We had a blast catching up with Bentley Gillman and talking about his new foraging cocktail book, "Cocktails in Bloom," which is available for pre-order. You can find ingredients to forage when heading into the woods or even your backyard. Bentley combines his love of the wilderness with his passion for distilling at Tattersall and making beautiful spirits, cocktails, and mocktails.

He shared a recipe with me for “Vermouth” that I tried with “Ground Ivy” or “Creeping Charlie.”

* Gather 1 cup of “Creeping Charlie”

* Add 1/4 cup sugar and macerate

* Refrigerate overnight

* Add a bottle of any variety of white wine and refrigerate for two more days

* Taste for sweetness and strain

* Use the “Vermouth” mixture for a martini or

* Makeva Spritz with 1.5 oz “Vermouth” to 3-4 oz sparkling water

Another recipe he mentioned in the podcast is his “Dandelion and Spruce Tonic” Recipe from the book. Pre-order now and get a custom bandanna for your own foraging adventures!

Thank you for reading Stephanie’s Dish Newsletter. This post is public so feel free to share it

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup Spruce Tips

* 5g dried (or 25g fresh) dandelion root

* 1 cup water

* 2 cups sugar

* 1 stalk chopped lemongrass

* 2 limes, zested and juiced

Instructions:

Simmer water, sugar, dandelion root, and lemongrass until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in lime zest, and allow to cool. Strain into a jar, add lime juice, and stir.

For a cocktail: Mix 1 ounce of tonic syrup with 1 1/2 ounces of gin. Pour over ice and add 4 ounces of soda water. Garnish with spruce tips and a squeeze of lime.

For a Mocktail: Mix 1 ounce of syrup with 3 ounces of cold brew. Pour over ice and add 2 ounces of soda water. Garnish with an orange.

Stephanie’s Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

It was really fun to catch up with Dana Thompson, formerly co-creator of Minneapolis’s Owamni. and now founder of a new hemp-derived, low-dose THC/CBD cannabis seltzer featuring the Indigenous botanicals of North America called Heti.

“I am thrilled to announce the launch of Heti, a line of new botanical beverages that celebrate the plants around us,” said Thompson. Heti is launching four flavors—River Path, Woodland Edge, Meadow Cat Nap, and Marshland Harvest—which can also be purchased in a starter pack. Highlighted flavors include cranberry, sumac, dandelion, cedar, rosehip, wild mint, and black currant. The beverages are sweetened naturally with honey, maple, and agave.

Heti beverages are now available for preorder at hetiproducts.com.

Stephanie’s Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Stephanie’s Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

It was really fun to catch up with Dana Thompson, formerly co-creator of Minneapolis’s Owamni. and now founder of a new hemp-derived, low-dose THC/CBD cannabis seltzer featuring the Indigenous botanicals of North America called Heti.

“I am thrilled to announce the launch of Heti, a line of new botanical beverages that celebrate the plants around us,” said Thompson. Heti is launching four flavors—River Path, Woodland Edge, Meadow Cat Nap, and Marshland Harvest—which can also be purchased in a starter pack. Highlighted flavors include cranberry, sumac, dandelion, cedar, rosehip, wild mint, and black currant. The beverages are sweetened naturally with honey, maple, and agave.

Heti beverages are available for preorder now at hetiproducts.com.

Last week, my friend Joy Summers wrote about Heti in the Star Tribune. I gifted this link so you can read their conversation here:

Stephanie’s Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Jon Kung grew up as a “third-culture” kid: born in Los Angeles, raised in Hong Kong and Toronto, and now living in Detroit. When the pandemic shut down his immensely popular pop-up, he turned to social media as a creative way to teach and inspire. With over 1.7 million followers on TikTok and over 550,000 on YouTube, his logical next step was a cookbook, and Jon Kung’s “Kung Food” is here.

Stephanie’s Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Dan Pashman has accomplished many things. Podcast host of the food podcast “The Sporkful,” pasta shape creator of Cascatelli that Time magazine named the best invention of the year. Now, he is going on the road with the Cascatelli story and his new cookbook, “Anything’s Pastable.”

Thank you for reading Stephanie’s Dish Newsletter. This post is public so feel free to share it.

As a companion to the cookbook, he is hosting a live podcast he has deemed Mission: ImPASTAble, which tells the inside story of the cookbook's making. From the highs and lows of recipe testing to a research trip across Italy to the agonizing decisions over the design of the cover, by the end, you’ll never look at a cookbook the same way again.

Join Dan Pashman in conversation with local James Beard Award winner and restauranteur Ann Kim at The Amsterdam Bar on 3/24 at 6:30 pm.

Stephanie’s Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Tim started a podcast called Niver Niver Land, where he talks with other restaurant owners and compares notes on the state of the state, amongst rising food and labor costs.

We caught up with Tim Niver to get his thoughts on the state of the state after reading a New York Times article in which 30 top chefs shared their opinions on the current restaurant scene (the article is unlocked here).

Thank you for reading Stephanie’s Dish Newsletter. This post is public, so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Did you see this video from Billy’s Sushi pop up on your Instagram feed around Valentines Day? I did. And I knew it was the work of my “Dishing With Stephanies Dish” latest podcast guest, Hector Cortes, CEO of Snack Media Group.

It was really fun connecting with Hector a few weeks back to talk about social media trends and how video content creators are changing the media landscape for small businesses in the age of TikTok and Reels.

Stephanie’s Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Did you see this employment video from Deans Home Services that featured some of the most recognizable Twin Cities small business founders? It’s unlike any recruitment video you have seen before.

