Crow Wing Food Co-op to host local foods dinner Saturday

Crow Wing Food Co-op will host Five Stars in the Field, a fundraising harvest foods dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday at The Farm of Plenty, across from the St. Mathias Bar and Grill in St. Mathias Township.

Melissa Stephens, co-op general manager, said the five-course dinner will be provided with all fresh foods made, grown or raised within a 300-mile radius of Brainerd. Five local chefs, two Minnesota wineries and a Minnesota cheese company will be providing the meal.

Chefs include Paul Fitzpatrick, Morey's; Matt Annand, Prairie Bay; Tom Kavanaugh, Kavanaugh's Resort; Jake Miles, Madden's Resort; and Linda Michurski, who are all donating their time and talents for the dinner, which will raise funds for the co-op's expansion.

Tickets are $75 per person, which will cover the meal and wines.

The event will feature a silent auction and presentations from local artisans.

Stephens said the co-op, which has 700 square feet on Washington Street, is looking to move to a larger location to offer more products, including items like cheese-making and wine-making supplies. Eventually she said the co-op would like to offer snacks and other foods with a deli or cafe setting. She said board members have a few locations in mind in downtown Brainerd and are hoping to relocate by winter. The co-op is working with the Small Business Center at Central Lakes College to make this move possible, said Stephens.

The food co-op is celebrating its 30th year in business this year.

Stephens said the board is hoping to make the local foods dinner an annual fundraising event.

For more information or to make a reservation for Saturday's dinner, call the Crow Wing Food Co-op at 828-4600 or e-mail at cwfoodcoop@brainerd.net. Additional information is available at the Web site, www.crowwingfoodco-op.com.