At The Maker's Table | Minnesota Monthly

Shining the spotlight on Minnesota’s best makers and artisans, “At The Maker’s Table” is a weekly Instagram Live series led by Minnesota Monthly’s very own aesthetic editor Jerrod Sumner. Every Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. CST, we’ll take a candid peak into different local makers’ studios and workspaces to talk about how they got started, what they’re working on now, and together, define the meaning behind their making.

Keep coming back to MinnesotaMonthly.com/MakersTable to watch taped segments, see who will be on the next week, and sign up to receive updates and news from “At The Maker’s Table,” our partners, and more.

THURSDAYS @ 4 pm on Instagram Live

@mnmomag

UPCOMING TALKS

Nicole Houff

NOVEMBER 11

PAST TALKS

2020 TALKS

Explore our 2020 season of at the Maker’s Table here!

SEE THE TALKS HERE

OUR MAKERS

JEREMY MESSERSMITH

An indie pop singer-songwriter and one of Minnesota’s most recognized and celebrated artists, praised by The New York Times, NPR, USA Today, Paste Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Spin, and Rolling Stone among many others. A thoughtful, clever lyricist with a tender voice, the Minneapolis-based troubadour crafts songs that are catchy and relatable, and span the emotional gamut from poignancy to whimsy. Jeremy is one of those rare artists who can break your heart one minute, and then put those fragile pieces back together again the next

JOSIE LEWIS

Josie Lewis is an artist who empowers others to explore their own creativity through building a daily practice, finding a state of “flow” and navigating creative resistance. She shares her process via @josielewisart on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok, with over 3 million unique followers and more than 1 billion video views.

Josie received an MFA from the University of MN. She has artwork in the public collections of General Mills, UC Berkeley, and The Minneapolis/St Paul Airport. Her work has been featured by Design Sponge, Good Housekeeping, George Takei, Mental Floss, and The National Endowment for the Arts. In 2018, she released her first book, “The New Color Mixing Companion” and in 2019 she presented at TEDx Minneapolis. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and daughter.

LULU’S BRASILIAN SNACKS

We are a Brasilian-American family living in the Twin Cities. Our daughter Lulu LOVES pão de queijo and can’t get enough of it. When “Vovó” (Grandma) moved to the U.S., pão de queijo became a staple in our home. We decided to start this business to share a bit of our culture with you! Bom Apetite! At almost every Brasilian gathering you will find Pão de Queijo on the table. Its culinary roots can almost certainly be traced back to our home state of Minas Gerais in Southeastern Brasil.

Pão de queijo is a delicious addition to breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and is a must with coffee or tea! You can enjoy them as a sandwich by adding fillings, or with your favorite dipping sauce!

NIKKOLETTE’S MACARONS

Nikkolette’s Macarons specializes in one thing, the macaron, and she knows how to do it! Known for making desserts for her friends and family, she has always been passionate about baking, but once she set her sights on the elegant macaron her life changed. A “numbers person” in the corporate world, she brings her detailed thought process and analytics to crafting the perfect macaron. Each macaron is hand-made by Nikkolette, using only the freshest, highest-quality ingredients. Nikkolette prides herself on excellence and we hope you enjoy her macarons. .

HUMBLE NUT BUTTER

IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAVING…

John: Cheese?

Jess: No, I don’t want any dairy.

John: Chips?

Jess: No, I want something a little healthier. Maybe a cracker or some celery sticks…

John: With peanut butter?

Jess: No, I don’t feel like sweet. (Hmmm. Peanut Butter, Honey Almond Butter, Chocolate Hazelnut Butter… all sweet. I wonder why nut butters are always sweet, but roasted nuts are savory, salty, smokey, spicy… All I want is a little something to put on a cracker or veggie.) Hey, what if…

Countless batches and plenty of feedback later, we launched our three signature flavors. We spent the Summer, Fall, and Winter of 2018 at Farmers Markets across the Twin Cities – looking people in the eye, getting their feedback, answering their questions, and forming a bond and devoted customer following that compelled us to charge forward.

We chose the name “Humble” for a few reasons. First, it’s an admirable quality in a human and the world could benefit from a little more humility – let’s be honest. As it relates to food, food should be honest, real (and of course nutritious AND tasty) with minimal ingredients. Not done in a self-congratulatory way, done because it’s the right thing to do.

We’re proud to be an Inclusive Employer (see our Instagram page) Woman-Owned, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Non-GMO and clean label. All our spices and herbs are certified Organic. Our cashews are certified Fair Trade and Organic. We’d don’t use palm oil, preservatives, stabilizers or any BS, and all our ingredients are ones you’ve heard of. We vow to never compromise on the quality of our products, even if it costs us more money. Every single jar is made by hand and with care.