Here is his Hector’s latest video that explains one of the strategies his content creators are utilizing to help Twin Cities businesses get a leg up in the world of social media.

Listen to the Podcast and hear more about how social media is changing the way we consume marketing messages and what curious content creators are doing to stand out in a crowded field. I loved hearing Hector’s point of view and think their team is doing some really fun social media marketing for some of my favorite local businesses.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of "Makers of Minnesota," host Stephanie interviews guest Rachel Ingber, founder of heirloomcollab.com. Rachel specializes in helping individuals preserve their family recipes and heirlooms by creating personalized cookbooks. She discusses her journey of creating a cookbook for her husband's grandmother and how the positive reception from family and friends inspired her to turn this into a business. Rachel explains the process of collecting recipes from clients, collaborating on book design and content, and the option of including photographs. The episode delves into the emotional aspect of preserving family traditions and the practicalities of pricing and logistics in creating these heirloom cookbooks. Additionally, Rachel shares insights into her own passion for food, photography, and family, making the episode a heartwarming exploration of the importance of culinary traditions.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS:

Stephanie [00:00:16]:

Hello, everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's dish, the podcast where we talk to people about food, that work in food, that love food. And I'm here today with Rachel Ingber, and she is the founder of a company called heirloomcollab.com. And I'm super excited to talk to her because what she helps you do is she helps you put your family Peas, your heirlooms, your treasured grandma Jane's pie recipe into a format that You can use it either for just having this like a word document situation or she'll help you actually put it into a book. Rachel, this is so needed and so excited to talk to you because I feel like this is such a lovely thing that you can offer people. How did you get started?

Rachel [00:01:06]:

Yeah. I'm excited to talk to you as well. I actually started, By creating a cookbook for our family, I created, in 2019, a cookbook honoring, my husband's grandmother's recipes. She had, was about to turn 100. I gave it to her for her 1 100th birthday, and she was super renowned in the family for her cooking and baking. And, originally, I just wanted the recipes for myself, and so I started collecting them over the years and, had this idea of, like, taking pictures of each item and making it look like a real cookbook. And so after I had finished that book for her, The whole family wanted a copy, and I think we ended up having over a 100 family and friends, request to get a copy of the book. And she ended up passing away later, that following year, but it became this Really amazing tribute to her and so nice and lovely that we were able to cook her food whenever we missed her and have her cookbook sitting out with her picture on it.

Rachel [00:02:12]:

So Yes. The idea of starting to do it for other people and their families as well kind of spurred as this COVID, side hustle project, just to kind of to pass it forward.

Stephanie [00:02:28]:

What was one of the recipes in your grandma's cookbook that stands out to you that you love?

Rachel [00:02:34]:

Yeah. My favorite recipe, oh, it's Probably a tie. Her apple crisp, I make for, probably almost all of our family holiday gatherings, And my father-in-law even request it for his birthday these days. And then her chocolate chip cookies. Like, it's just Such a classic amazing cookie, and those are probably the go to. When we're missing her, we make her cookies, and they're just the greatest.

Stephanie [00:03:03]:

So people did how do they give you these recipes? Like, do they put them in a word document and then send them your way? Or, Like, what this is such a I write cookbooks, so it's such a challenging process. I'm I'm curious how you take, Like these heirlooms, and you condense them and get them into a form where these people can use them in a book.

Rachel [00:03:24]:

Yeah. So when I meet with a client. We have a consultation, and, it's actually quite simple. They can create a Google Drive for them to share their recipes with me, And it could be anything from something already typed up in Word if they keep track of that, or sometimes it's them just photographing their handwritten index cards. Especially a lot of my older clients aren't, like, savvy to retype them. So they'll drop those over me, and then I will type them all up for them and, collaborate with them on, you know, what sections they want, how many of the recipes they wanna include, Which ones they would like to be photographed? I do all the photography as well. And together, we collaborate to make that cookbook.

Stephanie [00:04:08]:

So last year, how many books do you think you made?

Rachel [00:04:12]:

I think last year, I made probably around 10 throughout the year. And I previously, we've been work doing this part time. As I said, it started with a side hustle, and then In late fall, just decided to sorta do this a little bit more full time. So hoping to ramp up even more business this year.

Stephanie [00:04:32]:

How have you figured out how many books you think you can do in a year? Because just the I I'm working on a book right now, and just the idea of writing 10 cookbooks, I'm like, oh, that's so much work.

Rachel [00:04:44]:

You know, I haven't had to put a number on it. So far, I haven't needed to turn anybody away. I've been really fortunate to be able to squeeze things in and make time, but, I think I'm fortunate in that A lot of the hard part is done because the clients are the ones that are supplying the recipe and supplying the the stories and the introduction that goes along. I know in New York, Cookbook is so beautifully written that must have, been such a labor of love to write out those stories and be really thoughtful. And, so I'm lucky that that that part of the work is on the client for me.

Stephanie [00:05:20]:

So when you It it seems like I just looked at your kinda pricing on your website, and I'm sure this varies depending on the complexity of the project. But, You know, like, you can get it looks like a pretty good sized book with some good family recipes, like, for under $5,000 all in with Pictures and everything. I mean, when you think about that to have it in your family and an heirloom like that, it's that's a that feels really reasonable to me.

Rachel [00:05:49]:

Yeah. I mean, it is a lot of work. Like I said, I go through and I edit every recipe. I try to translate it so that it's, so that future generations will be able to easily make it. Things won't need to be memorized. And then for all the items that are photographed, For folks that are local, they have the option. They can either make or cook the dish, and I'll come over and photograph them in a few different sessions, or I can do it all. And I that is what I do for, clients of mine that aren't local.

