THURSDAY
APRIL 24, 2025
Dine at any participating restaurant on April 24, and they’ll donate a percentage of your bill to Aliveness Project, a community center for people living with HIV in Minnesota. For a list of participating restaurants visit: DOFLMN.org = incl. alcohol sales = incl. carryout sales
DON DONATING 100% TING OF YOUR FOOD OUR PURCH PURCHASE: SE: DON DONATING 50% TING OF YOUR FOOD OUR PURCH PURCHASE: SE:
Volume 30, Issue 779 • April 3-16, 2025
Managing Editor Noah Mitchell 612-461-8723
Editorial Assistant Linda Raines 612-436-4660
Editor Emeritus Ethan Boatner
Contributors Layla Amar, Lakey Bridge, E.B. Boatner, Buer Carlie, Natasha DeLion, Arthur Diggins, Alyssa Homeier, Terrance Griep, Elise Maren, Jen PeeplesHampton, Linda Raines, Alexander Reed, Aspen Rush, Gregg Shapiro, Randy Stern, Susan Swavely, Carla Waldemar, Todd P. Walker, Emma Walytka, Spencer White
Vice President of Sales & Advertising
Barry Leavitt 612-436-4690
Account Executives
Nathan Johnson 612-436-4695
Richard Kranz 612-436-4675
Sales & Event Administration
Linda Raines 612-436-4660
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Rivendell Media 212-242-6863
Creative/Digital Director Mike Hnida 612-436-4679
Publisher Lavender Media, Inc.
President & CEO Stephen Rocheford 612-436-4665
Chief Financial Officer Doug Starkebaum 612-436-4664
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Distribution Metro Periodical Partners 612-281-3249
Founders George Holdgrafer, Stephen Rocheford
Inspiration Steven W. Anderson (1954-1994), Timothy J. Lee (1968-2002), Russell Berg (1957-2005), Kathryn Rocheford (1914-2006), Jonathan Halverson (1974-2010), Adam Houghtaling (1984-2012), Walker Pearce (1946-2013), Tim Campbell (1939-2015), John Townsend (1959-2019), George Holdgrafer (1951-2024)
are subject to editing for grammar, punctuation, space, and libel. They should be no more than 300 words. Letters must include name, address, and phone number. Unsigned letters will not be published. Priority will be given to letters that refer to material previously published in Lavender Magazine. Submit letters to Lavender Magazine, Letters to the Editor, 5200 Willson Road, Suite 316, Edina, MN 55424 or e-mail editor@lavendermagazine.com.
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BY NOAH MITCHELL
Finding ways to give back to the community can be tricky. There are so many worthy causes, it’s impossible to choose one. Volunteering is rewarding, but after work, chores, errands, family responsibilities and self-care, what time is left to volunteer? Charitable giving is easier to fit into your schedule, but with prices rising and pay stagnant, where does the money come from?
These are dilemmas that, while tricky, are absolutely worth the time and effort to solve. However, in the meantime, Dining Out for Life has been kind enough to offer us a shortcut.
However difficult it may seem to find a break in your schedule from your responsibilities, at some point, you gotta eat. On Thursday, April 24, I humbly suggest you take that break at one of the dozens of local restaurants participating in Dining Out for Life.
I assume that basically all of you are familiar with Dining Out For Life. In case you’re not, the pitch is simple: eat at a participating restaurant on April 24, they donate a percentage of their proceeds to The Aliveness Project to support their work preventing HIV and supporting those living with it. You get a delicious meal, you donate to a worthy cause. Deal? Deal.
Only one catch: I think you should get dessert. Even if, like me, this is the year you’re convinced you’re going to stick to your spring diet and get shredded by the time the lakes warm up. We’re all going to take a day off at some point. We might as well make it for a good reason! I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll feel a whole lot better eating a restaurant dessert for charity than I would putting down a dozen Taco Bell Cinnabon Delights or a pint of Ben & Jerry’s at home.
