Local

Sweet Endings with Big Bowl Edina and Williams-Sonoma

WHAT: A complimentary dessert making class 
WHERE: Williams-Sonoma
3512 Galleria 
Edina, MN 55435
For additional information and to reserve a spot, call (952) 285-1338.

WHEN: May 3, 2012
Noon - 1:00 PM 
Join Big Bowl Chef Rafael Moran for a demonstration on desserts showcasing local fruit. He will prepare three of our popular summer offerings, and attendees will each receive recipes to take home.

 

Demystifying Curry - Free Edina Cooking Class April 5

UPDATE: the noon class has filled up, so we added an 11:00 AM. Please call to reserve a spot!

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Big Bowl at Williams –Sonoma in Edina Galleria

April 5, 2012 at noon

What's Cooking in Edina? You are!

Celebrate Rice – a Cooking Class
Big Bowl at Williams –Sonoma in Edina Galleria
March 1 at noon

At Big Bowl, we are very proud to serve the highest quality Jasmine rice from Thailand. We are out to debunk rice as a dull side dish, and our Chef will demonstrate how to turn our delicious rice into traditional Chinese Fried Rice, Thai Energy Rice, and a Coconut Rice Pudding.

The Panang Secret Is Out: Free Cooking Class in Edina Feb 2

Recently, one of our most requested recipes from guests has been for our Panang Chicken. Our guests who love it really, REALLY love it. It’s almost drinkable; it’s so good.

It’s a fairly complex recipe, starting with toasting the spices and making the curry paste from scratch. It has taken a while for us to complete a reduced recipe as there are so many steps.

Ridgedale Cooking Demo Dec 17

Join Big Bowl in Ridgedale Center for a cooking and cocktail demonstration on Saturday, December 17 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. This special event—hosted by KSTP Twin Cities Live—features Chef Angel Luna Lopez and Mixologist Jon Olson. The will be preparing Big Bowl’s popular Summer Rolls, and the tasty and seasonal Hot Spiced Rum and cider.

Support Local, All Year Round

As we all know from watching the National Geographic Channel; during the winter months, farmers head into caves to hibernate, and wake up for the next growing season.

I don’t think so.

Following are a list of winter markets, featuring locally produced, meat, cheese, bakery, mushrooms, jellies and jams, pickled delights, and oftentimes local crafts and art.

A salve for Minnesota shoppers on Black Friday

Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning relief from Black Friday. We've got a complimentary dessert just for them.

Soup's On! Free Cooking Class In Edina Nov 3

Class location:
Williams-Sonoma
3512 Galleria
Edina, MN 55435
Thurs, Nov 3, 2011
Noon to 1:00 PM

At Big Bowl, the chicken stock is a base for

Our window on the world is now open

Tired after a full day of shopping or harried by the mad dash to get home, take-away is often the way to go. Now it's easier than ever at Big Bowl in Roseville at the Rosedale Mall.

A carry out window dedicated to take away orders has opened, making it easier and faster for you to bring a taste of Big Bowl home. To celebrate its opening, you'll have the choice of choosing a complimentary order of potstickers or cheese cake with every order (that includes an entee) from now until the end of the month.

Taste of the Lakes Sept 22

This year’s 12th Annual Taste of the Lakes event at the Bayview Event Center in Excelsior will benefit the Intercongregation Communities Association (ICA) Foodshelf and the Western Communities

Free Dumpling Cooking Class in Edina Sept 1!

September 1 at noon
Class location:
Williams-Sonoma
3512 Galleria
Edina, MN 55435

Big Bowl’s popular dumplings are among the top served items at the restaurants. Served with either a classic ginger soy or a fiery hot pepper dip, these meaty little pockets do not fail to satisfy. In China, the making of dumplings is often a family activity, and recipes are passed down from generation to generation. Market Chef Dave Hawley demystifies the crafting of dumplings, and will teach you how to make them at home.

Free Farmers Market Stir Fry Class In Edina

 Big Bowl at Williams-Sonoma In Edina Galleria
July 14th at noon

This is the time of year when we take full advantage of the fantastic farmers markets in Minnesota. The variety of produce is delicious, and we love supporting our local growers. Market Chef Dave Hawley will demonstrate how to use the bounty of a trip to the market to create your own Farmers Market Stir Fry at home.

Peanut Sauce Cooking Demo in Edina June 2

Join us at William-Sonoma on June 2nd (noon) for a "saucy" inspired cooking class. Peanut sauce, satay sauce, bumbu kacang, or sambal kacang is a sauce widely used in the cuisines of China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Africa. When prepared well, this is a sauce that can elevate a good dish to nirvana. At Big Bowl, we are especially proud of our peanut sauce, and guests are always asking for the recipe. Market Chef Dave Hawley shares the secrets and techniques of making our peanut sauce from scratch, and he will also show a number of ways that it can be used.

