St. Cloud Times from Saint Cloud, Minnesota • C2

2C 21,2017 St. Cloud Times SCSUSportsChat withMickHatten www.sctimes.com/chat Aweeklysportstalkshow focusedonathleticsandathletes atSt.CloudStateUniversity EVERYWEDNESDAYATNOON focused on athletics and athletes Maibock, Beaver Island Brewing St. Cloud Bavaria is southernmost state andis also the area where the mai- bock style of beer originated. The Bavarians call the time for bock beers "Starkbier- zeit" (strong beer season). Maibock is the palest of bock beers and generally comes out in spring.

Enjoying a Beaver Island Maibock gives you the feeling of a springtime day in Bavaria. The beer has adeep, golden-light copper color with a big, creamy head. The aroma is of biscuit malt with light, hop- py notes. This luscious brew has a big, malty base with hints of rich Munich malt and refreshing spicy hops. It has a medium body with a light creaminess and a refreshing lightly-dry finish.

Enjoy this beer at the brewery and elsewhere; it can also be found at the St. Cloud Maibock Festival at Beaver Island Brewing Co. later this spring. Learn more about craft beers from Cloudy Town Brewers on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2fL9bFT. LOCAL BEER PICK BRUCE LEBLANC Cloudy Town Brewers Vina Cobos Malbec 2014, Argentina The winemaker behind this incredible winery is the famous Paul Hobbs.

He is known for crafting world class California wines, but in the 1980s went down to Argentina to work with the iconic winery Catena. He was one of the winemakers who helped elevate Catena to world class status. Vina Cobos is his Argentina winery that is now producing some of the finest wines in the country. Ihad the opportunity last fall to visit the winery and taste through a lineup of stellar malbecs. Felino is the fabulous value malbec and at the price is a real steal.

The wine has a vibrant dark raspberry color that radiates in the glass. Wonderful aromatics of dark berries, oregano, pipe tobacco and vanilla explode out of the glass. Succulent mouth- filling flavors of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla and graphite fill the palate with avelvety texture. The wine has a long finish and has complex layers of many flavors. Argentina keeps hitting home runs with this signature grape! Pair with: grilled sirloin tips, lamb tagine, carne asada tacos or just enjoy a glass! Price: $21.99 Jeff Anderson is sommelier at Westside Liquor.

LOCAL WINE PICK JEFF ANDERSON Westside Liquor stiff competition. Culinary management team captain Emma Ditlevson, 18, explained what competitive culinary management entails. a judge for everything, from the moment you load in checking our equipment, checking our food temperatures, judging how we work together and she said. the actual cooking portion, we have 20 minutes to set up and for mise en place, which is a French term for preparation meaning in its We get one hour to make an appetizer, entree and dessert based on a theme, on two butane burners, with no If that sounds tough enough, just wait: After the team completes cooking, they must then present their food along with acarefully scripted pitch want to sound like you know what talking about, but not too scripted; casual, but not too said Ditlevson) to four judges, each of whom represent an aspect of the presentation including concept, menu, layout and marketing. The cooking and presentation portion is then followed by a critical thinking portion, during which a fifth judge discerns the ability to think on its feet in a real-world restaurant setting.

said team member Daighton Ripp, 18, with a laugh. loved every To help quell those nerves, the team spends long, tiring hours practicing for competitions, and although they all say they occasionally get annoyed with their fellow team- mates, they are able to move past according to Ditlevson. Team member Maddie Adamski, 16, said the close-knit team is always practice once a week for four hours at a time, then closer to competition time we go to twice a week, and sometimes on weekends. We do everything from top to bottom like in she said. a lot of pressure to do well (at the state and national competitions), because you want to be the first team (in the history) not to said Sawyer Amo, 16.

As team members cook during their independent study hour, they function much like a family. One student calls out to another for more cupcake liners, another teases their teammate with a not-so-subtle play- insult from across the room. Ripp looks down at her hand and frowns: zested my And in the midst of it all is Levinski, affectionately nicknamed and by her students, holding the team together with her gentle guidance and gen- uine enthusiasm. coach from a different perspective than I think other (coaches) she said. really want the kids to own what they do.

I let them choose the direction they want to go, so it becomes theirs. They own it, they can explain it otherwise, it becomes my Part of coaching included encouraging the team members to do some research on rising restaurant trends. What they discovered ultimately informed their choice of concept for their competitions. did some research and we found that the top two trends in the restaurant industry are fast and healthy said Ditlevson. been that way for a while and I think going away very soon.

Iwatched a YouTube video where (the hosts) went to a type of restaurant called an izakaya, which is basically like bar food, and they talked about yakitori, which is skewered Ditlevson grins at Ripp and quotes their competition pitch in a sing-song voice: grilling process allows for minimum oil and maximum God, I sound like The Sauk Rapids-Rice team has never won the national competition the school took fifth place last year and second place in 2013. But even for these hyper- focused kids, winning everything. four team members each harbor big hopes, dreams and goals for their life after high school. Ripp wants to be striving to teach family and consumer sciences. Amo has already taken some college-level classes and hopes to finish his degree, and may eventually pursue more education in culinary or management.

Adamski has her sights set on the East Coast, where the New England Culinary Institutecalls to her. And Ditlevson has a passion for baking and wants to become a Michelin-starred pastry chef while toppling the patriarchy, of course. was an ad I saw once in Bon for Palace, and all the chefs were she said. showed my mom the ad and I said, going to be standing next to you affirmed Ripp with a solemn nod of encouragement. Levinski said her strength comes not only from their innovative ideas and incredible ambition, but also from their relationship to one another.

have a bond really she said. four really strong individuals that connected, and they each bring a unique skill to the The team members said the skills they honed will stay with them as they move from high school to college and beyond, particularly because those skills are not limited to the kitchen. learned said Ditlevson. a lot of days that just drag on, and it gets really hard. being judged on every single thing that you do.

nowhere to hide from that. I think being in such ahigh pressure setting is good for are really given all the skills you need to go into the culinary said Ripp. But before these young culinary stars begin their professional careers, have to conquer the national competition though not too worried about their chances. feel like if anybody could do it, the four of said Ripp. all work so well together, and we have a great just so relieved that we qualified (for the national said Adamski.

we win, we win, and if not, do better next Follow Alyssa Zaczek on Twitter email her at stcloudtimes.com, or call her at (320) 255-8761. DAVE SCHWARZ, Sawyer Amo concentrates on a task Wednesday, March 15, at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School. Team Continued from Page 1C erything from scratch, in house. Your new menu complete yet planning on rolling out new entrees on March 21. Can you give us a sneak peek? definitely trying to keep the entrees under wraps until we launch them, because we want to get them absolutely perfect.

But I can tell you that definitely going to have some pasta dishes, at least one. And people who have stuck with us since we opened might see some old favorites coming back, like the fish and chips. Follow Alyssa Zaczek on Twitter email her at stcloudtimes.com, or call her at (320) 255-8761. One new menu item will be the avocado sandwich on a pretzel bun with mixed greens, gouda cheese, cornflake crusted avocados, sliced tomato, red onions and roasted red pepper aioli, shown Friday, March 17, at The Pickled Loon. Kristie Erikson creates some of the new menu items Friday at The Pickled Loon.

JASON WACHTER, The Pickled Loon restaurant, shown Friday, March 17, in St. Cloud, is introducing a menu with some new items. Loon Continued from Page 1C.