A SNACK CRAVING, AN IDEA, A KITCHEN. HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AND HUMBLE INGREDIENTS LED TO HUMBLE NUT BUTTER. WE SURE LIKE THEM; HOPE YOU DO TOO.

CRAFTMADE APRONS

We started from very simple roots — a mom creating an apron for her chef son. Knowing she could sew, Kate Meier’s sons came to her asking if she could make them a custom, unique, and durable apron, since the ones he had been buying were expensive, uncomfortable, and had less than ideal pockets — catching crumbs and more. After her first attempt, she started working with her two other chef sons to tweak different aspects, resulting in an apron that fit all the needs of the kitchen staff, from line cooks, to executive chefs, to bartenders, and other FoH staff. She had created an apron that looked stylish, felt comfortable, stood up to the challenge of being used on the line without breaking or collecting food in the pockets, and was more functional that existing offerings. Now, her Craftmade family has grown throughout Minnesota, the United States, and even internationally.

AMY THIELEN

Amy Thielen is a chef, a TV cook, and a two-time James Beard Award-winning writer. She’s the author of The New Midwestern Table (a cookbook) and Give a Girl a Knife (a memoir).

FAIR PLAY PROJECTS

We are FAIR PLAY PROJECTS, a unique craft company specializing in projects, patterns + kits that help inspire creativity and teach valuable handwork skills for people of all ages and ability levels to enjoy! Our CRAFT KITS are designed for kids ages 5 and up with adult help or 10+ on their own (and adults too!) They have all the supplies you need to get to work, including clear instructions and lots of fun templates.

Our SEWING PATTERNS are made for adults to sew for kids and come in sizes 2-10. They are appropriate for beginners and have lots of instruction and online videos to follow along with.We are Corinne Gill and Molly Schnick.

We met while working as designers at Purl Soho and bonded over our love of making things with and for our kids. We started Fair Play Projects in 2018. Corinne lives in Minneapolis and Molly lives in Brooklyn.

MARY JO HOFFMAN

Shoreview artist and photographer Mary Jo Hoffman, whose work we’ve profiled as her STILL blog has drawn national attention and commissions from Target and West Elm, has now created what she calls her first fine art offering: Zen Collection. A carefully curated selection of seven images, Zen Collection is a single-source gallery wall reflecting Hoffman’s signature approach to photographing the natural ephemera she finds around her home near Turtle Lake.

JOVY ROCKEY JEWELRY

Since 2012, Jovy has followed her own style. Inspired by mid-century art and jewelers such as Art Smith and Alexander Calder, Jovy creates jewelry that incorporates geometric shapes, soft curves, and occasionally kinetic elements. Many of her pieces are created using cold forging, hammering, hand-tooling, silversmithing, and cold connection techniques. Her work embodies both minimal and statement pieces that all have the same tone of sleek, timeless design. Jovy also dabbles in creating metal art pieces and home decor using the same techniques in her jewelry practice.

Jovy creates work in her studio space which is adjoined to her curated sales gallery in downtown Winona, MN. There, she also offers workshops, artist pop-ups, and various community events. In the gallery, she has curated the work of over 75 different artists and makers from all over the country.

JOHN RAJTAR

I am a Pisanki (Egg) Artist. The egg is my canvas, transforming the common elements of earth, water, air & fire into something precious and steeped in tradition. I’m a Folk Artist living in Minneapolis, where the Polish language, culture and traditions have always been a part of my life.

FRANCIS PINEDA-FISCHER

Sandwich Ceramic is a Minneapolis based studio designing and creating handmade functional ware with minimalist forms meant for everyday use. Sandwich was started in 2018 by Francis Pineda-Fischer out of a strong passion for the field of ceramics and the desire to promote meaningful interaction between people and the objects we use each day. Pieces are made with locally produced stoneware clay and unique in-house glazes. A healthy amount of love & care has been put into all aspects of the process with hopes that love can be passed along to others.

To keep informed for online shop releases, sales, and future shows follow the Instagram page and sign up for the Newsletter.

ROSE MCGEE

The sweet potato, or Ipomoea batatas, is a delicious and nutritious root vegetable that grows easily in the South because of the warm climate. West African captives, who were brought to the United States as slaves, used the word ayame. Over time that name was shortened down to the term yam. Whole sweet potatoes were roasted outdoors over fire for meals, and eventually pies were created for the plantation owners. After emancipation, when African American cooks gained more access to their own equipment and refined ingredients, they continued the tradition of baking with sweet potatoes – especially the pie.

