Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis’ Christina Nguyen wins Best Chef in Midwest at 2024 James Beard awards

Published

2 months ago

June 11, 2024

Minneapolis’ Christina Nguyen wins Best Chef in Midwest at 2024 James Beard awards

Minnesota’s Christina Nguyen won “Best Chef: Midwest” in the 2024 James Beard awards on Monday evening in Chicago.

Nguyen won specifically for her northeast Minneapolis restaurant Hai Hai, which puts an unforgettable twist on Southeast Asian cuisine. She also runs the Venezuelan street food hot spot Hola Arepa in south Minneapolis.

More than 100 restaurants were finalists across 22 categories for the culinary world’s equivalent of the Oscars with diverse range of cuisine and chef experience, a recent shift following turbulent, pandemic-era years for the James Beard Foundation. Just being a finalist can bring wide recognition and boost business. The most anticipated categories included awards for outstanding restaurateur, chef and restaurant.

Michael Rafidi, whose Washington, D.C., restaurant Albi was awarded a coveted Michelin Star in 2022, won outstanding chef among five finalists. Albi, which is Arabic for “my heart,” pays homage to Rafidi’s Palestinian roots by using Old World food preparation techniques. Everything is cooked over charcoal, including grape leaves stuffed with lamb and sfeeha, a meat pie.

“This is for Palestine and all the Palestinian people out there,” Rafidi told The Associated Press after winning the award. Rafidi, who wore a traditional black and white checkered keffiyeh, said he kept thinking of his Palestinian grandfather, who was also a chef, and how he paved the way for him.

Christina Nguyen cooks water fern cakes at Hai Hai

WCCO

Restaurants apply for the awards. Judges, who mostly remain anonymous, try the cuisine before voting. Nominees are reviewed for the food as well as for a behavioral code of ethics, including how employees are treated. On Monday, winners announced at the Lyric Opera of Chicago venue were given engraved medallions.

The award for best new restaurant went to Dakar NOLA, a Senegalese restaurant in New Orleans.

“I always knew that West Africa has something to say,” said chef Serigne Mbaye. “That kept me going.”

The James Beard Foundation has bestowed awards since 1991, except in 2020 and 2021 when the organization scrapped them as the restaurant industry was reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. The foundation was also facing criticism over a lack of racial diversity and allegations about some nominees’ behavior. Foundation officials vowed to improve ethical standards and be more “reflective of the industry.”

An upscale Thai restaurant that uses Pacific Northwest ingredients, Langbaan won outstanding restaurant, while Chicago restaurant Lula Cafe, a bistro that opened in 1999 on the city’s North Side, won an award for outstanding hospitality.

Erika and Kelly Whitaker, a Colorado couple, won outstanding restauranteur.

Their Id Est Hospitality Group runs several Colorado restaurants including The Wolf’s Tailor, which serves wild game like smoked venison. Their restaurants have a focus on zero waste and sustainability practices.

“We don’t particularly chase these awards,” Kelly Whitaker said. “But we definitely chase the platform this brings.”

NOTE: The original airdate of the video attached to this article is May 23, 2024.

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Minneapolis, MN

Davide Harabagiu Highlights Night 3 On Minneapolis Futures With 52.95 100 Fly

Published

1 hour ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

Davide Harabagiu Highlights Night 3 On Minneapolis Futures With 52.95 100 Fly

2024 FUTURES CHAMPIONSHIPS- MINNEAPOLIS

Davide Harabagiu highlighted night 3 of competition in Minneapolis swimming to a 52.95 in the 100 butterfly. That was just off his personal best of a 52.75 from Settecolli in Rome last month. Harabagiu swims collegiately for Minnesota but originally hails from Italy.

Also highlighting the night was Annike Parkhe who swam to a 58.85 in the 100 fly, the only swimming under the 1:00 mark. Parkhe has a best time of a 58.58 that she swam for 13th during prelims of US Olympic Trials last month. She finished 16th in semifinals in a 59.02.

