At Food of the North, we believe food can change the world. Our mission is to celebrate, connect and empower our local food community in Fargo-Moorhead, and beyond.
First Fridays at B: Past Speakers
November 2019: food preservation
The November edition of First Fridays focused on food preservation and featured area experts Markus Krueger (Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County), Rita Ussatis (NDSU Extension - Cass County), and Kevin Struxness (Hairy Hippie Pickling Company).
Click here for an excerpt from the conversation via Prairie Public’s Main Street program.
October 2019: on apples
To celebrate fall and all the delicious foods that go along with it, our October Edition of First Fridays was all about apples.
We welcomed Sam DeMarais (Fargo Park District), Stacy Nelson-Heising (Cottonwood Cider House) and Ethan Henning (Wild Terra Cider) to the stage to share their expertise on cider, craft, and care.
September 2019: school lunch
To commemorate the start of school, we kicked off our FOURTH season with a conversation focused on school lunch.
Our event featured Greg Gefroh (Fargo Public Schools), Dana Hanson-Rieth (West Fargo Public Schools), and Kara Gloe (Moorhead Public Schools Board Member / PB&J Fundraiser Co-founder)
L to R: Peter Schultz, Netha Cloether and Bryan Bishop
June 2019: pollinators
In honor of National Pollinator Month, our final First Fridays of season three focused on the importance of pollinators.
Our event featured local experts Bryan Bishop (Concordia College), Peter Schultz (Longspur Prairie Fund) and Netha Cloether (Plains Art Museum / Plains Buzz Lab).
L to R: Don Kinzler, Jeff Miller, and Nola Storm
May 2019: On Gardening
In honor of spring finally arriving, our topic for the May edition of First Fridays was gardening!
We welcomed Jeffrey Miller (Cass County Soil Conservation District), Don Kinzler (InForum, NDSU Extension - Cass County) and Nola J Storm (Growing Together ~ A Community Garden Ministry) to the stage to share their knowledge on gardening in the Red River Valley.
April 2019: On GLEANING
Our April edition of First Fridays focused on gleaning - the ancient act of gathering excess food after the harvest to reduce waste & feed the hungry.
We welcomed Nancy E Carriveau (Great Plains Food Bank), Janice Tweet (GleaND) and Joe Morken (Morken Farm) to the stage to share perspectives on how gleaning can help strengthen our local food community.
L to R: Rory Beil, Mary Larson, and Michelle Draxton
March 2019: food and wellness
In honor of National Nutrition Month, the March edition of First Fridays focused on food and wellness.
We welcomed public health experts Michelle Draxten (Fargo Cass Public Health), Rory Beil (Clay County Public Health Center) and Mary Larson (North Dakota State University) to the stage to share perspectives on how the food around us shapes us.
NOTE: the stage featured in the above video is the set for Theatre B’s current show, Blackbird.
L to R: Lisa Gibson, Kyle Armitage, and Nichole Hensen
February 2019: food worker shortage
Our third season of First Fridays kicked off with a special “On the Road” edition focusing on the food worker shortage in Fargo-Moorhead, our region, and beyond.
Event featured Kyle Armitage (North Dakota State College of Science), Lisa Gibson (Sanford) and Nichole Hensen (Nichole’s Fine Pastry).
Click here to listen to excerpt from conversation via Prairie Public’s Main Street program.
L to R: Andrea Baumgardner, Patty Vetter, and Travis Rosenbuth
december 2018: chef life
Our final First Fridays of the 2018 season focused on three local chefs: Andrea Baumgardner of BernBaum's, Patricia Hanson Vetter of Prairie St John's Hospital, and Travis Rosenbluth of Harvestable.
L to R: Ross and Amber Lockhart, Jaclyn Weber, and Sam Rydell
November 2018: The stories of farmers
Our November edition of First Fridays featured the stories of farmers in our community.
Special thanks to Sam Rydell of Nurtured Plains Farm, Amber & Ross Lockhart of Heart and Soil Farm, and Jaclyn Weber of Folcstede Farms for dedicating your lives to growing + sharing fresh, local food.
October 2018: Red River market
Our October First Fridays focused on how food and commerce can build community. Our featured presentation was by Joseph Burgum and Simone Wai of Folkways.
As co-founders and organizers of the Red River Market, they shared a behind-the-scenes look at the Market, including the history and value of public markets, the art of creative place-making, small business incubation, and why the Red River Market is much more than just a farmers market.
Andrew Flory, Stacie Loegering, and Melissa Sobolik
September 2018: hunger action month
The September edition of First Fridays at B focused on hunger in Fargo-Moorhead, and featured Melissa Sobolik of the Great Plains Food Bank, Stacie Loegering of the Emergency Food Pantry, and Andrew Flory of Dorothy Day Food Pantry.
Deb Kluck, Leola Dahl, and Kayla Pridmore
MAY 2018: HEART-N-SOUL COMMUNITY CAFE
The May edition of First Fridays at B featured a presentation by our friends at Heart-N-Soul Community Cafe and included Leola Dahl (founder), Deb Kluck (volunteer), & Kayla Pridmore (farmer/chef/volunteer).
April 2018: Incubator kitchens & new food businesses
The April edition of First Fridays at B featured presentations by Casey Steele, founder and owner of Square One Rental Kitchen & Events and three food entrepreneurs that have found homes and success operating out of Square One: Jeremiah and Rachel Utecht (Off The Deck Hot Sauce and Flannel Fizz) and Megan Lewis (Milk Made).
Click here to listen to excerpt from conversation via Prairie Public’s Main Street program.
Megan Lewis, Rachel and Jeremiah Utecht, Casey Steele
march 2018: cultural diversity resources and international potluck fargo
Our March First Fridays at B featured two presentations: Yoke-sim Guarantee of Cultural Diversity Resources and Peter Schott of International Potluck Fargo.
Cultural Diversity Resources has served as an intercultural bridge to connect diverse communities in Fargo-Moorhead since 1994. With growing multi-cultural populations, the goal of Cultural Diversity Resources is to inform, educate and assist everyone.
The International Potluck is a group of people interested in connecting with others through shared food and stories.
February 2018: prairie Roots food co-op
Our February First Fridays at B featured a presentation by Kaye Kirsch, Abby Gold and Joleen Baker of Prairie Roots Food Co-op.
Prairie Roots Food Co-op is a grocery store in the Red River Valley that is a one-stop shop for all your natural, organic and local food. Everyone is welcome to shop at the co-op, but owners get special benefits and discounts.
january 2018: growing together ~ a community garden ministry
Our inaugural First Fridays at B featured a presentation by Jack Wood, Nola Storm and Simeon Bakunda of Growing Together ~ A Community Garden Ministry.
Growing Together was founded in 2006 as a project of Olivet Lutheran Church. Its mission is to provide a safe space for our New American neighbors to meet new friends while growing food and relationships. In 2017 Growing Together had six garden across the Fargo-Moorhead community, and supported 150 families growing 57,000 pounds of food on 93,000 square feet.
Following the First Fridays program, Jack Wood was honored with a surprise proclamation by Mayor Tim Mahoney declaring January 5 “Jack Wood Day” for his contributions to the Fargo-Moorhead community. [Read the Mayoral Proclamation]