Rachel [00:06:19]:

So, The actual cooking of the dishes and the styling and taking shots of it, that can end up taking a lot of work. So, that's kind of what makes the price, the way it is. It is it's certainly not a cheap, inexpensive gift, but it's something that I have a lot of clients that Go in with, like, their siblings and give it together as as a, gift for their parents' birthday or anniversary.

Stephanie [00:06:45]:

Yeah.

Rachel [00:06:46]:

And it typically works out well that way. But, yeah, as you mentioned, it's, something that their whole family will be able to pass down and be able to share those with future generations, and order more cookbooks whenever they want. You can have unlimited number of copies of it.

Stephanie [00:07:03]:

Do you find that People more often than not make the recipe and have you photograph it, or do they want you to make it?

Rachel [00:07:11]:

Honestly, it's about 5050, of folks that want that control and wanna be able to make it the way that they make it, And that works out just fine. It's sometimes it's nice that I can even if I'm coming to their house or kitchen to photograph, it's in their dishes. So it's Set up the way that they always would serve it. Whereas when I'm the one doing it, I get to take a little bit more creative license, and make it You know, style it beautifully, and, it it turns out beautiful either way. But, it's about 5050 in what a client wants. And then we're separate to

Stephanie [00:07:46]:

Do you have to warehouse, like, dishes and different things for styling purposes?

Rachel [00:07:52]:

I do. Yes. I have, like a little mini prop studio in my house, and then I also have, like, backboards, and stuff that I travel with. So when I go to a client's home, it's not necessarily even taken in their kitchen. I find the place with the best light in their house, And I set up, you know, a fake wooden table or, different countertops, and take photos that way.

Stephanie [00:08:18]:

Yeah. It's people don't think about, like, all of the weird styling that has to happen for these books. When you are doing, like, a lot of our grandma's recipes have ingredients that people don't really have anymore, like one of the ones that comes to mind is olio. I don't know if you've ever come across any recipes with Olio, which is basically just like a Crisco or a lard. But do you just make substitutions on those then or try to modernize Sam?

Rachel [00:08:46]:

So I always ask. That's part of the collaboration, process, but I will ask the client, do you want me to say margarine or butter or Crisco, or do you want me to use the initial, original terminology? Same with, like I see a lot of, like, number 10 cans or whatever that of canned vegetables. So we always discuss that up front, and if they want it to be true to how it was originally written or modernize so that anyone can follow it in the future.

Stephanie [00:09:15]:

Has this set a fire in you to write your own book?

Rachel [00:09:20]:

I haven't really thought about doing that, yet. I I love cooking. I love cookbooks. I've been experimenting a lot with gluten free lately. My son, about a year and a half ago, was diagnosed with celiac disease. So That's been something I've been doing personally a lot is converting all of my favorite recipes to be gluten free for him. And so that's kind of been fun, but I haven't had the I haven't thought of yet making a cookbook of them.

Stephanie [00:09:50]:

It is. So, I mean, you're lucky in that, You know, somebody being gluten free so long ago, they didn't even know, number 1. Number 2, there weren't substitutions of flour and and different things like there are now. So that's so nice. And so many of the recipes, we know all the tricks to, like, translate things beautifully.

Rachel [00:10:11]:

Yes. I feel incredibly fortunate that, we're living in the age where it's so common, and, grocery stores have a lot of ingredients. So, and I'm lucky that I like to cook. So Yeah. It actually makes the the the eating at home is Quite easy. It's eating out at restaurants, so it is more challenging for us. But, but, yeah, he's he's lucky to have me are venting in the kitchen a lot.

Stephanie [00:10:36]:

Do you have some favorite restaurants that you go to that offer gluten free things?

Rachel [00:10:41]:

Well, because he's only 8 and has very kids like palate. His favorite right now is actually Redstone. Sure. He likes he's a big French fry lover, so we look for restaurants that have, like, a dedicated gluten free fryer. That's one of his main, prerequisites. But in terms of, like, more mature taste, I really love Colita. That Menu is a 100% gluten free, so is HiHi. So there's lots of really awesome options out there.

Stephanie [00:11:14]:

Yeah. You mentioned 2 of my favorites. My friend Jolene is working at HiHi and revamping and creating some new menu items that just look fantastic. It's incredible.

Rachel [00:11:26]:

I'm going there this week. Yeah.

Stephanie [00:11:28]:

It's super delicious. So when we talk about cookbooks, are there some favorites that stand out to you that you find yourself going to, Like or that you just love or think are so beautiful?

Rachel [00:11:39]:

Absolutely. I I'm a sucker for, like, color and herbs and stuff, so, I think that those Often will make photos really pop, just some added fresh herbs on top of dishes. But, yeah, I have a lot of favorites that I have kind of adopted over the years of doing this. Kind of one of the perks of doing it is I get to borrow people's recipes. But, yeah, we eat, a lot of chicken, a lot of salmon. I do meatballs at least once a week from scratch for my family. So we've had Lots of favorites.

Stephanie [00:12:19]:

I'm looking behind you, and I see my cookbook on your shelf.

Rachel [00:12:23]:

Yeah. It's up there.

Stephanie [00:12:25]:

I see it. It's so cute. But it's also next to, like, salad freak. Like, if you think about a book that is just so beautiful visually, like that book. And and I don't cook out of it as much as I would like to because I liked the recipes in there. I'm just like it's just such a beautiful book. And I'm a sucker too for, like There's a lot of Mexican and Indian cookbooks out right now that they're just so vibrant on the the front covers. Do you shoot the covers for your books too?