Finishing behind Parkhe in the 100 fly was Grace Rabb who swam a 1:00.28. Later in the session, Rabb earned a win touching in a 2:32.69 in the 200 breast. Rabb, a Florida commit, swam a best time in the 100 fly as her previous best was a 1:01.36. Her 200 breast best time stands at a 2:32.39 from May.

The final winner on the women’s side was Katie McCarthy who won the 400 free in a 4:15.81. McCarthy was 34th in the event at US Trials in a 4:14.90 and has a best time of a 4:14.89.

The men’s 400 free was a battle as Jiarui Xue earned the win in a 3:59.16 touching just ahead of Chase Maier who swam a 3:59.24. Xue has a best time of a 3:59.00 and is committed to Princeton while Maier dropped a huge best time as his previous best was a 4:05.01.

Sirui Wang won the 200 breast in a 2:17.24, almost a five second drop from his previous best of a 2:22.05 from May. He was a 2:22.65 in the event at the last summer.

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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis City Council introduces new safety plan with alternatives to police response

Published

8 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

Minneapolis City Council introduces new safety plan with alternatives to police response

Minneapolis leaders lay out new safety plan

The new plan folds in efforts already underway like the behavioral response team which is sent on some crisis calls where police are not necessary, or a new traffic control unit that is staffed by people who are not sworn officers. But the real purpose of the Safe and Thriving Communities plan is to offer a sort of road map to public safety.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis City Council members are asking the public for feedback on a new public safety model that they hope will restore trust in public safety services.

Officials say the Public Safety Beyond Policing Action Plan is based on an outline of a community safety system that will include “preventative, restorative and response services beyond policing.”

What we know

City leaders say they are moving to codify the Public Safety Beyond Policing Action Plan after the Minneapolis Safe and Thriving Communities Blueprint that was announced last year.

READ MORE: Minneapolis leaders lay out a new plan for community safety

The first draft of the Public Safety Beyond Policing Action Plan was presented earlier this week. City officials say public comment and feedback on the 10-year plan will be taken for 45 days.

An overview and briefing detailing the progress of the Safe and Thriving Communities Report was presented during Wednesday’s Public Health and Safety Committee (PHS).

Public engagement and comment sessions will also be held in front of the PHS committee before the final adoption of the plan, which is expected to happen in the fall of 2024.

What they’re saying

Minneapolis officials say “there has been little or unclear movement on implementation by the administration” since the last city-wide community safety plan last year.

A news release announcing the latest policing plan said there are concerns over a “lack of seriousness” about the city implementing a new comprehensive safety system.

Vice Chair of the Public Health and Safety Committee and City Council Member Robin Wonsley said the following in the same news release: “Council is serious about realizing the comprehensive public safety system that our residents have asked for since May 2020. We can have a city where there are a multitude of preventive, responsive, and restorative services to meet our public safety needs efficiently and equitably. The Safe and Thriving Communities Report and the Public Safety Beyond Policing Action Plan includes a clear ten-year guide to make this vision a reality.”

Public Health and Safety Chair and City Council Member Chavez said “Ward 9 is home to one of the most diverse communities in the whole state and residents are deeply engaged in leading on public safety work. Residents are tired of empty promises and slow progress when it comes to their safety needs. The time to act is now and the Council is ready to continue to lead on keeping all of us safe.”

Minneapolis City Council President Elliot Paynes released a statement saying “This is the City Council flexing our oversight responsibility. The administration put forward a plan with the Safe and Thriving Communities report and we are making sure the promise of this plan is fulfilled with transparency and with the input of our community at the center of it.”

Background

This is the latest development after the Safe and Thriving Communities plan was announced last year. Advocates say it took a “holistic approach” to public safety.

That plan came after the development of a plan was requested by Mayor Jacob Frey in 2021.

City officials say they are currently in phase one of implementing the Safe and Thriving Communities plan.

The Minneapolis City Council also approved a new police contract earlier this month that includes a nearly 22% pay raise for officers over the next three years.

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