The Creative Force Behind Spoonriver

Award winning chef and restaurateur Brenda Langton, is a pioneer of the fresh, local sustainable food trend receiving so much attention today. She opened her first restaurant, Cafe Kardamena, in 1978 in St. Paul, MN featuring gourmet vegetarian cuisine and fresh seafood at a time when most American eating was still mired in a meat and potatoes past. Brenda was inspired both by the co-op movement and by her extensive travels in Europe where the markets and restaurants she encountered were rooted in local ingredients.

In 1985 she opened the eponymous Cafe Brenda in downtown Minneapolis where she continued to provide innovative vegetarian dining on a larger scale. It quickly became a top Twin Cities destination and received acclaim on both a local and national level.

The Cafe Brenda Cookbook – redefining seafood and vegetarian cuisine, was published in 1992 and has become a popular standard for healthy home cooking. Deborah Madison calls it "an appealing collection of recipes that promises to deliver abundant flavor."

Brenda opened her third restaurant, Spoonriver, in 2006 with a broader palate including grass-fed beef, lamb and naturally raised pork from Minnesota sources. In her new venture, she still relies on the finest, freshest local produce as the foundation of her seasonal menus.

Brenda is also the creator of the Mill City Farmers´ Market located just outside Spoonriver on the plaza shared with the Guthrie Theater. Overlooking the Mississippi, the market specializes in an array of vendors committed to local, sustainable and organic farming and products.

Brenda shares the breadth of her knowledge and experience as a culinary instructor, speaker and consultant on healthy diet. She´s been a repeat judge for the James Beard Foundation´s annual cookbook awards and is in demand as an adviser on product development to the food industry and Minnesota-based national retailers.

Brenda lives in Minneapolis with her husband and business partner, Timothy Kane and their daughter, Celina.

©2007 Spoonriver Restaurant