PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #861
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7 Second Avenue Sauk Rapids, MN 56379
“Minnesota’s Oldest Weekly Newspaper”
Vol. 161, No. 33
Sauk Rapids, Benton County, Minnesota 56379
A continuation of the Frontiersman, The Free Press, Sauk Rapids Sentinel and St. Cloud Sentinel.
(USPS 482-240)
November 25, 2015
Culinary program creates success Sauk Rapids-Rice high school students introduced to world of cooking by ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
In the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School there is a group of students who specialize in cooking and baking, thanks to the culinary program. The program started nine years ago with 18 students and consists of a National Restaurant curriculum, which includes lessons on food cost percentage, menu costing, menu development, plating, and an Iron Chef competition within the classroom. “We had to go through an approval process to get started,” said Mary Levinski, culinary instructor at Sauk
Rapids-Rice High School. “In most cases, classes have to have a minimum of 24 students for the program to run, and we only had 18. Erich [Martens] believed we should try it and see where it went. From that day forward, it has never gotten smaller, only bigger. He took a risk, and I took a risk and it paid off. We are unique in the sense that few schools in this area offer it. Rocori is the only other school in the area that has it.” Levinski wants students to get the most out of their culinary experience, so she often brings in chefs from restaurants and hotels PHOTO BY CAROL MOORMAN
Zak Townsend, general manager at the Cornerstone in Melrose, credits Mary Levinski and the Sauk Rapids-Rice culinary program for his success.
throughout the state. “I’m working on trying to get the 2012 “Chopped” champion to our school, but nothing is definite yet,” Levinski said. “I’ve done trainings where I’ve gotten to rub elbows with these people, and having those connections that I can expose my kids to is just a great opportunity.” Another field-related experience for the advanced culinary students is the opportunity to work with the Marquette hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Last year, students were presented with the unique opportunity to build the holiday gingerbread house, a small-scale of the hotel itself, for the Marquette. Students who are enrolled in the program are also required to work one catering event each year, working at the high school for various groups of people. With all of the hands-on learning that goes on in the classroom, the culinary program itself has gotten a tremendous amount of national recognition, including the 2014 Top 100 hospitality and
culinary schools in the nation, an Elite 50 award for the 2014-15 school year and has already been chosen as a program of distinction this year. Students who enroll and complete the program see benefits beyond high school graduation. All those who complete the two-year program earn ServSafe certification and a certificate of achievement. Articulated college credits are also available for students interested in pursuing degrees in hospitality, restaurant management or culinary. Jordan Lenz, executive chef at Anton’s in Waite Park, credits the culinary program for helping him choose his career path. “It got me to go to culinary school when I wasn’t sure of my career path,” Lenz said. After graduating from Sauk Rapids-Rice, Lenz went on to pursue a degree at St. Cloud Technical College. With his certification and ex-
Culinary continued on pg. 2
City council seeks design options for reconstruction
by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – Two street improvement projects were the subject of much discussion amongst community members and the Sauk Rapids City Council Nov. 23 as a public hearing was held at the regular council meeting Monday evening. The conversation revolved around the upcoming reconstruction projects of Eighth Street N from Benton Drive to Sixth Ave. N, and Third Ave. N from First Street N to Second Street N. The city approved proceed-
ing with reconstruction of street, sidewalk and sanitary sewer and waste within the two segments, but not without plenty of questions, and only after Mayor Brad Gunderson advised city engineer Terry Wotzka to come back to the council with three interim design plans. According to Wotzka, the current sewer system underlying those roads dates to the 1930s, is most-likely made of cast iron and petrified clay pipe and has surpassed its useful life. Many community members addressed their concerns with the project. All under-
stood the necessity of the project, but many questioned the current plan to add a sidewalk along the street. Resident Jill Schiller urged city council to reconsider adding the six-foot wide sidewalk and additional sixfoot wide green area because doing so would eliminate large mature oak trees and gardens, which she has planted on her property. “Please don’t take away some of the beautiful areas in this town for cement,” Schiller said. After the hour-long discussion, where four other citizens also gave feedback
regarding the project, councilman Kurt Hunstiger said, “I think we need to go ahead with the project, but we need to make it as least invasive as possible in design.” Wotzka informed the council that the preliminary costs for both projects is estimated at $525,689 and added the project replaces pipes from the main to the property line. “Property owners may want to consider replacing remaining sewer from property lines to homes. This may be an opportunity [for residents] to take that service new into the house,” Wotzka said.
In other council news: • Approved assessment rolls 401, 402, 403, 405 and 406. Assessment 404 was held from the approval until the council can further research the assessment and information provided by the resident in which it affects. • Approved the Dec. 5 Parade of Lights route and city participation. The parade will begin at 5 p.m. and run along Second Ave N from Third Street S to Fourth Street N. • Approved to send Sauk Rapids police officer Timothy Sigler to Juvenile Officer Conference in Duluth.
Growing a tradition
• Approved the request to purchase two Ford police interceptor utility vehicles. • Approved the 2015 plumbing and mechanical contractor licenses to AM Plumbing, Inc. • Approved supplemental agreement No. 1 to the Safe Routes to School Improvement Project • Announced the last day the compost site will be open for 2015 is Saturday, Nov. 28. • Mayor Brad Gunderson acknowledged that according to a recent study broadcasted on WCCO, Sauk Rapids is ranked No. 1 of the affordable cities in Minnesota.
Hinkemeyer Tree Farm is forever green by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER RICE – As the holiday season approaches, the search for the perfect Christmas tree has become a tradition for many families. The annual trips hold excitement and adventure, as each member files into the vehicle wondering what the treelined fields will reveal. The fresh aroma of evergreen fills their nose and a rush of Christmas memories flood their mind. On 40 acres near Rice, Christmas doesn’t only come once a year, however. The Hinkemeyer Tree Farm, owned by Randy and Cheryl Thiele, busies itself with Christmas year-round. Cheryl and her husband purchased the business from her parents, Floyd and Jan, in 2013. “We couldn’t see it close. I don’t know the Christmas season any different,” Cheryl said. “It would have been very empty and sad to not have the Christmas tree business in the family.” The two operate the farm from afar, as they live in the Twin Cities with their three children – Jaden, 9, London,7, and Olivia, 3. They have help from one yearlong full-time employee and other seasonal workers as well. “We come out here and get fresh air together as a family,”
Cheryl said. “I think it’s good for our kids to get away and come to the country. It was a lot of mentoring from my parents for the first couple years. I was always involved but not to the ownership level. Walking the fields with my dad was an emotional, rich experience that has made the whole thing worth it for me.” The scent of evergreen is buried deep in Cheryl’s soul, and she has many fond memories of growing up on the family farm, which began cultivating trees in 1971. “The children of the people, who would help my parents, would come in the house and play while my grandma watched us, and their parents worked outside. I remember singing inside. Eventually we’d come out and do a caroling concert for our customers. I always loved that,” Cheryl said. Growing Christmas trees is a process that can take up to 10 years. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, over 26 million real trees were sold in 2014. The trees are planted in fields as seedlings and nurtured each year until they have matured into trees to be harvested for homes. When farmers’ take to their fields in the spring, the
Hinkemeyer continued on pg. 2
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Randy (clockwise from top) and Cheryl Thiele, along with their children London, 7, Jaden, 9, and Olivia, 3, run Hinkemeyer Tree Farm from their home in the Twin Cities.