Minneapolis, MN
Steeped in Indigenous foodways, community and corn are key ingredients for one Minneapolis chef
At the Indigenous Food Lab in the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis, a group of chefs is busy finishing a batch of fresh tortillas.
“You can smell the nixtamal,” said chef Gustavo Romero of the warm, smoky corn scent.
Together with wife Kate, Gustavo Romero owns a tortilleria in northeast Minneapolis where he and his staff make heirloom tortillas using a process called nixtamalization.
To say chef Romero and the chefs at the food lab employ an Indigenous methodology is an understatement.
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“Sin maíz, no hay país. Without corn, there is no country,” said Romero, repeating a phrase often invoked when talking about the importance of corn to Mexican culture.
For Romero the goal of the work is to revitalize nixtamalization as a cultural practice. In that respect, community itself emerges as the key ingredient for transforming the way people think about corn.
Different varieties of corn are packaged and sold for customers at the Indigenous Food Lab in Minneapolis on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.
Sophia Marschall | MPR News
As he passes by the large open kitchen, Romero greets fellow chefs, many of whom are friends.
“That’s the part that I love about living in this place. Like, we pretty much do the same thing. We don’t see each other like competition,” said Romero.
At the Indigenous Food Lab, Romero explains that he doesn’t see what he’s doing as niche, just the opposite.
“We want people to eat good tortillas,” said Romero. “We are changing the standard on what we believe a standard of what a tortilla should be like.”
When the Romeros opened their tortilleria a couple of years back they named it Nixta.
Customers can buy different Indigenous foods such as maple syrup, corn, hot sauce and more at the Indigenous Food Lab in Minneapolis on Thursday.
Sophia Marschall | MPR News
The name comes, in part, from the Nahuatl word “nixtli,” meaning “ashes.” Nixtamal is added to remove the hulls of corn kernels—thus making the corn digestible and more nutritious. The process is a time-honored method almost lost during “the industrialization of corn” over the past several decades, according to Romero.
The shop got its start during the pandemic when Gustavo began making tortillas and meals at home for delivery to friends. This past year, the Romeros opened Oro by Nixta, an extension of the tortilleria. Oro was nominated for the James Beard Award for Best Restaurant in 2024.
Romero says it’s a sense of community he relies on to remain in business. It’s a sense of community that the chef brings when he’s visiting grocers, food trucks, restaurants and local farms.
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Romero makes weekly visits to La Única Market, a store just north of Lake Street near 3rd Street.
Inside the store’s produce cooler, Romero points out ripe chilacayote squash, and fresh prickly pear—the food that grows on cactus pads.
“My favorite is this one… it’s called Xoconostle, it kind of has this sourness. It’s hard to find something very similar to it,” said Romero. The small fruits are small, and come in yellow, green and even pink.
The store also sells a large selection of dried chiles, medicinal herbs and other cooking spices.
“You have friendly people, you have music… you have things I would recognize since I was three years old,” said Romero. “Nowadays, I bring my kid here. He knows exactly where the candy is.”
As he leaves the grocer, Romero mentions another regular stop for him along Lake Street. Parked near the intersection on 16th Street, Romero says La Poblanita food truck is a guilty pleasure.
“They make this sandwich that is too big for one person,” said Romero.
Romero also reflects on a snack food he grew up eating in Mexico as kid – crickets.
Crickets seasoned with lime and salt is a food commonly consumed in Mexican culture, and are served at Oro by Nixta on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 in Minneapolis. Chef Gustavo Romero fondly recalls eating them during his childhood in Mexico, saying they were one of his favorite snacks to eat after school.
Sophia Marschall | MPR News
And now, crickets are on the menu at Oro. In one respect, serving insects has helped build community. Chef Romero says for those unfamiliar with eating crickets trying them can be a little daunting. He says when a daring eater tastes them, they usually cease being exotic and can become a sort of cultural bridge—a crunchy one.
Romero collaborates with The Three Cricketeers, a local urban farm which packages crickets for snacks.
“We have that connection that we like insects, and we look at them a little different than just bugs,” said Romero.
Romero says he began working with the husband-and-wife team who own the farm to develop flavor profiles.
“I think you can understand people better if you understand what they eat and why they eat it,” said Romero. “At one point all this was necessity.”
And the sense of community begins with understanding the Indigenous foods available locally.
“The idea of using Indigenous product is to show people what they have. The utilization of the things we already have in this place, they are so important, and the carbon [foot]print is less, and it’s naturally better for you.”