So, if that pitch worked as well on you as it did on me the first time I heard it, I’ll see you out there! You can find a list of participating restaurants at diningoutforlifemn.org. Bon appetit, and don’t forget dessert!
BY E.B. BOATNER
Shortly before I turned 14, “East of Eden” was released on April 10, 1955. One among scores of other viewers, I was transfixed by 24-year-old James Dean’s Cal Trask, the anguished, lessfavored son of a demanding father, fruitlessly seeking approval and affection through unsparing Depression losses.
Author Jason Colavito, researching “Jimmy: The Secret Life of James Dean,” sifted through vast amounts of Deaniana penned after that fatal September 30 crash, much of it written to defend the young actor’s hetero- or homosexuality, as though determining that single fact would elevate the winner to the apex of some “gotcha!” podium. Neither certainty, however, would in any way explain how maverick James Byron Dean was able, once lights blazed the cameras rolled, to mesmerize audiences.
Dean’s own fears, if that is what they were, often made him impossible to like. In public, he slung a-sociability about his shoulders like his pilfered, blood-spattered bullfighter’s cape, daring friendship to approach; clothed in another’s persona, he released his demons of loneliness, despair and unlovability in a lacerating torrent.
Dean already believed God had punished him by taking away his mother when he was nine, and
Colavito stresses the influence Wesleyan Methodist Minister Reverend James DeWeerd had on the high school student. The reverend’s words might easily wound a boy far less sensitive than Jimmy Dean. It was DeWeerd who taught the boy most people are the “Square root of Zero” and stated publicly, “I taught him he was depraved and vile.”
It’s hard to imagine any teen, boy or girl, of whatever sexual leaning, emerging unscathed from such volleys. Yet the two remained in contact for years, neither speaking about their (still undefined) relationship while Dean lived. As rumors spread in the later 1950s, DeWeerd left the Wesleyan church for another denomination.
There was no doubt young Dean was troubled, and the times themselves dismissed any male who wasn’t the rough-and-tumble, two-fisted epitome of manhood required during the ‘40s and ‘50s. The McCarthy hearings were in full swing, searching out hidden communists and, by extension, any “c—s—–s,” to use the senator’s term.
Dean’s very ability to let sorrow and loneliness and emotion — any emotion — flow was a large part of what distressed critics. A “real man” wasn’t supposed to do that. Stoicism. Spartanism; the hidden fox gnawing at one’s vitals; the repressed, clutching-at-the-chest heart attacks at 49 or 56,
was what real men should do, did do, and gladly. Dean’s departed father held the arts suspect and unmasculine, while Fairmonters in rural Indiana, where Dean was raised by his uncle Marcus Winslow and aunt Ortense, considered the theater the “province of queers.” At that time, Fairmount’s population of 2,600 boasted fifteen churches and one weekly newspaper.
Which was Dean? Does it matter against the work he left? A different way of looking at “masculinity”? Must it be defined? In his short life, Dean left no fiats, and the emotion that poured through his films was a need to be loved; by that lost mother, by the distant father. By one not a “Square root of Zero;” one who would speak to his heart.
I was still fourteen when “Rebel Without a Cause” was released on October 27, three days short of a month after his death at the intersection of Routes 466 and 41 in Cholane en route to Salinas to enter his beloved Porsche Spyder in a race. Hearing the news, I cut out a full-page photo from the New York Daily News of Jimmy in his signature white T-shirt and red windbreaker, thinking, “Better save this because he’ll soon be forgotten. I was wrong. Seventy years along, and you’re still getting ink. I apologize, Jimmy. You go, Man!
BY CARLA WALDEMAR
Remember Erte? That iconic Northeast supper club ended its 21-year reign in 2022. But since November, it’s been transformed into a magnet for foodie fans of dim sum, noodles and barbecue Sino-Korean style called Minari. Minari, as Wikipedia instructs, means water parsley. But that’s like calling fois gras “liver.”