Pie Activists of the Past. Educator and civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune (born to parents who had been slaves) was known for her creativity and resourcefulness. In the early 1900s, she sold sweet potato pies from her bicycle to help raise funds for a school for Black girls. Today, Bethune-Cookman University remains as her legacy in Daytona, Florida. Sweet Potato Comfort Pie founder Rose McGee (pictured), considers Ms. Bethune one of her personal heroes.

ERGO FLORAL

Formerly Fleur de Lis, we have changed our name and brand look, but we are same team with the same blooms that you’ve come to know and love. We wanted a name that people could pronounce, spell and easily understand.

For 40 years Fleur de Lis has emulated excellence in floral design while being sensitive and embracing of the seasons and the environment. In 2018 Robin Rivard retired and sold the shop to her managers, David and Nicole. For the last two years, we have continued to build and develop the unique shop that Robin built with the trust and loyalty of so many amazing customers that have been so supportive over the years, so thank you!

JULIA MOSS DESIGNS

Julia Moss Designs is a modern lifestyle brand that is fulfilling my love of bringing color, style and vintage inspiration to homes everywhere. It is my pleasure to share with you equally unique brands from all over the world that compliment JMD pieces.

ACE GENERAL STORE

Community-driven, heritage inspired goods and gear. We want the shop to feel like home. Not a home full of things you can’t touch, but a home where all the things are up for grabs. Where warmth envelopes you. Where good conversation over hot coffee lives, connecting you with those who make the things you buy. A conduit for thoughtful connection.

STRANGER & CO.

Stranger & Co. is owned and operated by Maura Doyle, who comes from a formal background in sculpture. After working in both gallery and retail management over the last decade, Maura is now blending her love of design and community-making into her newest endeavor: Stranger & Co.

THE GOLDEN FIG

Laurie McCann Crowell has apprenticed under some of the countries top prepared and fancy food creators. She attributes much of her gourmet appreciation to and continues to be inspired by Barefoot Contessa’s Ina Garten with whom she worked in East Hampton, New York. Voted one of the “Top 100 Minnesotans to Watch” by Mpls./St.Paul Magazine, McCann Crowell develops her Golden Fig line of specialty foods items locally in Minneapolis. All Golden Fig items are blended and bottled in small batches on a weekly basis. Which ensures your spices, vinegars or sugars will arrive to you with the freshest flavor around. McCann Crowell stays involved with the Twin Cities food scene with local appearances and speaking engagements a well as cooking demonstrations on Twin Cities Live KSTP Channel 5 where she is a regular. McCann Crowell’s charitable involvements include Kid’s Café, a local organization bringing hot meals to underprivileged children and entities supported by Les Dames E’scoffier, an international organization of which she was a board member. As a 17 year member of the St. Paul Farmers Market, from June-October you can find Laurie set up at the Lowertown St. Paul market on Saturdays as well as the Woodbury Farmers market on Sunday.

COCONUT WHISK

Coconut Whisk is a mission-driven vegan & gluten-free food brand that help busy families create healthy indulgences & positive kitchen experiences. Our yummy-tasting baking mixes are easy-to-make, dietitian-approved, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, non-GMO and made without preservatives or artificial ingredients. From pancakes to mug cakes to cookies, we make sure to create products that are better-for-you yet indulgent.

NICOLE HOUFF

To put it simply: I’m a Minneapolis photographer with a mild obsession with Barbie. Influenced by imagery from the 50s and 60s, I create scenes with the dolls in studio that have a sense of whimsy mixed with a little sarcasm. To me, Barbie is a positive, strong and empowering figure and I try to utilize her to create conversation. And to answer your question, I only have around 40 dolls.

I have lived in Minneapolis for over 20 years with my husband. I have a BA from Macalester College with a major in Studio Art and a minor in Political Science, supplemented with an Associate Degree from Minneapolis Community and Technical College in Photography and Digital Imaging.

My work has been shown at a variety of galleries, festivals and exhibits including: Mpls Photo Center, Gamut Gallery, Intermedia Arts, Nash Gallery, Robbin Gallery, MN State Fair, Uptown Art Fair, and the Twin Cities Pride Festival.

JERROD SUMNER

With a background in the arts, Sumner understands the creative process from start to finish. He loves the power of sharing through storytelling and thoughtful design. He is the talker and the dreamer with a playful attitude and a streak of snarkiness. Sumner tells it like it is and believes that makers and artisans are not made by just those who work on it but by those who experience it!