The Great Minnesota Taste Together!
Photos courtesy of the Taste Makers
Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Program location- onsite at the Arboretum: Farm at the Arb - Kitchen Classroom (Myers Education Center)
Adult 18+
Culinary Demonstration Class - All levels
Class Overview:
We're celebrating the best time of summer with a trio Great Minnesota Taste Makers! Chef Beth Fisher and Michelle Sharp — founder and editor of Meet the Minnesota Makers — will introduce you to three local, innovative small-business owners. The Makers will provide demonstrations, prepare samples and share the passions that inspire their work. This August, join Lutunji's Palate, Sturdiwheat and MTRY & CO for a State Fair–inspired experience that celebrates Minnesota's creativity, flavor and entrepreneurial spirit. You'll leave feeling uplifted and Minnesota proud!
In this class you will:
- Take your taste buds for a walk down the midway celebrating Lutunji's family baking traditions — with a delicious twist of organic, plant-based and wheatless creations. It’s more than dessert; it’s an experience!
- Hang out the flags for a Minnesota company looking to support clean water and the local communities growing our food. They’ve been on grocery shelves for over 80 years! Taste the classic flavors that Sturdiwheat processes in Red Wing and learn about soil saving ingredients like Kernza®, the world's first commercially available perennial grain.
- Discover local, ribbon-worthy meats and how Drager Family Farms and MTRY & CO bring them straight from trusted farmers and butchers to your home, including small-batch favorites from Orly’s Farm, shipped for real meals worth sharing.
- Taste a State Fair–inspired recipe on a stick created by Chef Beth Fisher featuring ingredients from our Makers, while picking up expert summer kitchen tips to use at home.
Instructor & Host: Chef Beth Fisher is thrilled to bring her experience to her role as Culinary Manager at The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Known for her years of teaching at various cooking schools and creative culinary work at several popular Twin Cities restaurants, Beth is now focused on enhancing the Arboretum's fast growing culinary offerings and kitchen classroom educational experiences. Join Beth and discover the joy of learning and cooking in the kitchen!
We recommend that you enter the Arboretum via the back gate on 82nd St, not the main entrance on Hwy 5. This is the most direct route to access the Farm at the Arb, and avoids potential delays when driving through the Arboretum.
Address: 3210 W 82nd St, Chanhassen, MN 55317
If you do wish to enter through the main Arboretum gate on Hwy 5, you can take 3-Mile Drive through the Arboretum and turn right on Peter Moe Drive to get to the Myers Education Center (this route may take an additional 15-20 minutes, so please plan accordingly).
Main Entry instructions:
You will receive a bar-code ticket for entry to the Arboretum in your email purchase confirmation. Your ticket is valid for entry on the day of your class. Present your ticket to the gate attendant as you enter the Arboretum. You may stay at the Arboretum after class as long as you want during our operating hours.
Michelle Sharp
Michelle is a storyteller who spreads the word about Minnesota’s small businesses through social media, a monthly newsletter and her website, Meet the Minnesota Makers. The website is the home of the Minnesota Maker directory full of features about the people behind our local food, farms, artistic and artisanal businesses. The website is also the home of the "Shop Minnesota" gift guide, which is updated several times a year. Meet the Minnesota Makers is on a mission to make it easy for everyone to support Minnesota's local businesses.
Lutunji's Palate
Lutunji Abram is a gourmet pastry chef and founder of Lutunji’s Palate Bakery & Café, a social enterprise “Built with Purpose; Fortified with Love,” located in the Elliot Park community of Minneapolis. Impact is baked into its model, with people and community in mind, hosting monthly family oriented Open Mics and free cultural competence books in partnership with Planting People, Growing Justice. It also partners with teen and young adult programs to teach community members baking and business skills. It provides more than employment, offering a space to “life skill” together, discover strengths and pursue life purpose.
Sturdiwheat
MTRY & CO