In a Cinderella-goes-to-the-ball-type makeover, few remnants of the former club remain (and that’s fine). Today diners approach a matte black building, peer through majestic floor-to-rafter windows and spy a vast cache of generously-spaced tables circled by walls steeped in warm, glowing cranberry red. It’s somehow both uber-classy and deeply comforting at the same time. And it’s populated (during our visit, anyway) by a demographic of young and not-so, hip and not-so, girls’-night-outers to retirees and who-know-who-all, in search of a new experience.
For starters, dim sum carts come rolling by, laden with little bamboo steamer baskets cosseting fancies from the Snack menu card (which also may be ordered directly from your server). They’ve been devised by Korean-born, Midwest-raised Chef Jeff Watson, a protégé of bold-name Daniel del Prado.
That list of ten starter items ($7-12) boasts some solid winners: the pearl meatballs, for instance — a couple of golf-ball-size nuggets of moist and richly-flavored pork mixed with sticky rice and a little spike of ginger. On the table sits a collage of dipping sauces — chili-hot to herbal-soothing — should you choose to gild the lily.
We next summoned the pairing of rich duck and richer fois gras (there’s no tomorrow, right?) boosted by pork and aromatic ten spice. Perfect pairing. Fumbling with my chopsticks as my partner outdistanced me with his fork, we next gobbled up an order of eggplant dumplings, too — savoring the rich sauteed veggie bits livened with serrano that makes its presence felt (and savored) within the crescent noodle wrappers.
Then the shrimp shumai, similar to others around town (and that’s fine): sweet, firm-ish flesh encased in its frilly, dressed-for-success wrapper. Continue with the likes of jelly noodles in Szechuan chili oil, salmon roe, squid ink coloring pork and shrimp, and more.
Then proceed, if you’re not already in a food coma, to the “regular” menu, divided into sections like Cold & Raw (seafood, beef tartare, $419), Appetizers ($12-19), Charcoal BBQ ($16-51), and Noodles & Plates ($25-33).
From that app list, we summoned a saucer of gently poached Bay scallops dressed in brown-butter crumbs with savory hazelnuts and comfortgiving butternut squash. A dynamite dish. On to the BBQ section for a hefty serving of pork belly, delivered in rich and meaty, juicy cubes along-
side the bone they came from (donated by a hog of prize-winning dimensions, apparently) and flavored simply with sesame and black pepper — a simple and satisfying dish.
Next up, from the Noodles section, an order of Dan Dan Mafaldine. These husky, curly, streamers — timed to retain a bit of bite and resistance — were joined by slippery king oyster mushrooms, baby bok choy, sesame seeds and a lively bounce of Szechuan chili crisp. I liked it, didn’t altogether love it. Next time, maybe the pork with fermented black beans and fennel pollen, served with thin chitarra noodles. Or the rigatoni arribbiata, Asianized with gochujang (aka red chili paste). Or the crab and prawn bisque, blended with basil and chili butter, which tempts me to telephone for takeout as I type.
Yes, there are desserts — a pair of them ($14), which I now regret we couldn’t manage. If you’re wiser and pace yourself with more skill, choose the yam roulade with yuzu poached pear, vanilla gelato and honeycomb or the miso caramel tart with its attendant strawberries and chocolate. Instead, I zipped the final drops of my Minari Old Fashioned, featuring black sticky rice and umami bitters among a list of otherwise unfamiliar ingredients that fostered a mildly sweet turn to the familiar recipe.
The Executive Summary: lovely setting, adept and informed servers, intriguing menu and happy customers.
Minari
Ave.
“Emily Dickinson is a household name, [but] not many people know specific poems of hers … when you first start to read her work, it can be intimidating,” Genevieve Waterbury says.
Waterbury is the choreographer for Ballet Co.Laboratory’s upcoming April show, “Emily Dickinson: The Untold Verse.” This ballet uses contemporary dance as the vehicle to tell the story of one of America’s most beloved poets.