Rachel [00:12:54]:

Yes. So, typically, it is one of the dishes that I photograph that goes on the cover. Or, if the person that we're is still alive. I'll take their portrait. So I have, yeah, a couple a few words. The person that we're showing Picture on the front of the cover.

Stephanie [00:13:14]:

Oh, I just love this. I think it is so great. And, You know, there are services that do this where you can upload files and but the idea of you giving, like, a real personal experience and walking them through it and then also making the dishes, like and making it like a professional book. I just think it's So cool. So people can start out and get information about you at heirloomcollab.com, And you've got some, like, beginning price points there. I'm sure depending on the level of complexity, you'll figure out whatever needs to happen. Do you, like I would imagine that's kinda hard to figure out all the pricing. Like, were you upside down at first when you started just in time? I would imagine you would be.

Rachel [00:14:01]:

Yeah. So I actually give every single client a custom quote based on the things that they actually wanna include in their book. And the way that I price it is really just on number of total recipes and how many are gonna be photographed. That is the bulk of what indicate dictates my time. So all of the things other things I include, like taking photographs of those handwritten original note cards or incorporating family photos and stories, I do that. I just incorporate that into the project and know that's gonna coming. But that way, I don't have to a la carte every little thing, and you it can be a little bit more of a full service model. So I had just have, like, a equation that I use to kind of price those out, but the website is really meant to give people an idea, a starting point of the types of, like, packages, if you will, that we can provide.

Stephanie [00:14:56]:

And I love that because it allows you as a family to make a decision because it's an investment. But, Like, okay. How are we gonna work this out, and do we wanna do it? And I just yeah. I'm a big fan of what you do. You showed me one of your books. That's just so sweet. And if people are looking for this service, it sounds like Rachel can take on some more work. So go ahead and, I'll put your links in the show notes, and people can follow-up with you.

Stephanie [00:15:22]:

And let her know that Stephanie's dish sent you just because it's always good. I I'm just crazy about your service. Honestly, I found you online. I saw on Instagram, and I was like, wait. There's a lady that does this for people. This is amazing because it's an undertaking.

Rachel [00:15:38]:

Yeah. Thank you. I love it so much. Honestly, my Passions have always been around, like, food, photography, and families. So the being able to tie all 3 of those together in this thing called work is incredible.

Stephanie [00:15:51]:

Yeah. Oh, you're so great. It's nice to meet you too. Thanks for coming on the program. I really appreciate it.

Rachel [00:15:56]:

Nice to meet you too.

Stephanie [00:15:57]:

Alright. We'll talk soon.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to another episode of "Dishing with Stephanie's Dish." On February 6, at The Lexington in St Paul, we are hosting a Makers of Minnesota 4-course paired cocktail dinner featuring Crooked Water Spirits founded by Heather Manley.

This woman-owned, Minnesota-made spirits company is bringing luxury spirits to our bars and tables and, in the case of the “Manleys Old Fashioned”, our Sun Country flights!

Episode Transcript Follows:

Stephanie [00:00:15]:

Hello, everybody, and welcome to the podcast. I'm excited to have you here with me today. I am talking with I call her my friend Heather. I call her my friend Heather on all the things. My friend Heather Manley, who is originally crossed my path as a spicemaker and has Heather dirty goodness spices, which I'm still crazy about. And then, she took her progression into her professional life with on demand group. And from there, decided, hey. I'm not busy enough.

2 companies, why not have a third? And started Crooked Water Spirits. And Crooked Water Spirits is women owned and is currently being produced in, Minnesota. So it's Minnesota maker. Minnesota. And You just have really let me Heather, welcome to the program. I I feel, like, so proud of you.

Heather Manley [00:01:11]:

Aw. Thank you.

Stephanie [00:01:12]:

Yeah. You just you, like, from the time I met you, have this maker spirit, this entrepreneurial spirit, And you let no grass grow. Like, when you wanna do something, you just do it, and I admire that so much. Where did you get that energy from?

Heather Manley [00:01:31]:

You know, I don't know. I think it's like a it's a work ethic, and, I'll tell you in college, I didn't know it was Funny to have 10 w twos a year. I didn't know that was funny. I didn't have a work ethic in college. I I I wanted to go party, work to party, Go party. Work again.

Stephanie [00:01:48]:

Yeah.

Heather Manley [00:01:49]:

And then the second I graduated, I think my parents my my my mom and my dad, they own their own business. An entrepreneurial grandfather, and, I saw how hard they work. I know I wanted their life for better. And the like, literally, the month I graduated, it was like a switch. And and then I just I wanted to work. I love to work. And, and all of a sudden, I didn't wanna sit still, and I just wanted to build. And and people build a lot faster and a lot better than I do, but I do it at my capacity and how I can do it and the pace I can do it, and, and I love it.

Stephanie [00:02:26]:

When you started in food and the food world, liquor world, what was it about that industry in particular that appealed to you?

Heather Manley [00:02:36]:

Well, my passions are family food and booze. I've said that since I was in college. So the the tech company is family. The Heather's Dirty Goodness is food and Crooked Waters is booze. And at some point, I'll love to make a wine because I wanna drink really nice wine at cost. But, like, I'm driven by all that. So and it's a very, sometimes, shallow life because I'm very easily pleased with, like, stunning food And amazing cocktails and, always the conversation has to be better than all of that, and it's like the perfect It's the perfect day for me. It literally fills my bucket.