Big Bowl at Taste of Edina: May 12

Join Big Bowl at the Taste of Edina this Thursday, along with other area restaurants and offerings from Edina’s three liquor stores. This annual event celebrates the town’s “Food, Wine and Community,” and proceeds benefit the Edina Chamber of Commerce.

Other participating restaurants include D’Amico and Sons, The Good Earth, P.F. Changs, Salut Bar Americain , Eden Avenue Grill, among others. As far as wines, every varietal from Chardonnay to Zinfandels will be found.

Pad Thai Cooking Class in Edina

 Presented by Big Bowl in Edina, MN

May 5 - noon

Continuing with the popular monthly cooking series, Market Chef Dave Hawley demonstrates how to make Big Bowl’s most popular dish at the Williams-Sonoma in the Edina Galleria. At Big Bowl, the attention is on the ingredients and preparation, and Chef Hawley will show you exactly how to achieve the same results at home.

"Time Out" Recommends Top Kids Menus

"Time Out Chicago" has selected Big Bowl as being in the top five picks for restaurants "Doing Cool Things With Kids Menus." There isn’t any mac and cheese; there are kid sized portions of the dishes that adults like to eat at Big Bowl, which makes kids feel pretty special. Parents can also feel good that their kids are eating all natural chicken, beef or pork, and there are no trans fats or corn syrup in any of the kids menu items.

Check out the “Time Out Kids” magazine for many more recommendations on kid friendly dining and events.

The Art of Curry: Cooking Class at Williams-Sonoma

Presented by Big Bowl in Edina, MN

April 7 - noon

Market Chef Dave Hawley demonstrates the art and science of making curry from scratch at the Williams-Sonoma in the Edina Galleria. At Big Bowl, Chefs arrive early every morning to toast and grind the spices to make flavorful curry pastes, and Chef Hawley will show you exactly how to achieve the same results at home.

Flick the Switch for Earth Hour

The opportunity to give the Earth one giant hug of appreciation comes around again on Saturday, March 26 for the globally celebrated Earth Hour.

As in years past, all Big Bowl locations will participate by turning off and dimming as many lights as possible from the designated Earth hour of 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.(your local time).

Where kids can rock, Feb. 20

The place to be this weekend if you're of the pint-sized set is the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the adjacent Children's Theater Company for the sixth annual Rock the Cradle, a day of hands-on, musical fun for families with kids ages 2-8. Sponsored by 89.3 The Current, the February 20 event, which draws more than 10,000 people, brings communities together in celebrating music, theater, puppetry, art, and books.

Time to Make the Dumplings!

Each year during our Chinese New Year celebration, one of our favorite things to do is to give free dumpling cooking classes.* Why do we do this? Well, we love Chinese New Year. It’s about new beginnings and creating good fortune for yourself and others, and this is one of the ways we like to say thank you to our guests.

But why dumplings?

A free ginger ale to toast China's president

In honor of China's President Hu Jintao's trade mission to the U.S. and Chicago, we're offering a trade deal of our own. You'll get a complimentary fresh ginger ale in exchange for naming one of the Chicago area companies that will be a inking deal with China. For clues, click here.

Rosedale Shopping Goes 24/7

Starting on 12/21/10, Macy's in the Rosedale Center will be open 24 hours a day until Christmas Eve. That is an 83 hour marathon of crunch time shopping. For a less stressful environment (easier parking, fewer crowds, etc), visit Rosedale for some late night shopping cheer.

Edina and Ridgedale Waste Not!

The teams at Big Bowl in the Ridgedale Center and the Edina Galleria in Minnesota have kicked off a new recycling program. In coordination with a terrific company called EcoSource, they have started to recycle their food waste for use by local pig farmers, turning it into feed for the pigs.

Cold? Soup's on

When winter starts to settle in and unsettle us with its cold temperatures, the equalizing factor is soup - a bowl of goodness that's hot, warm and comforting.

At Big Bowl, the hot and sour soup remedies the cold with its depth of flavor, heat and zing. A classic soup from China's north which knows a thing or two about the cold, hot and sour soup is both yin and yang. No wonder it so easily warms after coming in from the cold.

New Lunch Menu In Minnesota Brings Good Luck to Go

Although many people think of this as a superstition, it is a common belief in China that certain numbers are auspicious because of the words in Chinese that have a similar sound. As dialects in China can really change the pronounciation of a word, this can really vary by region.

Year Round Farmers Markets

Just because the weather is getting cooler, it does not mean that our local farmers are hibernating like bears. It's true, you won't find strawberries, but it's squash season and the brussel sprouts are coming in...there is a plethora of beautiful produce available. In addition, you can find local cheeses and baked goods, local meats, eggs and poultry.
"But where are they? They are not in the usual spot." Like any sensible people, they have moved indoors.

