and Molly wife ir e is h h t t with melia a Karl A e r m hte o ho daug nkat h Ma Nort
BY NATE BOOTS
The flowing golden hair, the workmanlike mustache, the gift of gab, the bawdy laugh: Karl Pagel tends to make an instant and dynamic impression on those he meets. This North Mankato resident is the preeminent cheese and charcuterie man of the Kato area, but he is more serious a character than one who might label his frivolities, fables, foibles, and fervor as simple "Karl-cuterie." Nay. Karl Pagel is a more than that. He is a deadly delightful fellow whose depth of creativity and wit comes through in the range of topics he's more than happy to discuss
16
NORTH KATO MAGAZINE WINTER 2023
with anyone who is, like him, authentically curious about the finer things in life. The topics could be as different as chalk and cheese. Food, music, travel, sports, art, dreams, parenting, lawnmowing.... It doesn't matter. What matters to Karl is passion. Born and raised in New Ulm, Karl grew up as the youngest of four siblings in a dedicated family. Says Karl, "My grandmother taught me the value of delicious, home-cooked food and my parents showed me the value of travelling and trying new things. My father always had a taste for the finer things in life. Karl graduated high school there at the turn of ď˝
