DeRusha Eats

A Paducah, Kentucky kid who went from making bolts for toilets in his hometown to one of the finest pastry chefs in the country: John Kraus is celebrating more than 15 years of his Minneapolis bakery, Patisserie 46. He joins Jason to talk about why he moved to Minneapolis, the challenges of navigating COVID, George Floyd, civil unrest, and an immigration surge. Patisserie 46 in South Minneapolis t...

Hoyt Hill is the sommelier at Forepaugh's Restaurant in Saint Paul, in late April he got the opportunity to stage a couple days at Chef Thomas Keller's yountville, California restaurant The French Laundry. He talks about the experience, what makes a 3 Michelin starred restaurant different, and the guest who bought a $25,000 bottle of wine. Imagine what the tip was! Well don't imagine, listen to Ho...

A 38-seat restaurant in South Minneapolis is the Best New Restaurant in America! Bûcheron was named James Beard Foundation's best new restaurant for 2025, built by two veterans of fine dining, both with experience in Gavin Kaysen's Minneapolis restaurants. But Jeanie Janas Ritter and her chef/husband Adam Ritter are trying to do something different: a new version of fine dining where high techniqu...

On this episode of DeRusha Eats, Jason is joined by Kitchen and Rail Co-Owner Joe Newhouse as they discuss opening a second location, opening during challenging times, their tribute to "Mort's Deli", what makes a good pastrami sandwich, having an "approachable menu" and more.

Megan Luedtke is the most significant voice in deciding what cocktails Minnesotans are drinking, and no one's talking about her. DeRusha Eats is. Megan shares what inspired her to start creating craft cocktails, the challenges of being a woman in a part of the restaurant world that's stereotypically male, and how she finds flavor inspiration for Daniel del Prado's restaurant group. You can find he...

In 2024, Chef Eric Pham got the call that his restaurant was on fire, days before opening. He considered calling it - but he found a new location and opened Khue's Kitchen. In 2025, the Minnesota Star Tribune named it the New Restaurant of the Year. Eric talks about growing up in his family's restaurant, Quang; he talks about dropping out of college to get a job at Spoon and Stable, and his goal a...

Gluten-free. No seed oils. The hottest trends in nutrition have been part of life for nearly a decade at Brim, a farm-to-fast casual restaurant founded by former personal chef Kate Sidoti. Kate talks about her food inspiration, the challenges of running a restaurant, and why after so long in Uptown Minneapolis she's now in the suburbs with her second spot. Brim survived through COVID, through riot...

Two Minnesota women, linked through a connection to Prince, have founded their own mezcal brand. Why? How? Ingrid Chavez and Jacqui Thompson, co-founders of Las Melodías de la Luna Mezcal, join Jason DeRusha on DeRusha Eats to talk about their history, their love for mezcal, and why having a woman-owned company with a woman distiller makes a difference. The Prince connection? Jacqui Thompson manag...

From college friends to garage beer brewers, the buddies who started Fulton in 2009 rode the craft beer wage. Sweet Child of Vine and Lonely Blonde were on tap everywhere, the tap room near Target Field was bumping. Today - the business has changed, and Fulton has matured as a business along with it's founders. Jim Diley is a lawyer who left his day job to be COO of Fulton and talks with Jason DeR...

It's one of the oldest producers of wine, some call it the birthplace of wine: Georgia. And a group of Minnesota brothers are working to spread the word about their homeland on the coast of the Black Sea, where Eastern Europe and Western Asia come together. The Lanchava Collection is seeing sales increase three-fold, through a combination of hustle, passion, and quality production. Luka, Konstanti...

When Stephanie Hansen sold her Twin Cities printing and direct marketing business - she faced a crisis. Who was she? What did she want to do? A decade later, she's just published her second cookbook, and her Emmy-award winning TV show "Taste Buds with Stephanie" is syndicated all over the United States. Stephanie talks with Jason DeRusha about finding her lane from the perspective of an eater and...

He's the co-anchor of CBS This Morning, NFL Today, host of Hollywood Squares, and a former Minnesota Vikings player. But Nate Burleson is coming to Minneapolis as he puts in the work to support his new vodka, created with Detroit micro-distiller Valentine Distilling Co. Lionblood Orange Vodka is his vision in a bottle. Nate and Jason discuss the multiple trips he took to Detroit to dial in the fla...

