Stacy Brooks
@tangledupinfood.bsky.social
Freelance journalist and lifelong Minnesotan who kinda hates winter and really loves carbs. I blog about food and travel: https://www.tangledupinfood.com/ + write occasional essays about Judaism and spirituality: https://www.stillproofing.com/
This one is close to my heart. As a Nordic-American I have a deep fondness for the traditional folk school model, and as a Minneapolis resident I treasure the rich cultural diversity of our city. It was an honor to speak with Anna and Cal and share their vision with @racketmn.com readers.
Racket@racketmn.com · 5mo agoWhat's a 21st century folk school look like?
I'll always be down for cheese shopping in the name of journalism.
Racket@racketmn.com · 6mo agoFor 3 hours each week, the Andrew Boss Lab of Meat Science is the best place in town to buy hyperlocal meat snacks, unique cheeses, and T-bone steaks.
One of the toughest things I've ever had to write—and also it made me fall in love with Minneapolis all over again.
Heavy Table@heavytable.com · 8mo agoToday's newsletter is free for everyone. Read "A Storm on East Lake Street" by @tangledupinfood.bsky.social , and more: heavytable.substack.com/p/a-storm-on...
www.thecurrent.org/feature/2026... Loved chatting with Holly Hansen and learning how pivoting from the music industry to a coffee shop isn't as much of a stretch as you'd think
Twin Cities musician Holly Hansen has a new project brewing: Heights Coffee Bar
Run by Zoo Animal musician and studio engineer Holly Hansen, Heights Coffee Bar in Columbia Heights is an intentional return to an earlier era of locally owned neighborhood businesses and in-person in...
thecurrent.org
In which I get in *way* over my head at a local puzzle contest and learn about an awesome community
Racket@racketmn.com · 11mo ago“Minnesota is above and beyond in terms of the community of speed puzzlers,” says Plymouth's Heather Mueller, one of the board members of the USA Jigsaw Puzzle Association.
Anyway, if you're not backing Heavy Table, consider it. We're a team of Minnesota- and Wisconsin-based human beings out there in the world interviewing and photographing and illustrating other human beings and the food they make. It's good stuff. 4/4 heavytable.substack.com
The Heavy Table | James Norton | Substack
The Heavy Table is a team of writers, photographers, and illustrators telling the stories of food and drink in the Upper Midwest. We publish weekly. Click to read The Heavy Table, by James Norton, a S...
heavytable.substack.com
Also tomorrow: killer interview with Shane Oporto and his partner Sarah McDonough from the newly revived Dark Horse in Lowertown, Saint Paul. Story by @tangledupinfood.bsky.social, photos by Joshua Feist. Plus details on the upcoming Level Up barista event here in Minneapolis. 2/4
Here's roughly what my tomorrow looks like. Can't wait to get out there with John Garland, Becca Dilley, @amyrea.bsky.social, @tangledupinfood.bsky.social, @jeannelakso.bsky.social, Joshua Feist, Andy DuCett, @wacso.bsky.social, @mccronin.bsky.social and Nathan Wold. Bring on the chaos!!!
Heavy Table@heavytable.com · last yr.We'll be out in force tomorrow eating and drinking … oh, I dunno, let's say 50-70 different things at the Minnesota State Fair. Celebrating 15 years of this insanity, folks! Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more...
The comment period for this ends in 3 DAYS. Please leave a comment telling them EVERYONE should be able to get covid boosters. www.regulations.gov/commenton/FD...
Regulations.gov
regulations.gov
Josh Marshall@joshtpm.bsky.social · last yr.BREAKING: FDA says covid boosters now only for those over 65 or with preconditions. www.statnews.com/2025/05/20/f...
Hell of a newsletter today with a big rundown on the flavors of HmongTown in Saint Paul - words by @amyrea.bsky.social and photos by @tangledupinfood.bsky.social - check it out here: heavytable.substack.com/p/kinsleys-a...
New post about eating bagels and delving into Jewish history in NYC www.stillproofing.com/the-jewish-t...
The Jewish Tourist: NYC—Eldridge St. Synagogue, Yonah Schimmel, Russ & Daughters
The Jewish Tourist is an occasional series covering the Jewish sights, foods, and experiences I've encountered on my travels. Today we're heading to New York City for bagels, knishes, and an awe-inspi...
stillproofing.com
www.stillproofing.com/my-most-jewi... Who knew the Dear America series would have such a long-term impact on my life?
My most Jewish book
How a YA novel shaped my spiritual journey My synagogue recently hosted a talk by Rabbi Adam Chalom about how to define a Jewish book, exploring a wide variety of frameworks. Some were discarded as t...
stillproofing.com
The rise of Asian markets has powered some of the most innovative and celebrated dining in Minnesota and been a lifeline for immigrants and their children. Tariffs that threaten those markets threaten the whole food ecosystem here.
