Buy this on Etsy for your Mom.

This Fresh Forkin’ Friday I’d like you all to do a little thinking. About Mom. I’m not saying brunch is a bad idea, I think brunch is lovely, what with all the eggs and carving of pinkish meat. I just wonder … how many brunches did your mom slave over for you? Not a whole ton, am I right? But then think about how many dinners she made for you. Think about how many times she slapped two pieces of bread with some random lunch meat together for you before your soccer game so that you had something (dear god something) in your stomach. Think about the times when you came home from school and she was just about to leave for night school, where she was working toward the CPA degree which would eventually help pay for your own costly liberal arts education, and yet still managed to make you some tuna salad sitting on a leaf of butterhead lettuce as garnish. A garnish. Life was teetering on a wire and there was certainty on no side except the slog forward to make it to the next point, and there was a garnish. Make your Mom dinner, make her something she used to make for you. Whether it’s an attempt at the family recipe goulash or mac n’ cheese from the blue box, if it meant something to you, it will mean something to her. And that’s worth a million chafing dishes.

*****

OPENS

Devil’s Advocate has opened it seems and, apparently, it’s a ball shop. Beef or pork meat balls, of course, but there are also fish and poultry balls a foot. Commence food writer jokey overload.

COMING SOON

I only just found out that the IDS court, crystal as it is, is getting both a People’s Organic Coffee AND a Yogurt Labs location. My afternoon skyway stroll must be re-jiggered.

OUT

Jeff Williamson, the brewer and founder of Flat Earth Brewery, is no longer at the helm. It seems to be a confusing situation at best.

Also out is the ridiculous notion that happy hour is some sort of evil plot to actually make people un-happy. Way to go Edina, welcome to the bigs.

*****

Foodies on Foot, the little band of walking food tours in Stillwater, is hosting a little Craft Beer Progressive Dinner on May 16 in conjunction with local boys Lift Bridge Beer. The dinner starts at the brewery and trolleys forth to three eateries in town before heading back to the brewery for some pie, not a bad gig for $59.

*****

Black Forest Inn kicks off Spargelfest on May18. It’s a sure sign of spring when you can cop a sitz on the Black Forest patio and do a little spargeltini trinken und spargel strudel essen. And on Friday, there will be Alphorns to round out the Teutonic fun.

*****

If you know what a smoke ring is and your friends are sick of you going on about your “cue skillz” maybe it’s time to see if you really got the sauce. They’re still looking for cooking teams to enter the St. Croix Valley Brew-B-Que on May 26. Sure you gotta pony up some cash for fees, secure a whole lot of equipment and protein, but I never said BBQ fame was going to be easy. I just said it would be worth it.

*****

Mill City Farmer’s Market opens this weekend!