Heather Manley [00:03:11]:

So from travel to how I spend my time to the businesses I started, they all surround that, and they're all definitely in varying levels of success, but all passion, which makes it all fun.

Stephanie [00:03:24]:

I love that you're unapologetic about saying that Because when you talk about, you know, like, someone said called it my hobby life. And I was like, yeah. I guess it is my hobby life, but it's also like my work life, my life life, like my everything life. It's what makes me get out of bed every morning is thinking about What I'm gonna eat that day or some cool new cheese that I know that someone's preparing or, The wine that I get to have later on because I'm going to a multi course dinner, like, it's not shallow. It's fun. It's not.

Heather Manley [00:04:00]:

It is. It's and it you know what? And we're curious. We're just curious in different areas than other people. Like, I love going to a grocery store. Literally, I will not go with my SO with Rhett because he will be like, we're on a time line. You said you needed 10 things. Why are you looking at this? This is not on the list. So I'm like, This is something new, and I'm very excited about it, and it's like affordable splurges.

Heather Manley [00:04:22]:

But I I was chatting with somebody again, And he really shared that, like, his work was a means to an end, and priority was family and, and some hobbies. And I'm like, I to me, it's like, Jesus. That's really hard when, like, 10 hours of your day and no doubt the weekends And your whole of what you're building and doing, if if it's not based on something you love or it's not a means to end, it is a job. That sucks. So I feel very lucky that I get to choose what I wanted. We all get the choice. I'm I feel very lucky that I've made that choice, and that I know what I love.

Stephanie [00:05:02]:

So let us because I can see, like, looking and thinking, oh, spices. Yeah. I've got these blends. Like, I can do that. I can buy bulk spices and but you, like, took that a lot further with Crooked Water and creating your own spirit company. And, I mean, how did you figure out what you were even supposed to do to get that started?

Heather Manley [00:05:25]:

Let's be clear, there's no money in spices. So we all know that. No one's ever I mean, it's just it's more expensive the higher quality, Less salt, the high the more expensive. People aren't used to spending that, and it's okay. You just gotta call it. I know I know what it is, And that was kind of my 1st POC, b to c, business to consumer, proof of concept. I learned a lot in that whole journey. So it wasn't even that failure in a lot of air areas brought a lot of wealth of knowledge on how to do it better.

Heather Manley [00:05:56]:

With booze, I mean, I still don't know what I'm doing. I just got off my the call with Johnson Brothers with Emery. And I'm like, what? I go, this doesn't exist, but what do you think of this? And he's like, I have no idea. And I'm like, yeah. I don't even know if I can legally do this, but let's maybe explore. Right? And it's and it's the curiosity That I think is a differentiator. Our ability to have the pallet in house. We don't outsource anything.

Heather Manley [00:06:21]:

Also makes it really Feasible to do something like this and the creative in house. So, you know, Rhett and I, knowing each other since art school, we Can make these beautiful labels. I I know how to, get corks made out of Germany that are fire branded and our investment back into the brand because we don't take any profits out of the brand. We still, in year, oh my god, 8? I mean, or 10? 10. We still reinvest every effing sent back into the company because I'm more excited to see how that money can make it grow than I am about putting it in my pocket. But it's also like I I know how to cook. And when you know how to cook, you know how to put flavors together. You work with people who are willing to also be curious or take chances or Give you the time to, create and innovate.

Heather Manley [00:07:11]:

And I started with just cold calling 10 distilleries and ended up with, At the end of the day now, 2 in Minnesota, but people that were willing to give me an opportunity to leverage their talent, leverage their infrastructure, Use my recipes, and it's just kind of evolved from there. But you don't need to know what you're doing. I mean, what's the worst? That you have a shitty liqueur that you give to all your friends for a year? I mean, it's True. Still alcohol at the end of the day. It doesn't suck.

Stephanie [00:07:39]:

True. But nobody else would think about it like that except for you, which makes me laugh. Because you're like, yeah. Like, everybody thinks like this. I'm like, no. No. They don't. Okay.

Stephanie [00:07:49]:

Take us through the 1st Crooked Water flavor all the way to where you're at today. So,

Heather Manley [00:07:59]:

when ODG when I came into it, it was broke. It well, not broke, but it Ten people. Right? Like, I think even after 4 months in the tech business, we were in the red, and that's where Sean and I said, okay. Let's strategize. What what are we doing? Where are we going? And in saying that, we needed to rebrand, knowing Rhett. We we weren't even dating that. Well, no. We weren't dating then.

Heather Manley [00:08:20]:

And I asked them to rebrand, but we had really no money for marketing or design services and all the iterations that need to happen in rebranding. So I paid them in a very high end scotch, And I had a really beautiful collection overdoing 2 to 3 bottles a month for a year. I realized, After, hearing about Gamel Ode and their beautiful De La Aquavit, it helped me understand the beaut like, the beauty of craft of micro versus macro. And when I sat and thought, what could I bring to market that nobody's doing? I looked up, and all of my favorite scotches and I drink I drank a lot of scotch in college, which is hilarious, hence the, you know, 10 w twos a year. And I realized that all my favorite scotches were Task finished, and nobody was doing that that I could find, in the country for Sherry and only 1 company for Port. So that's how I decided to come up with Kings Point In Lost Lake, I found a broker out of Colorado to find me a stunning $700 casks. I interviewed a dozen people, ended up at Yahara. We executed that.

