The Rake Magazine

Fluorescent cube life getting you down? Do you dream of being your own boss, making your own way, calling the shots? Do you like sausage?

A different life beckons Cherie Peterson and Merry Barry. Having created some of the best boutique sausages to ever grace a bun, The Sausage Sisters are moving on and selling their business.

Their energy and vivacity while manning a market booth was as trademark as their black fedoras. If you have culinary passion, a quick wit, and a longing for challenge, this might be your chance to grab the brass link. Check them out at the State Fair if you want a glimpse of the chaotic fun and a sample of the brilliant Uffda brat.

I really hope someone steps up. The potential to develop this company and market the brand is big. Plus I want my Texas Two Step and Porketta Marie avialable when I want them, thank you very much.

Contact the sisters 612-986-8817 for more information ... but maybe wait until after the Fair.

hey, you got some grass?

Saturday's Fair Index
(with apologies to Harpers)

Number of Lark-bound old ladies that got stuck in the fergaliscious crowd in front of KDWB: 2
Chances that someone sucking down a shake by the dairy barn would step in dung: 1 in 4
Ratio of fanny-packs to tube tops at noon: 5:2
Ratio of fanny-packs to tube tops at 6pm: 2:7
Chances that a 4-H kid got a fat man to fall for the dollar-on-a-string gag: 9 in 10
In inches, the average overflow stack on area garbage cans: 15.6
Percentage of people eating a turkey leg that also carried a pitcher of beer as their beverage: 22%
Amount of time after horking down a soft pretzel that I was seduced by French crepes: 3 seconds
Amount of time that I spent looking for a SPAM burger before giving up: 2 hours
Percentage of my family that wanted to go see the Butter Heads with me: 0%
Percentage of certainty that I will go again before Labor Day: 100%

Tuesday is the REAL food day at the fair...Check out Carousel Park tomorrow for all the Minnesota Cooks action: chefs, food personalities, local politicians, and moi. I'll be on the tasting panel at 11am tomorrow, sampling the work of JP and Tracy Singelton, and clanking forks with the revolutionaries of Axdahl Farms. Then maybe someone will go see the Butter Heads with me.

Come on down now, ya hear?

Casey's too cute to chop onions...

Here's the Big Lesson for the kids on Top Chef: Don't Believe Your Own Press.

The Dream Team of CJ, Tre, Brian and Casey sputtered out last night on the second version of the Restaurant Wars episode. You can't even say they went down in flames, there wasn't even that much heat.

They were self-selected, the top of the pot, not like the other team which was made up of dodge-ball leftovers. But guess what...Leftovers never forget that there is something to prove. This is a competition and no matter what, no matter how many wins you've garnered, anyone can go home.

It may be shocking that Tre is no longer in the competition (many pegged him to be a finalist), but it is more shocking that he couldn't bring his team together to kick some ass. Sara did, and she did it with Howie sulking and shuffling around behind her.

The Dream Team wasn't concerned with putting out the best product, they were simply putting out a product that they thought could beat the Leftovers. They assumed this would be such an easy task that overcooked monkfish, salmon and cheese, and dry bread pudding could still rock the judges in comparison. Why bother tasting your food, when you know how good you are. Go ahead and send out crap to the diners, you're going to Italy man!

I liked Tre and I thought he was a real cook. He always acted with grace and poise and I'm sure he'll be successful. But in the end, you're judged by the eaters and the simple truth is: you get what you give. I hope this was a wake-up call to all the chefs, to stop resting on their laurels, thinking about their future Discovery Channel deals, and actually prove that they're more than tv fluff.

P.S. ... What was the deal with having snotty, condescending Madonna's brother as design guru? He must have a show in the works...

It's that time of year when finding cutting edge eats means turning your back on the hoi-polloi and shaking hands with the common man. Forget your foams and chuck your sous vide, it's all about the stick.

The pioneers of fry-technology and stuffing-science are in high demand as we ponder what's in store for 2007. How do they get that hotdish to stay on the stick? Is there anyone mad enough to attempt to engineer a Sloppy Joe for Stick Gastronomy? Hell yeah. Last year's innovators succeeded and seem willing to push the envelope one more time in a that risky courtship of fanny-packers and the stroller mafia.

New Food for 2007
Axel's: Sloppy Joes OAS (on-a-stick)
Blue Moon Dine-In Theater: Peanut-butter hot dog
Bridgeman's: kickin' it old-school with old fashioned ice cream sodas

Coasters: Deep fried crumb coated apple fries
Famous Fave's: Pork knuckle sandwich and Kool-Aid pickles (I'm glad they changed from last year's pickles which tasted like greasy relish)
French Meadow Bakery: Rocky road scones OAS
Fried Fruit: a newbie stand, offering batter dipped fried fruit
Mike's Hamburgers: Deep fried hot dog wrap OAS (yawn)
O'Garas: Deep fried corned beef and cabbage OAS (pass me a Harp)
Old English Fish and Chips: calamari (doused with malt vinegar, brilliant!)
Potato Skins: Buffalo chips and cheese
Rajun Cajun: Breakfast bread bowls and jambalaya
Sausage Sister and Me: Introducing the Uffda Brat...Norske sausage wrapped in lefse (yah sure, you betcha)
Scotch Eggs: Butterscotch cake OAS
SPAM Burgers: SPAM burgers and fried SPAM curds (this one will garner all the buzz from the media foodiphiles)
Tejas: BLP (bacon, lettuce, pico de gallo) quesadilla
Ultimate Confections: S'mores OAS
West Indies Soul Cafe: Fried plantains

Garlic is often referred to as the Stinking Rose. Maybe that's why this Saturday's Minnesota Garlic Festival is being held waaaaaay out at the Wright County Fairgrounds. I imagine the westerly winds will soften the pungent aromas as they waft toward the Cities, so that on Saturday evening you will be struck by the odd craving for Italian food.

But me, I'm going in full bore. I like my garlic raw and plentiful and I can't wait to see what a day of garlic festing brings. I know I'll be in good company, their line-up of chefs is top notch: Lucia Watson, Mike Phillips of Craftsman, Alex Roberts of Restaurant Alma and Brasa, Philip Becht of The Modern Cafe, Tracy Singleton of Birchwood, and Russell Klein (formerly of WA Frost). Sponsored by the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota, would you expect anything less?

Think of it as your pre-season to next week's extravaganza....