What Is Great Hmong Food? These Chefs Have the Answer" wrote New York Times food reporter Brett Anderson. So what got Anderson interested in Minneapolis chefs Yia Vang and Diane Moua, and their restaurants Vinai and Diane's Place? He was born in Minnesota, has family here, and spent 5 years talking to these chefs about "an extremely rare occurrence in American culinary arts: the emergence of a cui...

The road to Minnesota's most recognized Vietnamese restaurant started with a St. Cloud family sponsoring a refugee couple and their 7 children. Lung Tran escaped Vietnam during the War with her husband Quang Truong. Her daughter Heather Mandanas and her grandson Andrew Truong share their family's story through food and through our conversation. Quang opened with just a few tables in 1989, today it...

Keep Moving Forward Together: advice from Yia Vang's father's experience fleeing war-torn Laos that he uses to run his restaurant, Vinai in Minneapolis. Yia talks with Jason just days after his TPT show "Relish" won a James Beard Foundation Media Award in the lifestyle visual media category. We talk about awards, about inspiration, about his restaurant - and how the Minnesota is now a center of gl...

A detailed 20-page complaint filed by federal prosecutors reveals chilling details about the actions by Vance Boelter, the suspect in targeted, political shootings that left former Minnesota Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark dead, and State Senator John Hoffman and his wife seriously injured. Here's reaction from local hosts on WCCO in Minneapolis, plus commentary on our ov...

How a Chicago man went from making wine in his dad's basement to living the Sonoma County dream: Justin Harmon gives us the lowdown on his Argot Winery, and find out why his most famous wine is named "Bastard Tongue." Justin is in Minnesota for a fundraiser for M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital, and man-about-town and University of Minnesota Foundation Sr. Director of Development - Str...

What is American Wagyu beef? Fellers Ranch, based in southern Minnesota, is trying to elevate American beef and sell premium cuts directly to restaurants and consumers. Troy Kopischke grew up on a farm and partnered with Conger Meats butcher shop owner Jeremy Johnson to help Fellers grow. Minnesota ranchers raise American Wagyu beef, and it's processed in Conger and sent all over the upper midwest...

A conversation with Minnesota-based and nationally known chef Gavin Kaysen. The chef and owner of Spoon and Stable, Demi, Bellecour and Mara is sharing stories about mentoring in his new book “The Synergy Series.” 25 chefs who came to Minneapolis to cook talking about their stories, their philosophies and sharing recipes. Gavin talks about his own journey, as well as looks at the state of dining r...

You know William H. Macy as an actor. But he's also in the whiskey business. He's in Minnesota on behalf of the Woody Creek Distiller and joins Jason for DeRusha Eats!

The Food Dolls are two Minnesota sisters who loved creating cooking videos. Alia and Radwa Elkaffas started on Facebook in 2005 and now have more than 4 million followers. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube versions of Food Dolls make up another 5 million followers. Now the Elkaffas sisters have their own cookbook: Pretty Delicious: Simple, Modern Mediterranean, Served With Style. The Food Dolls talk w...

From young felon to successful owner of Minnesota pizza chain OG ZAZA - Joshua Hedquist's life story is astonishing and inspiring. How he went from in prison and a 9th grade dropout, to fine dining kitchens in Florida and Minnesota, to opening the most buzzed about pizza restaurant in the Twin Cities. He talks about addiction and what made him quit alcohol and get sober. And is his pizza burned? H...

St. Paul chef Karyn Tomlinson has been named one of the Best New Chefs of 2024 by Food and Wine magazine. It's the latest national honor for the Minnesota-native who took a winding path towards owning her own restaurant nestled into a small neighborhood, Myriel. She joins Jason to talk about her intense way of connecting with farms and ranches, even being included in one farmer's will. She calls h...

Alex Roberts and Margo Roberts, Restaurant Alma The most awarded restaurant currently operating in Minneapolis, Minnesota: Restaurant Alma celebrates 25 years in November 2024. Alex recalls the early days with 7 reservations on the books pre-social media; spotting his now-wife in a nearby coffee shop; Margo talks about growing into a co-owner and leadership role in this New American restaurant. We...

On this DeRusha Eats, Jason asks you what food you're afraid of.