Heather Manley [00:09:23]:

Sold out in, like, 3 days or or like and it was very small amount of bourbon. But it's sold out. We're I think we're the 1st to formally launch in the States, and from there, it was like, oh, s**t. This could be Business. I didn't really think about it. I was just having fun, and how stupid. Like, I didn't realize how liquor stores would be pissed off that I didn't have any more product for them because they made room to put my you on there. I mean, just very naive.

Heather Manley [00:09:48]:

I think there's beauty in being naive because you don't know what you can't do. Right? But definitely lessons learned. So Once I sold out of everything, I I was like, oh, okay. This could be a business. Now what do I need to do? I don't have any investors. I don't have any debt, But I slowly built my barrel program, so we're still small. We're like a couple 100 barrels. And while I was building that, I launched the aged vodka, which we don't even sell anymore, because it was just different fun.

Heather Manley [00:10:15]:

Nobody was doing it, and it it was more of an educational tool. And then I launched Sundog, which is our number one selling gin, citrus, forward. If you hate gin, you won't hate this because it's really like a citrusy vodka. Then we made Abyss, And then, you know, now we have QuadCast finished up with brandy, and espresso ready to pour. We're the 1st ready to pour to launch in Minnesota, which is insane to think about now. We make a boulevard EA that nobody knows about, apparently, from my sales records nor my Negroni. Very boutique y. Like, a 100 cases of each of those a year.

Heather Manley [00:10:48]:

I know about it. Yeah. Well, thank you. I haven't really pushed them because we we're we moved distilleries, but this year will be a big year of just evangelizing those because They're beautiful. I'm super proud of them, but I think we have really 12 or 11 SKUs, including the 50 mils that are on the plains and some 200 mils. And now it's really more about it's really noisy with the THC and, Bigger brands coming in with a lot more money, and a lot of SKUs can be very confusing. So now we're just focusing on maybe a subset of, like, 5 5 really core products, And then that's what we'll be really pushing in 2024 and 2025.

Stephanie [00:11:27]:

I like that strategy. It always tickles me when I'm on a Sun Country flight, And they asked me what I want, and I always say that I would like the manly old fashioned.

Heather Manley [00:11:37]:

Thank you.

Stephanie [00:11:38]:

And then I tell everybody around me, this is my friend Heather's cocktail. And they get really jazzed about it, and then they order it too. And then they, like, take their 1st sip, and they'll look over, and they'll be like, oh, this is really good.

Heather Manley [00:11:52]:

Oh, that just melts my heart. Thank you for that. I appreciate it. And, like, like, I mean, for that old fashioned I mean, I made it like Parler, like Marvel, like Constantine. I partner with Angostura. I partner with Bitter Q for their bitters. I use a 3 year, at least, Bourbon in there. A lot of times, foyer.

Heather Manley [00:12:11]:

I use demerara. I mean, there's all these things that there's no corner skirted. Even though Everyone's tried to persuade me to do that to save money. I will not because I wanna drink it, and I don't make s**t. And so I wanna make things that I'm proud about. If I wanted to build a company and sell it with a skinny girl b s product, I could have done that already, but I would not be able to look you in the face and say support me.

Stephanie [00:12:35]:

Yeah. And support you, I'm very proud to do. We are having a dinner, and we're coming out of the Dry January, which a lot of people I read that, like them. 33%, though, This year versus, like, 22% last year, and many people are doing, like, damp or moist January, which is fine.

Heather Manley [00:12:59]:

Moist. Yeah.

Stephanie [00:13:00]:

Moist. Yes. Very moist January. But we're gonna be coming out of dry January, rolling heavy and hard right into February 6th At the Lexington, we're having a 4 course dinner. You will be able to get, have we determined I don't even know if we Finally determine what the cocktail is that the Lex will be featuring all of February.

Heather Manley [00:13:22]:

Yes. Oh, no. I don't know. I'm I'm hoping it's The Sundog product because that's, like, one of my favorite patio pounding cocktails. He added mint to it as well, which I think would be beautiful and kind of we're all a little desperate for spring, so I'm hoping that's up the menu. But that will be the, I think, the first drink that we have on the tasting menu.

Stephanie [00:13:41]:

And do you know the other 3? I hate to put you on the spot.

Heather Manley [00:13:45]:

1 will be, coffee old fashioned, And 1 will have, 1 I have no idea, but I also know it has our rye in it. 1 will be a bourbon cocktail, And then, I think we said screw vodka because right? You mean

Stephanie [00:14:04]:

Yeah. You can do vlogging at home.

Heather Manley [00:14:07]:

I think it's 2 gins. Oh, it's a gin. It's a bourbon. It's our quad cast gavel brandy, and it's an old fashioned.

Stephanie [00:14:13]:

Perfect. Yeah. And we will be pairing each of those with courses that chef has designed for us. This is a $120 ticket, but you'll walk away with Four cocktails and a beautiful course meal. And what I think is so special about these dinners is People will get to hear you tell your story. They'll get to ask you questions. You're right there. The the attendance is capped at 50.

Stephanie [00:14:38]:

So it's a small intimate group in the Lexington. We're in kind of their, Williamsburg room, which is where they have the jazz normally. And it's just it's really pretty, and it's a nice opportunity to get in front of some of your favorite makers. When I've gone to dinners in the past and, you know, you have multiple courses, I love having one point of view from a spirit perspective because We kinda get to take, you get to take us on this journey all the way through all of your recorded water influences, How, you started with 1 and how you ended up with another, it's really a a fun thing to do. Is it more challenging in the environment with some of the taste changing with THC? Or is it just always kinda the same game and there's always something new and different?

