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 →

Recipes: Turkey Tinga and Charred Tomatillo Salsa Recipes (as featured on The Splendid Table)

Turkey Tinga, photo from Elysian Kitchens, photo credit, Kristin Teig

Honey-Glazed Turkey Tinga

From Elysian Kitchens, as featured on The Splendid Table

Brother Pedro Alvarez, a monk from Mexico, introduced this dish to Saint John's. The honey is the monastery's own; the turkey, wild and donated by local hunters. It's comforting in winter and perfect for a summer barbecue.

Serves 4 | Preparation Time: 2½ hours (it’s worth it, promise!)

Ingredients

For the tinga:

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless turkey breasts, cut into six pieces

• ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

• 4 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

• 2 ribs celery, chopped

• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• Leaves from 5 oregano sprigs, coarsely chopped

• Leaves from 5 thyme sprigs

• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds

• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 (7-ounce) cans chipotles in adobo, coarsely chopped

• 6 ounces adobo sauce

• 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, undrained

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 cup chicken stock

To serve:

• 16 flour tortillas

• Queso fresco, crumbled

• Tomatillo Salsa (recipe below)

• Sour cream

• Avocado chunks

• Finely sliced scallions

Directions

Season the turkey all over with salt and pepper and slather with 2 tablespoons honey. Place in an even layer in a slow cooker.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, thyme, cocoa, cumin, cayenne, and bay leaf and sauté until aromatic, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chipotles in adobo, adobo sauce, tomatoes with their juices, tomato paste, stock, and remaining 2 tablespoons honey and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the turkey, cover, and cook on low until very tender, about 2 hours.

Transfer the turkey to a plate. Discard the bay leaf. Once cool enough to handle, shred the turkey into bite-size pieces and stir back into the sauce.

Serve in warm tortillas topped with queso fresco, tomatillo salsa, sour cream, avocado, and scallions.

Brother Aelred’s Tomatillo Salsa, photo credit: Jody Eddy

Brother Aelred's Tomatillo Salsa

Makes about 1 quart | Time: 45 minutes

Brother Aelred makes a big batch each fall when the tomatillos and chiles are in season. His tip: char the skins until they're black and blistered. The smoky note really makes it sing.

Ingredients

• 7 large green chiles (Hatch, Anaheim, or poblano)

• 3 small green chiles (serrano or jalapeño)

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

• ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

• 12 tomatillos

• 1 small white onion, coarsely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

• 1 bunch cilantro, leaves and stems coarsely chopped

• 1½ cups chicken stock

Directions

Preheat the broiler.

Brush the chiles with olive oil and season with salt. Arrange on a broiler-safe baking sheet and broil until blistered, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Once cooled, remove the charred skins (they should slip right off), stems, and seeds. Coarsely chop.

Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse. Place in a pot, cover with water by 5 inches, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender and slightly olive in color, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of cooking water.

Combine the chiles, tomatillos, onion, garlic, and cilantro in a blender with ½ cup of the reserved water. Blend until a chunky puree forms.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Carefully add the salsa and stock and bring to a vigorous simmer. Reduce heat and simmer to your desired consistency. Season with salt.

Cool to room temperature before serving. Keeps refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.

Recipe excerpted from "Elysian Kitchens: Recipes Inspired by the Traditions and Tastes of the World's Sacred Spaces" by Jody Eddy. Copyright 2024. Used with permission of W.W. Norton & Company.

Order Elysian Kitchens →

Listen & Learn More

In November 2024, The Splendid Table featured Elysian Kitchens and Saint John's Abbey. You can hear me discuss the book, Brother Aelred, the recipes here, and Minnesota in the interview below.

Listen to The Splendid Table episode →

Listen to The Splendid Table supplement on Instagram →

Read more about Brother Aelred in The Central Minnesota Catholic →

Read more about the Story Feast collaboration with Brother Aelred Senna →

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 →

In the Press: Coming Home: Story Feast in the Place Where It All Began

With my grandfather Peter Bragelman (and a very unfortunate haircut) after a fishing trip on Mille Lacs Lake in Minnesota where my grandparents had a cabin. photo: Evelyn Bragelman

Reflections on Our Inaugural gathering at St. John's Abbey

A few weeks after our gathering at St. John's Abbey, writer Dianne Towalski published a piece in The Central Minnesota Catholic about my career and the event. Reading it felt like watching my life play back in a way I hadn't quite seen before, the threads connecting my grandparents' kitchen to monastery kitchens on four continents, and finally back to Minnesota.

I'm so grateful to Dianne for taking the time to listen, to ask the right questions, and to tell this story with such care.

Read the full article: "St. Cloud native 'will travel for food'" →

Where It Started

I grew up in St. Cloud. I went to Sts. Peter and Paul School, then Tech High School, before leaving for the University of Minnesota, followed by five years of outdoor adventures in Seattle, and eventually culinary school in New York. But before any of that there was my grandpa, my grandma, and my mom.

With my amazing culinary school classmates at Manhattan’s Institute of Culinary Education. I genuinely love these people and many of them are still close friends. The people who cook together stick together!

My grandpa was a food lover before the concept was celebrated like it is today. He once drove us to South Dakota on a whim because he'd heard of something called a bison burger and wanted to try it. His curiosity about food, where it came from, who made it, what made it taste the way it did, shaped everything about how I move through the world. "Will travel for food" started with him.

My grandma was an incredible cook. We spent hours together canning vegetables from my grandpa's garden, wrapping fish in waxed white butcher’s paper for the basement freezer, making meals from whatever we'd harvested or caught that day. She taught me that cooking is how you take care of people.

And my mom, she made stained glass as a hobby and would sell her creations at the fiddling contest and art sale that St. John's used to host each year. That's how we spent our weekends: walking around the lake at St. John’s, taking in the fall leaves, stopping in for Johnny bread or maple syrup or honey.

For special occasions, midnight Mass, holidays, we always went to St. John's. It felt magical to be there.

They Were There

When I stood in the Great Hall last November, watching 180 guests gather for dinner in the same space where monks have shared community for generations, I felt their absence. My grandma, my grandpa, my mom, all of them gone now.

But I also felt their presence.

I know they were there somehow. Enjoying it right alongside me. Watching us bring together everything they'd taught me, about food, about curiosity, about gathering people at a table and making them feel welcome.

St. John's will always be theirs as much as it is mine.

Prepping for a photoshoot at Art Culinaire. Freezing on Grimsey Island on the Arctic Circle, three hours by ferry north of Iceland, with Chef Gunnar Karl Gislason of Dill in Reykjavik. Gunnar and I wrote the cookbooks North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland and The Hygge Life together. This was the final day of a two year shoot for North so even though it was bitter cold, we were happy!

Thank You

To Dianne Towalski, for telling this story so beautifully. To Brother Aelred Senna, who helped bring the event to life and who understood from the beginning what we were trying to create. To Mateo and Erin Mackbee, who cooked a meal worthy of the setting. To every guest who joined us.

And to my grandparents and my mom, for giving me a roadmap.

Read the full article in The Central Minnesota Catholic →

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 →