Each season, participating youth tap into their cultural heritage, creativity and curious nature about food to develop our tasty Roots salads. These are their stories and recipes.
Appetite For Change
Four Elements
Aaliyah, Tyrell, Arleah and Esha with Appetite for Change teamed up with Chef Maurice Wallace of Breaking Bread Cafe and Catering to create a salad that honors the four founders of their organization plus the four elements of nature: Earth – arugula and quinoa, Fire – habanero chiles, water – tomatoes and mangoes and Wind – sweet yellow peppers as a breath of fresh air. Put them all together and you have a salad Mother Nature is proud to stand alongside.
Appetite For Change
Purple Rain
How do you offer a fitting tribute to someone so deeply “rooted” in Minnesota culture as Prince? For LaTaijah, Nacory, Leonna and John with Appetite for Change, the challenge was to get as many delicious purple-hued fruits and veggies into one fabulous salad bowl. With help from Chef Bertrand Weber, Director, Culinary and Nutrition Services at Minneapolis Public Schools, they pulled it off. Blueberries, beets, purple cabbage get it going. A raspberry vinaigrette seals the deal. We think Prince would have found their creativity and hard work worth singing about.
Dream of the Wild Health
Two Sisters
Chef Brian Yazzie from The Sioux Chef worked with Jennifer, Tayah, Anna and Chaska from Dream of Wild Health to create a salad that incorporates two ingredients vital to Native people – beans and squash. Their creation includes vegetables grown on their 10-acre farm in Hugo, with wild rice sourced from tribal communities in Minnesota. It’s an amazing mix from an amazing group of Native American youth.
Dream of the Wild Health
WOJAPI MANOOMIN
Wojapi is a traditional sauce made from blueberries or chokecherries. Partnered with nutty wild rice (manoomin), it creates a perfect complement to the fresh, crunchy veggies and sweet strawberries grown on Dream of Wild Health’s farm. Miisko, Faith and Joseph with Dream of Wild Health worked with renowned Sean Sherman, The Sioux Chef, to incorporate these Native ingredients into a fresh and tasty salad mix. It’s topped up with maple syrup-glazed sunflower seeds. The Lakota word for delicious is “cho”, says Miisko. And this salad surely is.
Urban Roots
Kickin' it Filipino
Working together to explore their favorite aspects of Asian cuisine, Marquise, Michael and Zarea, of Urban Roots, worked with Chef Chris Her of Union Kitchen, to feature Hmong-American flavors. Carrots, radishes, cilantro, bok choy and rice noodles are accented by the addition of spicy sautéed green beans. Fold in a creamy tamarind, coconut milk, chili dressing and yes, this salad is absolutely kickin’ it!
Urban Roots
Rockin Moroccan
The creative juices were flowing between Chef Justin Sutherland of Handsome Hog and Sai, Cecilia and Pachia from Urban Roots as they searched for a dish that offered elements of Hispanic and Hmong cuisines (cultures represented in this team of youth). They found the sweet spot with Moroccan flavors – a spicy mix of chickpeas, fennel, bell peppers, cumin, cilantro and tomatoes. The tahini & harissa dressing takes it over the top. “It’s the perfect mix of delicious!” according to these budding top-shelf chefs.
Urban Ventures
Dreaming of Veggies Soup
Give a warm welcome to a Roots’ first, hearty bowlfuls of soup for game days when the weather feels especially – well, Minnesotan. Urban Ventures’ Leslie and Franklin teamed up to recreate a favorite soup recipe Leslie remembers her grandmother making from vegetables grown her Mexican garden. Chef Geo Aparicio from Delaware North, who is a native Guatemalan, was a kindred spirit and guiding hand to help bring those happy memories to Target Field. It’s a memorable bowl of goodness from grandma.
Urban Ventures
GUATEMALAN REMOLACHA
The name of this salad may be a bit of a tongue-twister, but eating it is guaranteed to untwist it and make your taste buds quite happy. Victory, Carlos and Randy from Urban Ventures teamed up with Chef Daniel Klein of Perennial Plate to channel flavors from their Hispanic neighborhood and ingredients from their prolific farms in Lakeville and on the Greenway. Roasted golden beets and green lentils are mixed with a combo of pickled cauliflower, carrots and onions. Dress it with a lime, cumin vinaigrette and, as the youth say, “Sabe Rico!”
Urban Ventures
Zesty Midtown Greenway
“I used to avoid eating kale and other green veggies, but now that I grow it on our farm, I love it,” says Urban Ventures’ Citlally. She and Maddi worked with Pam Powell of Salad Girl Fresh Organic Salad Dressings to create a mix that’s chock-full of ingredients the youth grow themselves, including kale, Swiss chard, kohlrabi and watermelon radishes. Toss in dried cranberries, hearty sorghum and zesty lemon-rosemary nuts from local food entrepreneur Tasya Kelen of Isadore Nuts and it’s a tasty dish you’ll love too. Bonus points: Their lime, cumin dressing contains honey from bees the youth keep at their farm.
ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET
96% of Roots youth feel they now have new directions and ways they can use their skills.
Get Involved with Roots
Step up to the plate and become a ROOTS Youth, Supporter or Mentor.
Become a Roots Food Partner or Program Sponsor
Are you an Urban Farm or food supplier? Are you a retail business interested in selling ROOTS salads? Would you like to serve Roots salads at your next event?
Volunteer as a Youth Mentor or Chef Coach
Would you join one of our workshops to discuss your professional career experience and pathway? Are you a chef who would share your talent by guiding ROOTS youth as they create their salad recipes?
Donate
Simply put, money makes many experiences more attainable. Roots for the Home Team does everything in its power to clear pathways to success for our youth. Will you join our team to make these bright futures all the easier to reach?
Become a ROOTS Youth
All Roots for the Home Team participants connect with our organization through Minneapolis and St. Paul urban farms. Are you a teen interested in joining Roots for the Home Team? Check out our youth Garden Program partners.