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Charlie Awards celebrate best food, drink in Twin Cities

The Charlie Awards celebrate the exceptional contributions of the Twin Cities food and beverage community.

MINNEAPOLIS - The seventh annual Charlie Awards will be held on Sunday, Feb. 25 beginning at 3:30 p.m. at the Pantages Theatre (710 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis).

The Charlie Awards celebrate the exceptional contributions of the Twin Cities food and beverage community. More information is available online.

Nominated Chef Alex Roberts from Restaurant Alma and Brasa stopped by KARE 11 to make some delicious breakfast on Saturday.

Recipe for Biscuits:

20oz Flour

2T Baking Powder

1T Sugar

1 t Salt

8oz Butter, cold and cut into 1 inch chunks

2c Buttermilk

Combine the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the butter cubes. Cut in the butter by working it into the flour with your hands. To do this, grab handfuls of flour and butter and pinch the butter with the flour to break it down into smaller pieces. Keep doing this until the butter is in dime sized chunks. You can also use a food processor or a mixer to cut in the butter but go slow and be careful that the butter chunks don’t get too small.

Add the buttermilk and mix until just combined, adding a little more buttermilk if necessary.

Roll out to about an inch thick. Cut out with a ring cutter. Reroll the scraps and cut again.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Rotate pan, bake another 10 minutes or until the bottoms of the biscuits are golden brown.

Here are the finalists in each category for the Charlie Awards:

Outstanding Service

A restaurant or foodservice business that excels at hospitality by being consistently outstanding and welcoming, and having an inviting and fun personality that makes people feel more at home than when they are at home

Good Day Café

Manny’s

Mucci’s

Outstanding Restaurateur

Not all the magic happens in the kitchen. This category is for the owner of the restaurant with at least five years in the industry, who excels at running a restaurant, keeping it profitable as well as relevant, and who is an influencer in the community

Ann Kim and Conrad Leifur: Young Joni, Pizzeria Lola, Hello Pizza

Brent Frederick/Jacob Toledo: Jester Concepts (Borough, Parlour, Monello)

Alex Roberts – Alma/Café Alma & Brasa

Outstanding Restaurant

A restaurant that continually hits on all cylinders with creative and exceptional food, atmosphere and service

Bellecour

Café Alma/Alma

Heyday

Outstanding Baker/Pastry Chef

A working baker or pastry chef with at least five years of experience who is an artist when creating the staff of life or the masterpieces of desserts and morning pastries

Katy Gerdes – Angel Food Bakery

Emily Marks – Bachelor Farmer

Solveig Tofte – Sunstreet Breads

Outstanding Chef

A working chef with at least five years in the industry, who shows consistency, relevancy, creativity and isn’t resting on his or her laurels.

Lisa Carlson – Chef Shack

Jamie Malone – Grand Café

Hide Tozawa - Kayatchi

Rising Star

An under 30, up-and-coming foodservice professional whose talent and hard work guarantees he or she will make their mark on the Twin Cities community and go on to even greater contributions.

Adam Eaton – Saint Dinette

Yia Vang – Union Kitchen

Josh Walbot

Beverage Innovator

A professional who is doing innovative work with wine/beer/spirits, either as a brewer, mixologist, sommelier, craft soda producer or bartender

Bang Brewing

Brie Roland – St. Genevieve

Nick Kosevich – Can Can Wonderland/Bittercube

Hidden Gem

An out-of-the-box restaurant, food truck or catering service that often flies under the radar of the mainstream media, but is a favorite with the neighborhood or foodie fans

Marla’s Caribbean Cuisine

Moroccan Flavors

Quangs

Community Hero

He or she uses their skills and platform to better the community, either through charitable acts or mentorship

Lachelle Cunningham & Michelle Horovitz - Breaking Bread Café (Appetite for Change)

Pat Weber, owner of Mise en Place consulting (volunteer extraordinaire for Charlies and Cookie Cart)

Rose McGee (founder of Sweet Potato Comfort Pies)

A VIP dinner will be held on March 12 at Open Arms, the Charlies’ nonprofit partner. Tickets are $125.

Proceeds from all three Charlies event go to Open Arms. To purchase tickets, please visit charliesexceptionale.com.

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