Taking Stock at Williams Sonoma

On Thursday, November 4, Chef Raul Gutierrez gave another cooking demonstration at the Williams Sonoma in Edina. Chef Raul showed the techniques for cooking Big Bowl's chicken broth, which is at the heart of many soups and sauces in the restaurant. He then demonstrated how to easily turn the broth into a meal in a bowl, with a recipe and maybe a little creativity at home.

Chef Keith Wood on Kare 11

In celebration of the new vegetarian menu at Big Bowl, Chef Keith Wood visits the Kare 11 studio in Minnesota to talk about some of the new dishes, and to demonstrate the recipe of the new Lucky 8 Vegetables with Tofu. As promised, the link to the video and recipe follows:

U.S. Open Racquetball 2010

We were so excited to have the 15th Annual U.S. Open Racquetball tournament in Minneapolis this year. The event featured all of the top men's players of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), the women's players of the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO), and the Classic Pro Racquetball Tour (CPRT). The Open is the largest and most prestigious tournament of the season, and proceeds benefit the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

We were proud to participate in the event, and excited to meet the players and spectators over the weekend.

Meals on Wheels Chicago Celebrity Chefs Ball tonight

Events starring the city's leading chefs occur throughout the year but one of the best takes place Friday, October 15 at Macy's on State Street, the Chicago Celebrity Chefs Ball. The event is the major fundraiser for Meals on Wheels, the organization that delivers food the elderly and homebound.

Chicago's best chefs, including Big Bowl's Marc Bernard, will be offering a taste of their restaurants. There's also dancing, a casino and great cocktails. Tickets are still available at the door.

Autumn Harvest Supper benefit for FamilyFarmed.org Oct 24

Heritage Prairie Farm, Elburn Illinois (one hour west of Chicago)
Early Dinner, 4:30 to 7:30 pm
$125 dinner
Includes round-trip transportation from Chicago
Guests will also receive a goody bag containing over $100 worth of LEYE gift certificates and surpises from Whole Foods

The Autumn Harvest Supper will benefit FamilyFarmed.org, one of the country’s leading non-profit organizations that supports family farmers and local food.

SPOTLIGHT: Serendipidous food and photography

For photography student Jacob Yeung, being at the right place at the right time proved to be everything.

A Big Bowl host and carry-out staffer, Yeung accompanied Executive Marc Bernard and the team to the annual Green City Market's chefs barbecue over the summer. His job that evening: photograph the event, which would provide photos for the restaurant and practice for Yeung. Yeung is two years shy of earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in fine art photography at Columbia College.

Chef Raul Gutierrez wraps things up at Williams-Sonoma

Chef Raul Gutierrez was back at Williams-Sonoma in Edina today, with another cooking demonstration of some of Big Bowl's most popular items; Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Thai Beef Lettuce Wraps. Some people call lettuce wraps the tacos of Asian food, using a crisp lettuce leaf to hold the flavorful filling instead of a tortilla. Chef Raul showed two opposing styles; the classic savory Chinese vs the light, bright crisp flavor of the Thai version.

Big Bowl stirs it up on “HouseSmarts” Sept 26

You may be wondering, “What on earth is Big Bowl doing on a home improvement show?”  If you have not seen this show, you are in for a surprise.

Taste of the lakes sept 24

Join Big Bowl, Wildfire and ten other local eateries at the 12th annual Taste of the Lakes

Date: Friday, September 24, 2010
Time: 6:30 pm to 11:30 pm
Where: Bay View Event Center, Excelsior, MN

Don't miss this fun filled evening of food, music, wine, auctions and more, all benefiting the following:

-ICA Your Local Food Shelf
-Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners
-WeCan..Western Communities Action Network, Inc

Participating Restaurants :
Big Bowl
Wildfire
Bayside Griil
Bayview Family Ve

Minnesota gets down to earth

Last Tuesday, the chefs and managers from the three Minnesota Big Bowls spent a day out at Untiedt’s Farm in Waverly Minnesota. Big Bowl chefs dedicate a lot of time and energy to sourcing local produce, and Untiedt’s has become one of our main suppliers. Untiedt’s goals are right up our alley; family, employee and agricultural harmony.

Big Bowl Chefs get farm fresh

For two days, chefs from all eight Big Bowl locations gathered in Chicago to talk, eat and experience farm-fresh food, starting from a visit to Nichols Farm and culminating with a feast in the backyard of Executive Chef Marc Bernard. Each chef prepared a dish, inspired by the farm visit and Bernard's garden. The purpose? To taste truly fresh local ingredients and to be inspired. Look for Bernard's upcoming blog post for more details.

























Spotlight: Service with a smile

Who are the people at Big Bowl and what do they do? Meet them here under the Spotlight.

