Meet the Chefs: An Interview with Erin and Mateo Mackbee, the Duo Behind the Inaugural Story Feast

Chefs Erin and Mateo Mackbee of Krewe Restaurant and Flour & Flower Bakery at the Story Feast celebration

When I set out to find chefs for our first Story Feast dinner at St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota, I wasn't looking for someone who could simply cook beautiful food. I was looking for partners who understood what we were trying to create, a gathering where food, place, and community converge into something greater than the sum of its parts.

I found that in Erin and Mateo Mackbee. And was heartened that Brother Aelred Senna from St. John’s couldn’t stop raving about them. And neither could any of my friends who live in the area.

The husband-and-wife team behind Krewe Restaurant and Flour & Flower Bakery in St. Joseph, Minnesota, not only brought their remarkable culinary talent to St. John's Abbey, but their philosophy: that food is a vehicle for connection, for healing, for community. Along the way, among so many other accolades, Chef Mateo has been nominated for a James Beard Award and Flour & Flower was listed by the NY Times as one of the 22 Best Bakeries in America.

I sat down with them before our inaugural gathering to learn more about their journey.

Can you share the journey that led you to open Krewe and Flour & Flower? What inspired you to put down roots in St. Joseph?

Mateo: It all started when we met in 2014. I had been searching for land to grow food, my vision was to teach kids how food grows, then let them follow it back to a restaurant in the cities where they could prepare it. Save the scraps and start the whole process over again.

I met a pastor in a bar, we both had shaved bald heads and knew similar people through our travels. I had been a DJ in a hip-hop group for years in St. Paul and Indianapolis. I was affectionately known as D-Big Sam in those circles, and there are people who still can't call me Mateo because they know me from that part of my life.

We struck up a friendship, and over probably four years of meeting and talking, he shared his vision for his little church on the prairie, this holistic spiritual space in the tiniest Lutheran church in the middle of nowhere. He invited us to central Minnesota, saying he had farmers whose kids didn't want to farm anymore, and maybe they'd have an acre or two for us to try.

We ended up meeting the owners of a local brewery who asked us to cook for them. Three days after we fed them that night, they slapped down this whole remodeling project, they scratched it up that night because they were like, "No, it's not going to work to have you in a separate building. We need it all combined because the food just knocked it out of the park."

What is the origin story of Krewe and Flour & Flower?

Erin: A professor from St. John's brought his friend out to eat at the brewery. His friend owns the building that Krewe is in now and he'd been searching for a New Orleans-style chef for years. He asked if we wanted to open a restaurant specifically focused on New Orleans cuisine. We'd only been open three months and Mateo was like, "Well, hell yeah!" We just moved out to central Minnesota, we've only been open for three months, how in the world are we going to be able to do this? But we went to tour the space.

Mateo: At that time, the owner had no purpose for the building that Flour & Flower is in, he was going to turn it into a big gallery. But immediately I was like, "What's the next steps?" He invited us to New Orleans for recon and R&D, and on the plane ride back we were like, "Let's figure out how to do this." How can you say no to a situation like that?

Erin: Then Mateo asked if we could turn the second building into a bakery, and the owner was like, "Why not?" So we just added another business into the mix. The structure was built but it was still a dirt floor in the restaurant and completely wide open, it took almost a year to get it all built out.

“We look outward, not necessarily inward. We're using food as a vehicle to do good. There's a footprint and legacy being laid, and we're hoping to pull other people into that momentum.” Mateo Mackbee

St. Joseph has really become known as a culinary destination. What makes this little town so special?

Mateo: We were lucky to arrive when there were already people establishing roots, Bad Habit Brewing was expanding, Milk & Honey Ciders (a sponsor of the inaugural Story Feast dinner) was about to launch. We landed at perfect timing to boost what was already moving. I think we inspired more folks to follow their dreams, and we all became a support system for each other.

Erin: There's a food desert out there, from New London to Spicer to Willmar, there's only Chili's and Applebee’s. No independent restaurants. People were craving handmade, from-scratch food made with a lot of care. The weekend we opened, probably 600 people came through in one day. Our POS system broke, we had to take handwritten orders, we were on a two-hour wait. It didn't calm down for months because people could taste the love through our food.

“That moment will forever be instilled in why I get up at midnight some days, why we work 20-hour days. That one connection where you made someone's life a smidgen better on their lowest day, they knew they could come to us.” - Erin Mackbee

Story Feast from above (left photo credit: Tay Elhindi, right photo credit: Bailey Bassen

Community seems central to everything you do. Can you talk about that philosophy?

Erin: People aren't just looking for good food and high quality ingredients, they're seeking affection, connection, and support. They want to know they're not alone. When George Floyd was murdered, we organized donations for Minneapolis churches. The amount of people who came out to donate was insane. That was the moment people realized we're not here just to make money, we're here for a deeper purpose.

Opening during COVID, the bakery opened a week or two before we did, and our structure is all to-go so it was easy to maintain stability. We had lines wrapping around the building Wednesday through Sunday. People respected that we had face masks and only allowed two people in the building at a time.

Mateo: We've built our restaurants as community gathering spaces first. Whatever happens financially allows us to continue those gatherings. We look outward, not necessarily inward. We're using food as a vehicle to do good. There's a footprint and legacy being laid, and we're hoping to pull other people into that momentum.

“The difference is he ignited the passion inside of me, and that's the reason why I show up and cook every day, to try to get somebody's fire to burn a little bit brighter.” - Mateo Mackbee

Every dish seemed to legitimately make people smile, and sometimes even laugh out loud. It was pure joy.

What foundational things shape who you are as chefs?

Erin: For me, it's food memories. I hear Mateo talk about his family recipes that have been passed on for generations, and I can't relate to that because we weren't a family of recipes. My mom would have magazine clippings, my grandma has a whole recipe book of just clippings from different things. So there's no true recipe that defines our family.

For me, it's food memories like my grandma who lived in Omaha. We would visit her towards the end of July when peaches would be so ripe, and she would make us peach pie for breakfast. That for me is my way of having peach pie, only when I can get those beautiful Colorado peaches or local peaches. One bite puts me right back in her kitchen.

We respect the seasons, we're not serving fresh blueberry pie in January. We're intentional about our food, making sure we recognize not only history but where our food is headed.

Mateo: Food memories are always with me wherever I go, but it's also youth empowerment. I want to be a shining light for someone who loves food but doesn't know how to get into cooking. We open up our space for people to come in and get a taste of what that's like.

My basics culinary professor ended up showing up in the restaurant recently, I haven't seen him in 20 years. I just started crying. This man is so amazing. He cooked at Le Bernardin, went to the White House to meet Michelle Obama, started No Kid Hungry in the state of Minnesota. He's starting a post-secondary program at Eden Prairie for younger kids. At 60 years old, passion just pours out of him.

Erin: It was so cool to see Mateo as a student when his professor walked in. As soon as he came in, I was in the bakery, and Mateo was glossy-eyed. I got to sit down with them and watch him listen to his chef. In culinary school, you have one chef that sticks out to you. To see that side of him, he's always a chef to me, but to see him as a student sitting next to his professor, that was probably top five moments of my life.

Mateo: The difference is he ignited the passion inside of me, and that's the reason why I show up and cook every day, to try to get somebody's fire to burn a little bit brighter. At 52 years old, I'm still here before you come and I'm here after you leave. This is hard work, but there's a lot you can benefit from it.

“We're intentional about our food, making sure we recognize not only history but where our food is headed.” - Erin Mackbee

Chefs in their element! photo credit: Caitlin Abrams

Can you share a meaningful moment with guests that's kept you going?

Erin: We have a regular in the bakery, a young woman. We did some pastries for her baby shower in December, and her baby was due two days before Valentine's Day. She had a very traumatic miscarriage the day that the baby was due. The Sunday after, a family member came in to get stuff for the family, so I didn't see her right away, but I gave her a little bouquet of flowers.

The Friday after Valentine's Day, she came in and there was a line of people. We saw each other through the window and she skipped the line. I met her halfway into the bakery, and I've never clung onto someone or had someone cling onto me as hard as she did. We don't really know each other, I just know her first name from ordering, but we had this connection through food.

She sobbed for a minute. It was one of those moments where people around us kept moving because they knew this had to happen. That moment will forever be instilled in why I get up at midnight some days, why we work 20-hour days. That one connection where you made someone's life a smidgen better on their lowest day, they knew they could come to us. Never underestimate the power of flour and flower. Humans need carbs to get through it. And hugs. And beauty.

Mateo: For me, working with groups of students in different places, they end up coming in to eat or we go there and I cook with them, and you can see their progress. One of them just reached out asking if she could do a stage with us. It's a young lady we've been working with for two years. Those are the things that mean the most to me, going from "I don't think I can" to "maybe I think I can do this" mentality. If they go from that to focusing more because they want to be successful, that's everything.

You've worked with Brother Aelred from St. John’s and done events at the abbey before. What makes it such a special place for Story Feast?

Erin: I'm not religious at heart, I view it in a different way. So I always get a little apprehensive when I'm around folks that live faith every day. But the love that Brother Aelred and Sister Thomasette and all these nuns and brothers bring to us is without condition. I've never been treated so well in my life than we have been in this community.

Every time I see Brother Aelred, we spend 20 minutes talking about something, and it always makes my day so much brighter. It's been so much fun working with the nuns too. Everybody is so kind and checks in with you first, then moves on to what they need. In an industry where everybody only cares about what's coming next, when is that getting fired, I don't care how you're doing, it's been so refreshing to be immersed in all of it.

Mateo: My relationship to religion has always been about relationships. The relationships we've built are the cornerstone of everything. I can't say how many times people walk by the kitchen wanting to say hi, give you a pat on the head, a hug, a thank you. It pushes you right back to why we're here and what we're supposed to be doing.

When people leave and go to other events and spaces, they're like, "This is amazing. You guys are crazy. What are you doing out there?" When I saw the name and I was like, "That's us." Eleven years together, cooking together from two months after meeting, we ARE the story feast. Being part of this isn't serendipitous. It's faith. It was written before we got here. I always attribute all of that to the Holy Spirit. That's my spirituality, very Holy Spirit driven. She's all about the details, and she's making all this happen and bringing it all together.

Learn more about Chef Mateo’s restaurant Krewe →

Learn more about Chef Erin’s bakery Flour & Flower →

Read "From Krewe to the Abbey: The Mackbees' Harvest Homecoming" in Minnesota Monthly →

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Every Wednesday in my Substack newsletter, What’s Good Here, I share a new, well-tested recipe alongside guides, how-tos, interviews with inspiring people, and stories about what it means to live a good life. Every other Friday I also share five original recipes plus a step-by-step guide to host a Fantasy Feast inspired by your favorite movies, books and television shows.

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Interested in partnering with us for a future gathering? See partnership opportunities →

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In the Press: Minnesota Monthly Covers Story Feast

Chefs Erin and Mateo Mackbee of Krewe Restaurant and Flour & Flower Bakery at the Story Feast celebration

"From Krewe to the Abbey: The Mackbees' Harvest Homecoming"

We're honored that Minnesota Monthly sent writer Taycier Elhindi to cover our inaugural Story Feast gathering at St. John's Abbey. The resulting feature captures the spirit of the evening beautifully and tells a story that goes far beyond a single dinner.

About the Article

Taycier first met Chefs Mateo and Erin Mackbee in 2020, when they had just opened Krewe Restaurant and Flour & Flower Bakery in the small town of St. Joseph, Minnesota. The world was in flux. No one knew what the future would hold, let alone whether a small-town restaurant and bakery would survive.

Five years later, Taycier found herself in the back halls of St. John's Abbey, watching the same two chefs plate braised short ribs and three-day roasted chicken before stepping onto the dining floor to a standing ovation.

The article traces their journey, from a radical act of faith in 2020 to a full-circle moment in 2025.

A Few Excerpts

On the evening itself:

"At sunset on Nov. 1, the historic halls of St. John's Abbey filled with a deep reverence toward the Benedictine laws and principles on which it was built. Low lighting and long candlelit tables stretched under arched ceilings dressed with jars of hand-made pickles, local ceramic-ware, and a healthy share of Brother Justus Whiskey."

On what drives Mateo and Erin:

"While the chefs aren't particularly religious, Mateo describes 'feed thy neighbor' as a steady undercurrent in their work. 'The idea of turning water into wine, or the story of fishes and loaves are teachings that guide us,' he says. 'It's not something we preach, but it's definitely a silent driver.'"

On the menu:

"'We wanted it to feel familiar,' Mateo explains. 'Nothing obscure, dishes people could revisit or even recreate at home. Old-world tones with new-world twists.' The menu serves as an homage to the land's abundance and ability to produce sustenance, one of the many reasons the monks settled there all those years ago."

On what it meant to the Mackbees:

"'It's incredible. The people that came out tonight. Some drove an hour or more just to be here. I'm just grateful. To do what we love and have this kind of response is what everybody dreams of. This is a Super Bowl moment for us.'"

Read the Full Article

Taycier's piece is an inspired meditation on community, craft, and what it means to build something that lasts.

Read "From Krewe to the Abbey: The Mackbees' Harvest Homecoming" in Minnesota Monthly →

My newsletter

Every Wednesday in my Substack newsletter, What’s Good Here, I share a new, well-tested recipe alongside guides, how-tos, interviews with inspiring people, and stories about what it means to live a good life. Every other Friday I also share five original recipes plus a step-by-step guide to host a Fantasy Feast inspired by your favorite movies, books and television shows.

Subscribe to What's Good Here →

Interested in partnering with us for a future gathering? See partnership opportunities →

Interested in joining a future gathering? See upcoming events →

What's In Your Bag? Our Approach to Goody Bags

Root Beer from Stillwater-based Lift Bridge Brewery was included in our well-stocked goody bag!

From our inaugural Story Feast Gathering at St. John's Abbey in Minnesota

Let's be honest: most event goody bags are forgettable. A few branded pens, some promotional flyers, maybe a granola bar. You toss it in the back of your car and forget about it by the time you get home.

That's not what we do.

A Celebration, Not a Promotion

At Story Feast, the goody bag is an extension of the gathering itself, a way to carry the evening home with you. Every item is chosen with care: things to eat, to drink, to savor long after the candles have burned down and the table has been cleared.

No junk. No logos on cheap plastic. No flyers for things you'll never read.

Just beautiful, high-quality products from the people and places that made the evening possible.

The St. John's Abbey Goody Bag

When guests left our inaugural gathering, they carried home:

• A ceramic whiskey tumbler from Maine Prairie Studio — handmade especially for the event to accompany whiskey from Brother Justus Whiskey

• TÖST — the nonalcoholic sparkling beverage served throughout the dinner

• Lift Bridge Brewery Root Beer — a Minnesota classic. Lift Bridge was a Story Feast partner and we served their fantastic beer during dinner and then sent guests home with a nonalcoholic product from this must-visit brewery in Stillwater

• Honey from St. John's Abbey — harvested on the monastery grounds and included in Chefs Mateo and Erin Mackbee’s dishes throughout the evening.

• Baked goods from Flour & Flower Bakery — made by Chef Erin Mackbee

• Housemade pickles from Krewe — made by Chef Mateo Mackbee and also served throughout dinner

• Kombucha from Northstar Kombucha — in a variety of flavors and also served throughout dinner

• And more!

The only problem? The bags were so stuffed that guests had to hold them from the bottom. We genuinely worried they might break.

That's the kind of problem we're happy to have!

Why It Matters

A Story Feast gathering isn't just a meal. It's an experience, one that we hope stays with you. The goody bag is our way of extending that feeling: a reminder of the place, the people, the flavors, and the stories you shared.

When you open a jar of those pickles a week later, or pour a glass of that kombucha on a quiet evening at home, we want you to remember the candlelight, the conversation, the moment you realized you were sitting next to someone who would become a friend.

Every future gathering will include a goody bag like this, a celebration of the place and the people who came together to create something unforgettable.

You'll leave happy. You'll leave content. And you'll leave with something worth keeping.

My newsletter

Every Wednesday in my Substack newsletter, What’s Good Here, I share a new, well-tested recipe alongside guides, how-tos, interviews with inspiring people, and stories about what it means to live a good life. Every other Friday I also share five original recipes plus a step-by-step guide to host a Fantasy Feast inspired by your favorite movies, books and television shows.

Subscribe to What's Good Here →

Interested in partnering with us for a future gathering? See partnership opportunities →

Interested in joining a future gathering? See upcoming events →

See the Menu: A Harvest Feast at St. John's Abbey

Vespers cocktail creation during the Story Feast cocktail hour at our St. John’s Abbey gathering.

For our first-ever Story Feast, we gathered 180 guests in the historic dining hall at St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, the same room that has sheltered Benedictine monks for generations.

The meal was created by Mateo and Erin Mackbee, the husband-and-wife team behind Krewe Restaurant and Flour & Flower Bakery in nearby St. Joseph, Minnesota. Mateo is a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Midwest. Erin's Flour & Flower was named one of the best bakeries in America by The New York Times in 2024.

But their impact goes far beyond awards. Since opening in 2020, Mateo and Erin have become anchors of the St. Joseph community: confronting social justice issues, championing local producers and other culinary establishments in the region, and proving that a small-town restaurant can change the culture around it and inspire community members to create a support system rooted in empathy, kindness, and of course, incredible food! Their food honors both ancestry and a circular economy that sustains itself and thrives.

Their presence at our table made this gathering unforgettable and we were so honored that they created this extraordinary, carefully planned meal and joined us at the Story Feast table!

As Minnesota Monthly wrote: "The dinner served as a meditation on community, craft, and care."

Read the full Minnesota Monthly article about our event and to learn more about Chefs Erin and Mateo

Read Jody Eddy’s interview with Chefs Erin and Mateo

The St. John’s Abbey Story Feast Menu

A Multi-Course Family-Style Feast Inspired by Minnesota Traditions & Seasons

Shared Bites

• Walleye Rillettes on Rye Crisps

• Wild Rice Arancini with Cranberry Compote

• Pickled Garden Accents

Salads & Bread

• Seasonal Harvest Salad

• Roasted Beet Salad with Horseradish Cream

• Rustic Breads & Compound Butters

Main Platters

• Braised Short Ribs with Juniper Jus

• Maple-Glazed Roast Chicken

• Foraged Mushroom & Barley Casserole

Sides

• Charred Carrots with Maple & Hazelnuts

• Seasonal Grain Pilaf

• Corn Grits with Smoked Chili Oil

Desserts

• Honeycrisp Apple Galette with Cardamom Cream

• Church Basement Sweet Bar Sampler

My newsletter

Every Wednesday in my Substack newsletter, What’s Good Here, I share a new, well-tested recipe alongside guides, how-tos, interviews with inspiring people, and stories about what it means to live a good life. Every other Friday I also share five original recipes plus a step-by-step guide to host a Fantasy Feast inspired by your favorite movies, books and television shows.

Subscribe to What's Good Here →

Interested in partnering with us for a future gathering? See partnership opportunities →

Interested in joining a future gathering? See upcoming events →