Heather Manley [00:15:31]:

I think it's always something new and different. I think we're 25% down in off prem just because I think of THC and people not drinking as much, But then we're up 30% on prem. Right? And and the year before, we're up a 100% on prem and Up 30 you know, it's just it's always all over the board pending on what the trends are. You know, I think THC will probably get more regulated. I hope it you know, I don't I don't do it, so I don't really pay attention to it, but for sure, I know reps are saying that they're just seeing it kind of just fly off the shelves. I like to manage my buzz, and I think with THC, it's like you're in it, and you're in it for, like, 2 or 3 hours. Whereas And

Stephanie [00:16:15]:

that's how I feel too.

Heather Manley [00:16:17]:

Yeah. If I feel a buzz with alcohol, I can have a glass of water, and it's right back down within 15 minutes. So maybe that's the control freak in me. A little bit, type a, but, you know, I just I think it's I think it's exciting. I think the more that we can have freedom to do business in Minnesota, the better everybody will be. So

Stephanie [00:16:37]:

Yeah. Because whatever that ends up being, if we stop being what they call the nanny state, You know, where the state is governing all of your choices, that is better for business.

Heather Manley [00:16:49]:

Yeah. We're a fun sponge state.

Stephanie [00:16:51]:

Yes. Yeah.

Heather Manley [00:16:54]:

Yeah.

Stephanie [00:16:55]:

Can I ask you kind of a weirdly unrelated but related question? One of the things that I'm obsessed with in both your personal and your professional life is your tablescapes. You have the most beautiful tablescapes. You've also designed a house That just speaks to my heart so much because it's designed for entertaining. Like Yeah.

Heather Manley [00:17:20]:

Yeah. You walk in, and it's a the 10 foot table in your face. I realized, like, probably how odd that is, but I absolutely love it.

Stephanie [00:17:28]:

It it works for me so much, and it's part of why I love to come to your house. And You just every space in your home feels warm and entertainment worthy. You know what I mean? Like, Even your bathroom feels like you could hang out in there with a cocktail if you wanted to.

Heather Manley [00:17:45]:

Because there's a speaker in there. Everyone's just gonna move with a speaker in their bathroom just for privacy.

Stephanie [00:17:51]:

And there's just, like, beautiful smells in there. And, I mean, I say this with a 100% sincerity. You are one of my favorite, like, entertainers. And when I get invited to be in your entertaining presence, I'm so excited. And your tables. And What do you think like, people are kinda hesitant to entertain at home, I think. They just don't feel like they know how to put a menu together or that it's so much work. What makes entertaining feel effortless to you? Because it sure looks effortless when you do it.

Heather Manley [00:18:23]:

Oh, I love you for saying that. And second, I'll add you to even other weird events if I know you're willing to come out into the middle of nowhere.

Stephanie [00:18:30]:

Jeez. I'm closer than I used to be.

Heather Manley [00:18:33]:

I know who you are. You know, like, I we did a charity event on I think it's my my creative background, we did a charity event, with Smack Shack for Great River Greening, and I had nothing on the table and, like, even Dawn, the sous chef, she was like, so do you want help with this? I'm like, no. No. No. I'm just gonna go outside. And I went outside with scissors, and I cut all my hydrangeas, and it's, like, probably one of my favorite tables keeping I've ever done, though I did warn everybody it could go up at any moment. So, like, have your drinks ready. But, like, I just I love finding the weirdest things and making them beautiful, and it is stressful.

Heather Manley [00:19:10]:

Like, I mean, I I plan. I like perfection. Perfection doesn't exist, So that's my own problem. What I I think my my thing is that I'm trying to find joy in just the experience. Right? The joy of having friends that wanna come here. The joy of, Even having a table for 12 that I can you know? Like like, there's there's and and my expectations are my own. People don't come in with them, and they they just wanna be here. And I I will say, I think I even told you.

Heather Manley [00:19:38]:

Remember the party, like, 4 years ago? Or It might even been pre COVID or in COVID. I'm, like, I can't host, like, every every party. Everyone needs to have parties. Yes. Yeah. The like, for me, the biggest joy is to go somewhere else and not have to clean and not have to think about it. And I'm horrible, because sometimes I even forget the hostess gift, because I'm so ready to let everything go. And then I am so embarrassed when I show up that I have nothing.

Heather Manley [00:20:05]:

But I love it when other people host, and I think what people need to get into their head is it's never a competition. Get that get your inspiration from from Instagram, but Comparison is the thief of happiness. Right? So do it to what makes you happy, but don't compare yourself to anybody else.

Stephanie [00:20:22]:

Right. And, like, your friends just wanna be in your presence. You know? Like, you can even make hot dogs and beans. No one cares.

Heather Manley [00:20:30]:

And they they would effing love that if you made hot dogs and beans. Right? And and, like, and do it in the cutest way and all. I mean, they just really wanna hang out.

Stephanie [00:20:39]:

Yeah. I think for me, one of the goals I had for this year was to entertain more. I've gotten a little complacent since COVID. You know, we came out of the sorta Just we came out of COVID, and it was like, every everything's on again. But I was trying to find a good balance Of Yeah. I enjoyed some of the COVID things. So I wanted to come back and be more intentional about how I was spending my time. But Yeah.

Stephanie [00:21:05]:

I'm not entertaining as much in my own home as I wanted to.

Heather Manley [00:21:09]:

I'm not Stephanie, I'm not either. I actually, like, Turned into this, unexpected introvert in, quote, in COVID, which I loved because I was so out of balance Of being so social that I now kinda covet that or or need a little bit of that that private time that I I didn't really, I didn't need before, which is really interesting.

