Live Chef Demonstrations
Schedule & Map At-a-Glance HERE.
The Minnesota Cooks
Chef Stage
We’re excited to have the Minnesota Cooks team back as our Chef Wranglers and event emcees for a second year. You know them from their Minnesota Cooks Calendars, The Farmer and the Chef book, and the PBS Farm Fresh Road Trip TV shows.
A project of Minnesota Farmers Union, Minnesota Cooks has supported and fostered connections among our state’s farmers, chefs, restaurant owners and local markets for over 20 years.
And now they’re center stage at MN Garlic Festival!
Download the 2025 Chef Demo recipe booklet HERE.
Claudine Arndt,
Chef Wrangler
Claudine Arndt is the Director of Minnesota Cooks and Membership for Minnesota Farmers Union. She is the author of the stories featured in the annual Minnesota Cooks calendar and the primary author of the stories in The Farmer and the Chef: Farm Fresh Minnesota Recipes & Stories. With a background in nutrition, Claudine is a longtime fan of quality, local foods and all the goodness it brings to people, the planet, and local economies.
Her favorite ways to enjoy garlic include super garlicky pesto and roasted garlic spread on steak and veggies.
The 2025 Chef Stage Lineup
Montana Rasmussen, River Rock Kitchen & Baking Co
10:30 a.m.
Menu: Roasted Garlic Seeded Crackers
Christine "Montana" Rasmussen is the owner of River Rock Kitchen & Baking Co., a purpose-driven bakery based in Saint Peter, Minnesota. With a passion for good food, local ingredients, and community, Montana leads a small but mighty team that supplies artisan baked goods across southern Minnesota. She brings creativity, sustainability, and heart to everything she does—whether it’s bread, pastries, or partnerships with local farmers.
Chef Shelagh Mullen, SheCooks.Design
11:30 a.m.
Menu: Black Garlic and Tomato Chutney
Shelagh Geraghty Mullen is a culinary instructor, recipe developer, and the creative force behind SheCooksDesign.com, where she shares recipes, cooking tips, and kitchen inspiration with her clan. She proudly calls herself a food designer, reflecting her belief that cooking for yourself is one of life’s most essential and rewarding acts.
Forever passionate about Irish food and culture, Shelagh has travelled to Ireland many times and completed an intensive 12-week culinary programme at The Dublin Cookery School in 2020. Her mission is to challenge outdated perceptions of Irish cuisine and celebrate the island’s dynamic food renaissance.
To bring that mission to life, Shelagh co-founded GráBia, an immersive annual food tour of Ireland. The tour offers participants hands-on culinary experiences—from cheese making and dairy farm visits to sea foraging and whiskey tastings—offering a deep and delicious connection to the Irish land and its remarkable people.
Shelagh is always eager to share her love of cooking, especially when it involves getting folks into the kitchen and celebrating bold, beautiful ingredients—especially garlic!
Morgan Baum - Clay Coyote Pottery
12:30 p.m.
Menu: Charred Scallion, Garlic and Preserved Lemon Feta Dip
Morgan (Jindrich) Baum is the Owner and CEO of The Clay Coyote, a Gallery and Pottery Studio downtown Hutchinson, MN. For decades her family has been making quality, handcrafted, functional pottery, and their year-round Gallery carries artists from across the country and is the perfect place to find a unique, handmade gift for a loved one (or yourself). The Clay Coyote Studio continues to carry on the family legacy with the Clay Coyote Chef’s Line of Flameware, bake-ware, and serving pottery; all designed to enhance your kitchen. And the Studio is also home to a small business incubator for emerging ceramic artists.
Meet up with her on Instagram @TheClayCoyote.
Chef Beth Fisher, Arboretum Culinary Lead
2:00 p.m.
Menu: Black Garlic Mayonnaise
Beth brings an extensive culinary background including an instructor at Kitchen Window and other various culinary schools in the metro area. Many people know Beth from her work at Lucia's, Wise Acre Eatery, Thirty Bales, Rustica, French Meadow and most recently, Kruse Markit.
Beth is thrilled to be developing cooking classes for visitors at the Minnesota Arboretum’s Farm at the Arb Myers Center, which has a new, high-tech kitchen classroom. Beth has also been the creative force behind the new restaurant at the Arboretum, Rootstock, serving fresh, local meals seven days a week.
Chef Mateo Mackbee, Krewe
3:00 p.m.
Menu: MN Maque Choux
Chef Mateo Mackbee has firmly established himself as a creative force in Minnesota’s food scene. Drawing on his Creole/New Orleans roots, he created a consistently celebrated culinary hotspot in St. Joseph – Krewe – now recognized for both critical acclaim (James Beard semifinalist; national media features) and community impact (empowering local agriculture, expanding with new food ventures). His trajectory is marked by blending regional Minnesotan ingredients with soulful Southern tradition and earning recognition far beyond the Twin Cities.
A Few Previous Recipes
