Lake offers two seasonal pop-up shops, featuring unusual finds from local businesses and artisans. Owner Sandi Gustafson has been coordinating these events in her barn for the past 16 years, and a few years ago, she added a festive holiday shop in the greenhouses at Queen Bee’z Lawn & Garden.
The Fabulous Fall Boutique is open October 23–26 and features about 50 local vendors, selling one-of-a-kind fall and winter-related items. Products inside the barn include candles, vintage and repurposed home decor, jewelry, pet accessories, signs and soaps. Outside, ven-
dors offer crafts, clothing, food and gifts in tents scattered throughout the yard.
As the holiday season approaches, The Barn on the Hill opens a Christmas Market that runs every weekend from mid-November through mid-December in the greenhouses at Queen Bee’z Lawn & Garden. “We chose this location because of the greenhouse aspect as well as [to support] another business,” Gustafson says. “I also love watching people walk into the greenhouse for the first time and hear the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ of how pretty it looks!” —Emma Souza
barnonthehill.com
Photo: Barn on the Hill Boutique
10.02
Ladies Night Out
Spend an evening in Downtown Prior Lake with fabulous local shopping and dining, showcasing special offers at many small businesses. priorlakechamber.com
10.25
Haunted Forest Festival
Gather at Steve Michaud Park in Lakeville for a festive night. Collect candy from friendly characters in the trick-or-treat maze, or prepare for Halloween thrills on the Haunted Trail. Registration is required. lakevilleheritagecenter.com
11.12
Women’s Symposium and Expo
Hosted by the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, the symposium welcomes women from the wider Lakeville community to gather for discussions, featuring inspiring speakers, local vendors and raffle drawings at Brackett’s Crossing Country Club. lakevillechamber.org
11.23
Sport and Fitness Turkey Trot
Race through the scenic Mystic Lake Golf Course and Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Prior Lake. Registration is required. dakotahturkeytrot.com
11.25–11.26
Twin Cities Ballet’s
The Nutcracker
Attend a shorter version of the holiday classic at the Lakeville Arts Center. This show is a wonderful introduction to ballet for young theater-goers and a delightful treat for established ballet fans. lakevillemn.gov
Compiled
by
Diane Meyer and Avery Vrieze
To have your event considered: email citiessouthmags@localmedia.co by the 10th of the month three months prior to publication. Please note that some events may have changed since these pages went to print. Please visit affiliated websites for updates.
Ready to find your new best friend?
Autumn Fog
“Whenever I wake up and see fog outside, I head to a local park to enjoy the unique conditions,” says hobbyist photographer Kirsten Otting. “I love photographing woodlands in fog—it adds such a beautiful atmosphere and allows you to isolate subjects easily … on this particular morning, we had a perfect combination of peak fall colors and fog, which really makes the colors pop.” Find more of Otting’s work on her Instagram, @kirstenotting, or her website, kirstenotting.photography. —Emma Souza
To view other Focus on Cities South photo contest winners, visit citiessouthmags.com.
FOCUS ON CITIES SOUTH
Photographer: Kirsten Otting
Title: Maple in the Mist
Equipment: Sony A7R5 Mirrorless camera with a 24–105mm lens