Stephanie [00:21:34]:

Yeah. And I always I felt very similarly, and I thought, like, woah. Is this age? But for me, I think, You know, the more that life gets lived out loud through social and through our work and, you know, the the radio show and now the TV stuff, and All of that is so energy, producing, but also draining that I need, like, a lot more time by myself.

Heather Manley [00:22:00]:

Yeah. It's kinda comforting to hear that because, like, even this year and last year, I made my holiday party at the American Legion, which is Insane because, like, my house is meant to have a party, but it's like it's almost like I don't I I wanna outsource the bartender to the bar. You know, spill your drink. I don't give an f. Right? Like, everyone get wild, have fun, and it's, like, it's so so interesting to have that mindset. Like, at some point, I'll have to have party here maybe this summer where we can kind of leverage all the spaces, but it like, it's even weird to be outsourcing my parties when I

Stephanie [00:22:33]:

I thought about that. I thought about that with you, but I think what I came to was, you know, you're probably doing like, at holidays, we might be entertaining multiple days in a row.

Heather Manley [00:22:44]:

Yeah. I last year, I did 4 Thanksgivings in 1 week, and I cried at the third one.

Stephanie [00:22:52]:

Yeah.

Heather Manley [00:22:52]:

Like, with all my YPO guys, all dudes, and I just lost it. And they're like, what's going on? And I'm like, like, I don't know. But I'm like, I'm f*****g exhausted.

Stephanie [00:23:03]:

And overwhelmed. Yes.

Heather Manley [00:23:04]:

And I had another Thanksgiving to do in 2 days, and they're so kind. But they're like, So maybe we don't do this next year in Thanksgiving week. And I'm like, yeah. I I think post COVID, I just have different Boundaries of, like or stress levels I'm willing to take on.

Stephanie [00:23:21]:

Well, I'm glad that you're willing to take on the event at the Lexington with me because we're gonna have fun.

Heather Manley [00:23:27]:

I'm I'm not gonna cry, and I'm super excited.

Stephanie [00:23:30]:

No. You're not gonna cry. We're just gonna be able to revel in your flavors, Your profile of your botanicals that you bring to the party, and I think you'll be really just impressed by the people that come and how fun they are and how excited they are to learn about your product. So

Heather Manley [00:23:46]:

We do a lot of these events, but I haven't done, like, a great tasting dinner in a while, so I'm really excited just to hang out and do something really fun, have amazing food, and and, have my spirits associated with them, so I'm really excited.

Stephanie [00:24:04]:

Well, thank you for joining me today, Heather. I'm gonna get this podcast posted right away so that people can hear the story And join us at your great event that we're gonna be having at the Lexington's Crooked Water Spirits, Heather Manley. We'll see you soon. Couple weeks.

Heather Manley [00:24:17]:

Love it. Love you. Thank you. Heather. Alright. Bye.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Hello Subscribers to the Makers of Minnesota Podcast.

In 2024, I have decided to sunset the Makers of Minnesota Podcast in this format. After 6 years and 378 podcasts - this podcast will be bookmarked. The “Makers of Minnesota” will become a brand extension folded into my other work.

I’ll still be podcasting at “Dishing with StephaniesDish” and covering all your favorite food and drink makers. It just does not make sense for me to have multiple podcasts going with so many platform options and the new TV show “Taste Buds With Stephanie.” When I started Makers of Minnesota, I wanted a place to share Makers' stories in a longer format than the 10-minute segment on my radio show. I feel like I can do that now with television, “Dishing With Stephanie’s Dish,” and the newsletter in a fresh new way.

I look forward to continuing to Podcast at “Dishing With Stephanie's Dish,” where I will continue to chat with folks in the food space, as well as my radio show “Weekly Dish” on My Talk 107.1 and the Podcast “Weekly Dish.”

Please subscribe to “Dishing With Stephanies Dish” on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts to listen to what's new and what’s next.

I’ll drop a podcast with Heather Manley of Crooked Water Spirits tomorrow, and Don’t miss our two Makers Dinners happening at The Lexington. They will be epic with Peder Schweigert, Megan Dayton, and Heather Manley in attendance, sharing their brand stories.

Makers of Minnesota Dinners are back! Join me at the Lexington on January 31 and February 6 for two exciting events:

* January 31 at 6 p.m., enjoy a four-course meal with non-alcoholic wines for Dry January featuring Dry Wit.

* February 6 at 6 p.m., enjoy a four-course meal featuring drinks from Crooked Water Spirits.

.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to another episode of "Dishing with Stephanie's Dish." On January 31, 2023, at The Lexington in St Paul, we are hosting a Makers of Minnesota Dry Dinner featuring Dry Wit, a Non-alcoholic wine alternative founded by Megan Dayton and Peder Schweigert.

Today, we're diving into the world of innovative nonalcoholic beverages with our guests Megan Dayton and Peder Scheigert. We'll explore the rising trend of nonalcoholic options, especially DryWit, a nonalcoholic wine, and its impact on the food and beverage scene. We'll hear Megan's journey from her personal need to quit drinking to creating this beverage and Peder's insights on embracing nonalcoholic options first at Marvel Bar. We'll also discuss the challenges and successes of introducing nonalcoholic beverages in a market where NA alcohol consumption is evolving. Get ready to uncover the unique flavors, trends, and potential for expansion in the nonalcoholic beverage space with Dry Wit.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe