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 →

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.

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

Interested in joining a future gathering? See upcoming events →

Partner Spotlight: TÖST Sparkling NonAlcoholic Beverage

TÖST was served throughout the evening and a bottle was also sent home with every guest in their goody bag

At every Story Feast gathering, we want everyone at the table to feel celebrated, including those who aren't drinking alcohol. Nonalcoholic options shouldn't be an afterthought. They should be just as thoughtful, just as delicious, and just as beautiful in the glass.

That's why we were thrilled to partner with TÖST for our inaugural event at St. John's Abbey.

What Is TÖST?

TÖST is a premium nonalcoholic sparkling beverage crafted with white tea, white cranberry, and ginger. It's dry, not sweet, developed in collaboration with Michelin-starred chefs and James Beard Award winners to pair beautifully with food, just like fine wine.

All-natural ingredients. No artificial flavors. Low sugar, low calorie, and sophisticated enough to hold its own at any table.

It's the kind of drink you actually want in your glass, whether you're driving, sober-curious, abstain from alcohol, or simply choosing not to drink that evening.

TÖST not only tastes fantastic, it paired so well with the colors at our Story Feast dinner!

At St. John's Abbey

Throughout the cocktail hour and dinner, guests sipped TÖST alongside the other beverages we served. It looked elegant, tasted wonderful, and gave everyone something celebratory to raise.

And when guests headed home, each goody bag included a bottle of TÖST to enjoy later… a little reminder of the evening and an invitation to recreate that feeling of celebration at their own table.

Why It Mattered

Hospitality means making everyone feel included. At Story Feast, we believe the drink in your hand shouldn't determine whether you feel part of the toast. Partnering with TÖST helped us create a table where everyone belonged.

We're so grateful they said yes.

Learn more about TÖST →

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 →

Partner Spotlight: Milk & Honey Cider At St. John’s Abbey

A cider tasting at Milk & Honey Cider, photo: Jody Eddy

Some partnerships begin with an email. This one began with a bonfire.

A few days before our gathering at St. John's Abbey, we drove out to Milk & Honey Ciders, which is just down the road from the abbey, to pick up their contribution to the evening: kegs of their Estate Cider, bottles of their Pommeau, and, at their insistence, the proper tulip glasses to serve it in. They care about how their cider is experienced right down to the shape of the glass.

What I didn't expect was to stay for a tasting by the bonfire.

The Cidery

Milk & Honey sits in the rolling hills of Stearns County, just north of St. Joseph, Minnesota. The taproom overlooks their orchard, rows and rows of heirloom and traditional cider apple trees stretching toward open fields. It's the kind of place where you're invited to walk the grounds, watch the pressing operation, and settle in with a flight while the afternoon disappears.

Founded by Peter Gillitzer and partners, Milk & Honey focuses on dry, tannic, highly aromatic ciders made with minimal intervention. They source heirloom varieties from across the country, apples with names like Calville Blanc d'Hiver, Arkansas Black, and Kingston Black, and blend across multiple years of production. The result is cider that tastes like wine: complex, layered, meant to be savored.

Their motto: Let the apples shine.

That Afternoon

We arrived to pick up the kegs and ended up by the bonfire, tasting few of their crisp, refreshing ciders as the sun dropped behind the orchard. We talked about cider, about community, about what it means to make something by hand in a world that rewards speed.

The next day, they'd be pressing apples in the production room, fruit already harvested, the whole space fragrant with the aroma of bright, fresh apples. I wished I could stay for that. Next time.

Milk & Honey Cider, photo: Jody Eddy

What We Served

At St. John's Abbey, guests enjoyed Milk & Honey's Estate Cider throughout the evening. It’s dry, aromatic, and a perfect counterpoint to the richness of the meal. After dinner, we poured their Pommeau: a blend of apple brandy and fresh-pressed juice aged two years in barrels. Warm, spiritous, with notes of caramel, oak, and dried fruit. Served neat, in those tulip glasses, exactly as intended.

Visit Milk & Honey

The taproom is open Thursday through Sunday, year-round. Bring your own food, order a flight, and settle in. Each season offers something different: cozy winters by the fire, fall harvest energy, summer evenings on the patio. It's worth the drive.

Visit Milk & Honey Ciders →

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 →

Partner Spotlight: Northstar Kombucha at St. John’s Abbey

A bottle of Northstar Kombucha was sent home with every guest in their Story Feast goody bag.

One of the joys of hosting Story Feast gatherings is connecting guests with the makers behind what they're eating and drinking. At St. John's Abbey, that included Northstar Kombucha, a small-batch kombucha company based locally in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Throughout the evening, guests enjoyed Northstar's Raspberry Hibiscus kombucha, bright, refreshing, and a perfect complement to the rich courses coming out of the kitchen. And when they headed home, each guest left with a goody bag with one of the Northstar flavors: Grapefruit Basil, Lavender Ginger, Raspberry Hibiscus, White Peach, Strawberry Rose, Cherry Elderberry, Honey Ginger, and Blueberry Maple.

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A Building Full of Makers

A few days before the event, I drove to pick up the kegs and goody bag bottles myself, and love where Northstar calls home.

They're based in a shared maker space that houses a small community of independent producers, each one crafting something by hand. It's the kind of building where you walk in for kombucha and leave with a deeper appreciation for the people doing the slow, careful work of building something real. This is what Minnesota's food and beverage scene looks like at its best: collaborative, community-rooted, and absolutely extraordinary.

About Northstar Kombucha

Northstar Kombucha is brewed in small batches using organic ingredients and live cultures. Their flavors are creative but balanced, the kind of kombucha you actually want to drink, not just tolerate for the health benefits. Full disclosure, it’s one of my all-time favorite kombucha brands so when they said yes to partnering with us for our inaugural event, I was over the moon!

You can find Northstar at co-ops and specialty grocers across Minnesota, or order directly from their website.

Visit Northstar Kombucha →

Northstar Kombucha’s ginger hibiscus kombucha being served at our Story Feast event at St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota.

A Note on the Founder

We always invite our partners to join us at gatherings and we love when they can share their story directly with guests. One of Northstar's founders, Dan Fischer, couldn't make it to St. John's that night. When I invited him he explained that he was on dad duty with his kids. And honestly? That's exactly the kind of person we want to partner with!

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 →

Recipe: Vespers: A Story Feast Signature Cocktail from Brother Justus Whiskey Founder, Phil Steger

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

Phil Steger founded Brother Justus Whiskey with a simple belief: spirits should bring people together. Based in Minneapolis, Brother Justus is Minnesota's first legal whiskey distillery since Prohibition, and it's built on Benedictine values of community, craftsmanship, and hospitality.

Phil created this cocktail for the inaugural Story Feast gathering at St. John's Abbey in November 2025. The name "Vespers" refers to the evening prayer service observed in monasteries around the world, a moment of pause and reflection as day turns to night. It felt fitting for a meal shared by candlelight in a monastic dining hall.

From Phil: “This is an original cocktail called “Vespers.” It feels fitting for the occasion and the time of day, given that Vespers is the communal divine office prayed by monks in the evening. The build has monastic references too. In addition to Brother Justus, it is also made with Benedictine liqueur, as well as cream sherry and mole bitters. It’s a boozy cocktail, with a lot of richness, but is velvety and smooth, with black coffee color with ruby red refractions in the light. Perfect for end of day reflection and reverie.”

Brother Justus founder Phil Steger during the Story Feast cocktail hour. Phil not only created a signature cocktail for the event, he poured Brother Justus whiskey for our guests throughout the event.

When Megan and JD Jorgenson, founders of Maine Prairie Studio, found out about the whiskey pouring during dunner, they handcrafted a whiskey tumbler for every place setting (it’s the small one on the left). Megan and JD threw every single piece of pottery for our Story Feast event at St. John’s Abbey. It totaled over 1300 pieces of original place settings, serving vessels, water and whiskey tumblers and vases for the table. It was extraordinary.

Not only did Megan and JD craft a whiskey tumbler for every place setting, they also created enough of them to send a tumbler home with every guest in our Story Feast goody bag.

Vespers

Makes 1 cocktail

Preparation time: 5 minutes

The recipe combines American whiskey with Benedictine (a French herbal liqueur originally created by monks) and cream sherry, finished with mole bitters for warmth and depth. It's smooth, contemplative, and best enjoyed slowly, at sunset, with good company.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Brother Justus American Whiskey

• ½ oz Benedictine

• ½ oz Cream Sherry

• 2 dashes mole bitters

• Ice

Method

1. Add whiskey, Benedictine, cream sherry, and bitters to a mixing glass.

2. Fill with ice and stir until well chilled, about 30 seconds.

3. Strain into a coupe or rocks glass.

4. Serve without garnish, or with a single orange twist if you like.

   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 →