Chipotle Cultivate Festival Minneapolis was a success
For the first time in Minneapolis, Chipotle Mexican Grill hosted their Cultivate Festival to celebrate food, ideas, and music. In addition to talks by both local and national celebrity chefs, Alaskan indie-rock band Portugal. The Man headlined the music stage to a massive crowd while the sun tried peaking through the late afternoon clouds that floated above Loring Park.
I arrived mid-afternoon to find Loring Park spilling over with 20-somethings, families, and plenty of dogs. Along with an impressive row of local craft beer and wine vendors that made up the Tasting Hall, spread out across the park were activities for kids and adults to raise awareness about the food we consume and how we can work towards better food and a healthier environment. There was a stand that explained what GMO is, another that compared the differences between Factory vs. Farmed livestock, a tent that had live demos on how Chipotle’s famous guacamole is made, and others. Not only was Cultivate Festival Minneapolis free, but attendees who went to four of the five exhibits walked away with a coupon for a free Chipotle burrito.
At 4:45pm Los Angeles, CA synth-pop band Grouplove played an upbeat and extremely fun performance at the IZZE® Music Stage. The crowd was huge, rivaling that of the annual summer festival that happens across the street at the Walker Art Center. Towards the middle of their 45 minute set, singer / keyboardist Hannah Hooper, who was dressed in a skintight leopard print body suit, had some sage advice for the young crowd, “Remember to keep it local, smoke weed, and make art with your hands and not your computer.” Young people in the crowd cheered, while some parents laughed trying to cover their children’s ears.
After the Grouplove performance, I wandered over to the Chefs’ Tent and caught the talk by the James Beard Award-winning host of the Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods”, Andrew Zimmern. He was cooking veal tongue with a tuna sauce, and had a very entertaining personality. Before he began preparations for the dish, he spent several minutes talking about “Food with Integrity”, reminding the crowd to try to discover different foods, and to be mindful and not wasteful in our choices. Once the veal tongue dish was complete, he passed around the plate to those in the front row to sample, and everyone seemed impressed. Being no stranger to the Twin Cities, Zimmern ended his talk with a Q&A and spoke about how the Minnesota Fair is, in his opinion, a one of a kind experience and the greatest annual fair in the world.
Alaskan indie rock band Portugal. The Man headlined the IZZE® Music Stage at 6:15pm. By this time, nearly all of the festival goers had crowded around. Portugal. The Man played a raucous and powerful set that started off with a short cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” that steamed into their single “Purple Yellow Red and Blue” from their 2013 album Evil Friends. Later, the band played their song “People Say” from their 2009 album The Satanic Satanist that flowed nicely into Oasis’ song “Don’t Look Back in Anger”. This was my first time seeing Portugal. The Man live, and I was impressed with their energy.
From my perspective, Chipotle Cultivate Festival Minneapolis was a huge success. The festival was well organized, with great local food and craft beer that sat alongside national brands that promote and work towards a more sustainable food source for everyone. I was able to try a Shophouse Rice Bowl by Chipotle’s new Southeast Asian inspired restaurant ShopHouse Kitchen (currently with only seven restaurants on the east and west coasts). The bowl consisted of Pork & Chicken meatballs in a green curry sauce, charred green beans, chili jam, green papaya slaw, herb salad, and crispy garlic over a bed of jasmine rice. It was excellent. Thanks Chipotle for the wonderful experience!
Chipotle Cultivate Festival Minneapolis
Portugal. The Man
Andrew Zimmern
Grouplove
