Håkan Lundberg
Swedish Meatballs courtesy of the Lundberg Family!
Grilling with Hakan!
Cooking with Hakan
The Minneapolis Club Kitchen Gets Ready to Send 2019 Out with Panache
To plan for 2020, Håkan Lundberg is keeping one eye on the past. What worked, what didn’t, what guests enjoy most and how the Minneapolis Club has changed – he devotes as much time to thinking about where the Club’s cuisine is now as where he wants to help take it in the future.
“I definitely look at what worked in previous years,” Håkan says. “If there’s something we do and I get a lot of positive feedback on it, I don’t mind repeating that.”
The annual Open House, a make-your-own pizza event in the kitchen and other favorites could get a chance to return. But that doesn’t mean Håkan and his staff won’t try new things in the coming year – just that he knows how to make a good thing last.
“Everything kind of runs its course,” he says. “You get a couple years out of something and then members want to experience something new. But if I find something they really enjoy, I try to give them as much of that as I can.”
Chef recently shared some of his culinary secrets with eager members during his cooking demo in the third-floor kitchen. His first secret? After your food is in the pre-heated pan, just let it be. Resist that urge to stir, nudge or flip. Other secrets revealed included how to slow roast tenderloin so even when guests are late, you can serve a perfect meal. Want to learn more? Stay tuned for Håkan’s Culinary Class, new in 2020.
“Everything kind of runs its course”
In the nearer term (Thanksgiving and Christmas, for example), Håkan has high hopes for the kitchen – so high that he doesn’t want to mention some of his plans in case they don’t pan out in 2019. Growing up in Sweden, he didn’t grow up celebrating Thanksgiving, but he knows how important the holidays are to members and guests of the Minneapolis Club in particular.
The Club’s kitchen staff is diligent about creating beautiful buffets and menus to excite and impress; about buffets that help families connect over their favorite flavors; about helping members forge new friendships over a tasty side dish.
Before putting 2019 in the rearview, Håkan hopes to give the Club a few more memories by filling plates with classic dishes and new favorites. To schedule your private party or find out more about holiday cuisine at the Club, call Catering at (612) 334-0218 or get in touch with Jodie (jodiew@mplsclub.org) or Ashley (ashleyb@mplsclub.org).
Kitchen Table Dinners Create Fun with an Unforgettable Experience
The cuisine of the Minneapolis Club has been heralded as some of the world’s very best by members and visitors alike. From daily meals, catered events and custom menus, seriously good food awaits. For those times when you’re looking for pure fun with something a little adventurous, that’s where Kitchen Table dinners come in.
Suitable for parties of two to 12, Kitchen Table dinners give you and your guests a unique peek behind the kitchen door and into the processes that help make the Club’s cuisine so well-renowned. “Every one is different,” says Chef Håkan Lundberg. “The only thing that stays the same between Kitchen Tables is that they’re all in the kitchen.”
To hear Håkan say it, Kitchen Table meals are more than just a new location in which to eat the same food; they create “new ways to eat” and equally fleeting flavors. “Some of the dishes featured at Kitchen Tables are once-in-a-lifetime,” he says. By that, he means that the chef in charge of the meal – whether it’s Håkan or a sous chef – can express a bit of themselves through the menu.
While preparations are made to suit the party (including identifying dietary restrictions and general dislikes), Kitchen Tables exist to surprise diners. “Sometimes, it’s a dish I was particularly in the mood for,” Håkan says of the myriad menu possibilities. Other times, it’s influenced by the day, time or season – but always with the intent to bring something new and unique to the party’s plates.
The seven to nine courses in a typical Kitchen Table (including appetizers and dessert) are tentpoled by what Håkan calls “familiar” and “comfortable” flavors – favorite entrées that anchor the meal and deliver the mouth-watering flavors Minneapolis Club members have long enjoyed. In between is where he says the meals get more surprising and exciting; for example, though the main course at a recent Kitchen Table was steak, a special shrimp dish served between courses was a highlight of the menu for diners.
There’s something else a Kitchen Table dinner provides that you can’t get in the Grill or even with a custom menu: interactivity. Based on what’s being prepared for your party, you can be part of taking it from parts to plate. Håkan said that can include stirring stock, plating and even simple meat preparation. Everything about Kitchen Table is in service of creating a memorable event for Club members and their guests.
“You don’t have to be a foodie,” Håkan says. “You just have to be curious and open-minded. Maybe a little adventurous.”