The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

People say I can be a bit harsh. Like, say, Stalin. (See my husband for details.) I’m working on this.

Did that last post inspire you to gather your recipes and put together a business plan? Have you been thinking "I throw great dinner parties and I make a heckuva salsa, why don't I open my own Tex-West place?"

Whoa there, Nelly. There's more to it than you think. Thank goodness the BBCA is around to provide you with the proof.

Food Heroes don't leap tall buildings in a single bound, their deeds are rather more humble. They get in the dirt when it's still frozen or wake up before the sun to hang out with the goats. They spend their summer weekends working the markets or give up holiday time to make the most of the retail flurry. They live the dream, and for a few dollars less than most of us would expect.

On the waterfront patio of the Harbor Restaurant and Bar, while all manner of yachts floated by, diners in swimsuits chatted happily and passed around a live parrot. Reggae music wafted from the restaurant’s outdoor tiki bar, and when the dreadlocked barkeep took an order (“two caipirinhas, please”), he answered with a Jamaican accent: “Nine dollars.” A little boy sprinted along the docks of a nearby marina and a family of ducks waddled by, their placid presence disrupted only when a waitress dropped two plates of jerk chicken.