Who: Bobby Rogers

Alias:  Triple B for "Big Bowl Bob"

Years at Big Bowl: 10

Position: Divisional Trainer, Staff Whisperer.

What you would do if you weren't working at Big Bowl: professional tri athlete and a personal
trainer with a focus in nutrition.

Hug a farmer, buy a peach

With a national proclamation, unprecedented growth in farmers markets and the coining of the term "locavore" to define those who eat locally, the farmer is the new rock star.

How do you love us? Let's count the ways

A best friend may not tell the whole truth and a child might "forget" essential details, but you can always count on numbers. According to a recent tally of Big Bowl best selling new menu items, Cashew Chicken rules the roost.

Since the new menu rollout earlier this summer, Cashew Chicken is preferred about 27 percent more than the second most popular dish, Steak and Noodles. But if you dine at the Edina restaurant in Minnesota, you prefer this chicken dish 50 percent more often.

Bangkok Shrimp and Scallops comes in at No.

In the spotlight: Keith Wood

A part of what makes Big Bow such a great place to dine and return to time and time again is the people. We'll regularly shine the spotlight on the individuals who make Big Bowl a fun dining experience so if you have a favorite server or know of an attention-deserving someone at your local Big Bowl, please let us know. For now, tune into AM 950 on July 31 when Chef Keith will be featured on the radio show hosted by Susan Berkson.

Keith Wood, chef at Big Bowl Roseville

Tiny fruit gets big billing

For the next week, raspberries get all the attention in the surrouding community, including all Big Bowl locations in the Minneapolis area.

During the 76th Annual Raspberry Festival in Hopkins, MN., from July 10 to 17, Big Bowl is giving the diminutive fruit with big flavor top billing with specialty drinks and dessert.

Catch Chef Gutierrez on KARE live

Big Bowl Chef Raul Gutierrez is shaking things up on Showcase Minneosta with a demonstration of Bangkok Shrimp and Scallops.

Gutierrez will prepare the dish on the live show, Tuesday, July 6. Hosted by Corbin Seitz  and Rob Hudson, the lifestyle show airs live every weekday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on the NBC afficilate, KARE Channel 11. The recipe should appear on the station's website or check back here later for a link.

Let us know what you think!

 

Games people play

The 4th of July is over but backyard barbecues, picnics and summer gatherings have many more weeks to come. Here's a look at favorite outdoor games.

How do you pass the time? Got any favorites? Share them below for others to enjoy.

 

Have a field day at the Walker Art Center

The place to play the field this summer is at the Walker Art Centerwhere a good time is only limited by the imagination. Through an experimental project called "Open Field," the art center is transforming its 3.75 acre back yard into a "cultural commons...a kind of intellectual, recreational, social, and artistic platform" created for the public.

Kids menu + Toy Story 3 = great fun

Toy Story 3 is a hit with kids, and Big Bowl can be, too, with choices for the 10 and under set. The children's menu offers a wide selection of grown up options, designed with nutrition and kid likability in mind.

Capture a taste of farm-to-table

The best way to reconnect with the Earth after a stressful work week is to head to the Farmer's Market for seasonal produce.

Pad Thai lands in Star Tribune's Top 50 list

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has awarded Big Bowl's pad thai a much coveted spot on its 2010 Taste 50 - a tribute in its fifth year to "50 tastemakers, trends, products and places that emphasize why Minnesota can’t be beat when it comes to great things to eat."

Big Bowl pays homage to pad thai - among the most famous dishes of Thailand - by devoting a menu category to the noodle dish - which is all the more reason why the recognition is so meaningful.

Big Bowl at the Minneapolis Farmers Market

Keith Wood, our chef for the Minneapolis locations, stopped by the famed Minneaoplis Farmers Market and picked up gai lan, gai choy, pea greeens and of course lots of asparagus for the restaurants. Don't wait for the latter - those delicious spears won't be around for long!

Star Tribune: Here Today, Gone In A Few Weeks

 

Minneapolis Farmer's Market

During the growing season, we can all pretend we are living in Europe, shopping each morning for only the ingredients we need that day – a dream come true at the Minneapolis Farmers Market open seven days a week.  For those who prefer to do a little planning beforehand, the website offers information on what’s in season. But why take the fun out of being inspired by truly fresh fruits and vegetables? Farmers love to talk about their product so ask the grower or the person your standing next to.

St. Paul Farmers' Market

Big Bowl supports local farmers. If you live in the St. Paul area check out the St. Paul Farmers' Market.

Carry Out Packaging

We are so fortunate to interact with so many people inside of Big Bowl, but there is a large number of guests who only stop by to pick up a meal to go. In the ongoing efforts to lessen our environmental impact, of course we had to look at our carry out packaging. A great thought, but easier said than done.