“You will expose yourself to things that most of the public won’t see, except maybe once in their life. But yep, we’re doing it. Fire departments are doing it on a very regular basis,” said Mike Dobesh, president of MNFire, an organization dedicated to keeping firefighters healthy, mentally and physically, and on the job.
“The fire service is recognizing that any of those unexpected events that we go to, yes, we sign up to do it, but at the same time, those unexpected events can cause trauma; that trauma can lead to PTSD,” Dobesh said.
However, paying for all those firefighters on mandatory PTSD leave is putting the Minneapolis Fire Department in the red. It’s all the overtime needed to fill in for the firefighters on leave.
“From the therapists that I’ve talked to, usually eight to 10 visits can get that firefighter back on the rig,” Dobesh said, which is the goal of the mandatory leave with treatment. “But then it’s going to be something that’s going to have to be managed for the… probably the rest of their career, because it’s not something that’s just going to go away.”
Dobesh says that PTSD was the number one claim MNFire had on its critical illness policy last year.
In 2023, Minnesota lawmakers created the PTSD leave policy in an effort to keep firefighters from applying for permanent duty disability benefits. The policy requires firefighters and other first responders to take up to 32 weeks of paid leave and get treatment first.
“A trauma-informed therapist can meet with a firefighter, desensitize that firefighter, get them back to work,” Dobesh said.
But that policy is costing some fire departments millions. The Minneapolis Fire Department told the city council this week that 7% to 8% of its firefighters are currently out on PTSD leave, and the overtime other firefighters are working to fill in for them has put the department up to $7 million over budget in recent years. It’s projected to go over again this year.
So what are things they can do to maybe prevent some of these problems that they’re having because of PTSD? Speed up access to treatment, according to Dobesh.
“The sooner we can get in and have that firefighter seen, the more likely they’re going to have a very positive outcome and get back on the job,” he said.
Dobesh says if and when a firefighter needs help varies from person to person, but his organization provides five free treatment sessions for any firefighter who’s struggling.
Minnesota firefighters can call MnFIRE’s helpline 24/7 at 888-784-6634 or visit mnfirehealth.org.
MFD Interim Chief Melanie Rucker shared the following statement late Wednesday night:
“The utilization of these leaves is often unavoidable and reflects benefits that support the health and well-being of our fire personnel. We take the health and wellness very seriously, including mental health. Through transparent communication with leadership regarding evolving staffing needs and necessary overtime budget adjustments, we can effectively address the budget overages and return to a sustainable path forward.”
Click here to watch the Minneapolis Budget Committee meeting on May 4.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey signed a new ordinance that carries a ban on assault weapons but won’t take effect unless there are major changes to state law.
Minneapolis gun ban ordinance signed
What we know:
The Minneapolis City Council approved the ordinance during its meeting last week.
The firearm regulations ordinance includes a ban on assault weapons, ghost guns, binary triggers, and high-capacity magazines. The ordinance also includes safe storage provisions for firearms.
Big picture view:
Many of the provisions in the law won’t go into effect unless there is a change in state law. Currently, Minnesota law prevents municipalities from enacting gun regulations.
Minnesota law only allows cities to bar the discharge of firearms within city limits and adopt regulations that are identical to state laws. Any regulations that go beyond state law are voided, according to state statute.
Local perspective:
Action on the gun ordinance was spurred by last year’s shooting at Annunciation Church and School. Two students were killed while attending morning mass at the church and more than two dozen students and parishioners were hurt in the barrage of gunfire.
Last week, parents of Annunciation students spoke out in support of the ordinance at a public hearing.
Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus threatens lawsuit
The other side:
Last year, St. Paul passed a similar law. The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus filed a lawsuit shortly after the ordinance was signed. Arguments were heard last month on the case and a judge has set a trial for next year.
In a statement last week, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said it was evaluating its legal options in Minneapolis.
Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus Chair Bryan Strawser said:
“The City of Minneapolis is attempting to make a political statement with an ordinance it has no legal authority to enact. Minnesota law clearly preempts the entire field of firearms regulation, and local governments cannot simply ignore state statute because they dislike the policy outcome.
“If the City Council moves forward with this unlawful ordinance, we will evaluate every available legal option to challenge it, just as we did in Saint Paul.
“The law is not optional, even for Minneapolis.”
A man was hurt in a shooting in south Minneapolis late Tuesday night, according to police.
A report of shots fired brought officers to the 2600 block of Third Avenue South around 9:50 p.m., the Minneapolis Police Department said. They found evidence of gunfire and began investigating.
Later, a man with survivable gunshot wounds showed up at Hennepin Healthcare.
No one has been arrested.
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