'Every day, every single customer': Tariffs hit close to home inside Asian grocers
Asian grocery stores are a lifeline to the communities they serve. But store owners say the prospect of sweeping tariffs are threatening their ability to stock up on goods and keep prices affordable.
npr.org
The past several weeks have been...a lot. Here's to writing through the grief over all of this (*gestures broadly at the world*) and working towards something better. www.stillproofing.com/a-mourners-k...
A Mourner's Kaddish for a broken world
I have spent the past several weeks filled with overwhelming grief. For trans and non-binary people whose healthcare, passport access, and dignity is being stripped away. For undocumented immigrants w...
stillproofing.com
Nerdy Valentine's references are the way to my heart <3
Posit@posit.co · 2y ago"Your p-value must be minuscule because I'll never fail to reject you." Looking for the perfect gift for your statistically significant other? Give the gift of knowledge! 💖 At posit::conf(2025), find your data science connections. pos.it/conf #positconf2025 #datascience #rstats #python
Always proud of what the Heavy Table team gets up to, but tomorrow's spirits stuff by @louisgarcia12.bsky.social and @tangledupinfood.bsky.social is particularly strong (figuratively, and literally at least in the case of the whiskeys.)
Heavy Table@heavytable.com · 2y agoA killer edition of the Tulip and Schooner newsletter coming tomorrow at noon: a deep dive with Minnesota distiller Jace Marti about Black Frost Blended Rye and Bourbon, and a deep dive into sake making in at Moto-i in Minneapolis. Subscribe to read it all: heavytable.substack.com
www.tangledupinfood.com/seven-years-... Time for my annual update on freelance life! It seems weird to report that in the midst of so much chaos things are going well for me career-wise...I guess I'll take it?
Seven years in: Reflections on full-time freelance life | Tangled Up In Food
Seven years after quitting my paralegal job, things are still chugging along at Stacy Inc. Over the past few years, I've settled into a groove of covering the Twin Cities food scene for the Heavy Tab...
tangledupinfood.com
www.thecurrent.org/feature/2025... Huge thanks to The Current for assigning this to me—one of chillest evenings I've had in a long time
Music sets the tone at Minneapolis hangout Small Hours
The record collection isn’t a background feature at the intimate hi-fi bar in northeast Minneapolis, it’s a main focus. Small Hours, which opened last September, is a collaboration between sommelier S...
thecurrent.org
New essay about how the oft-confusing Jewish calendar has led me to a deeper spirituality www.stillproofing.com/the-unexpect...
The matter of time
During my last semester of college, upon realizing that my B.A. in mathematics would be next to useless in the Great Recession job market, I took a couple of education classes. Both shaped the rest of...
stillproofing.com
www.tangledupinfood.com/itinerary-ex... My guide to experiencing Nordic culture in the Twin Cities in one food-filled day
Itinerary: Experience Nordic Culture in the Twin Cities | Tangled Up In Food
There's a good reason Minnesota's football team is named the Vikings—the state is home to more Nordic-Americans than any other state. About 28 percent of Minnesotans, or over 1.6 million people, have...
tangledupinfood.com
Worth it: chocolate babka, lefse, pretzels, tomato sauce Not: eggrolls—I attempted them as an inexperienced cook so maybe I’d have better luck now? But they were such a PITA and so awful I’ve never wanted to find out
Dara Lind@daralind.bsky.social · 2y agoEveningsky: What’s one Cooking Project you’ve done that was 100 percent worth it? What’s one that was 100 percent not?
All 28 of these stories have been temporarily UNLOCKED from the paywall—enjoy! 🔓
Our 28 Favorite Racket Stories of 2024 - Racket
Another big year down at the ol' news/arts/culture journalism factory.
racketmn.com
Just under the wire, here’s my annual roundup of the best things I ate www.tangledupinfood.com/best-things-...
17 Best Things I Ate in 2024 | Tangled Up In Food
I love compiling my annual "best things I ate" post because it's a chance to relive the year's most memorable moments. 2024 included trips to Japan and Montreal, an exquisite kaiseki meal and Laotian...
tangledupinfood.com
Wrote about giving myself the Jewish childhood I never had—it’s never too late to fall for Fievel Mousekewitz www.heyalma.com/as-a-convert...
As a Convert, I'm Recreating a Joyful Jewish Childhood — In My 30s
At my synagogue's Hanukkah party last year, there were dreidels on all of the tables to keep kids occupied until the food was served. I idly picked one up and started spinning it, apparently halfway d...
heyalma.com
Stoked to announce that Heavy Table is teaming up with bakehouse (by the creators of Honey and Rye) to kick off a winter baking series with maximum-strength hygge. Pies! Bagels! Fresh pasta! Biscuits! Orange rolls! Great instructors, terrific setting. gatheringsbybakehouse.square.site/classes
gatheringsbybakehouse.square.site
My (mostly futile) attempt to find Hanukkah representation at Twin Cities “holiday” pop-up bars racketmn.com/an-exhaustiv...
An Exhaustive Review of Every Hanukkah Cocktail We Could Find at Local 'Holiday' Pop-ups - Racket
Are they holiday bars, or are they Christmas bars?
racketmn.com