“[It’s the] same with contemporary dance,” Waterbury continues. “Audiences are often unsure if they interpreted it correctly.”
For Waterbury, this ambiguity contributes to the beauty of both poetry and dance. “You probably will take away different things than the person next to you! [Dickinson’s] work is so open to interpretation, so this show will be too,” she explains. “There’s plenty to dig into, try to figure out if you choose that route, but there is as much honor in breathing along and letting go. I can’t wait to share it and hear all the different interpretations!”
Ballet Co.Laboratory was founded by current Artistic Director Zoé Henrot with the intention of creating an inclusive space for storytelling through dance.
“As a queer female dancer, choreographer [and] educator, Zoé refused the notion that ballet must conform to a singular mold,” Managing Director Rachel Koep explains. “Given ballet’s history of exclusivity, she founded an organization guided by inclusivity — celebrating all body types, gender identities, sexual orientations, ethnicities, learning styles [and] socioeconomic positions.”
This inclusivity includes artists, audience members and the stories at the center of it all. “Ballet Co.Laboratory’s ‘Emily Dickinson: The Untold Verse’ is our 15th original ballet highlighting stories historically excluded from the art form,” Koep says. “By creating these new ballets, those who once felt unseen in the art form now find their stories center stage.”
Choosing out-of-the-box and previously untold stories is important. “We know this fosters a more inclusive community where people feel encouraged to envision themselves as artists, students and arts patrons,” Henrot says.
“Ballet Co.Laboratory was founded to redefine the ‘traditions’ of ballet … [we are] committed to creating innovative ballets for a new generation,” Koep says.
“Emily Dickinson: The Untold Verse” was a long time in the making. “This show was [Zoé Henrot’s] initial idea,” Waterbury says. “[Henrot] attended Mount Holyoke in Western Mass., as did Emily, so it had been on Zoé’s mind for some time and she pitched the idea to me a couple years ago.”
As the choreographer, Waterbury’s sensibilities are clear throughout the show, but she is quick to credit the many creative partners she had throughout the process.
“I had such thoughtful conversations with our incredible Emily Dickinson Museum guide, James Stenning-Barnes, poet and associate professor of English at Lawrence University, Melissa Range, and with local astrologer and artist, TK Sloane,” Waterbury says. “The artistic, marketing and production staff at BCL are all so incredible. Everyone has listened and approached the work with enthusiasm and vulnerability.”
Dickinson has provided ample inspiration for the creative team. “The show follows the timeline of Emily’s life but, just as she did, it uses metaphor, sound and texture as tools to process life,” Waterbury explains. “My creative process is similar to Emily’s in that nature is my greatest teacher … Trees represent lineage and legacy. Noisy bobolinks brave long journeys and indicate new chapters. Flies warn of death but with such animation that we start to dissolve the threshold between life and death.”
Considering Dickinson’s work, the themes of life and death are recurrent. “One thing I’ve enjoyed with casting choices is creating a sense of life cycles and of being reborn, further muddying the idea of life and death as opposites,” Waterbury says. “Several dancers play multiple roles, both as humans in society as well as a deer, bumblebee or part of the meadow.”
Dickinson has always been something of a mystery. Her reclusive nature, minimalist writing style and insistence that her correspondence be destroyed upon her death have all contributed to her enigmatic legacy.
“I imagine she intended, and probably reveled in, being such a puzzle,” Waterbury muses. “What’s also so interesting to me is that she really wasn’t all that obscure, much of her words and ideas are blunt, but I think the lack of queer visibility and acceptance in the world she lived wrote much of her story for her.”
Waterbury is referring to the popular theory that Dickinson was a lesbian, which is one of many aspects of Dickinson’s life that is explored in “Emily Dickinson: The Untold Verse.”
“To say that there is no proof that she was queer is only possible through the distorted lens that open queerness was an option,” Waterbury says. “Through her poetry, preserved letters and others’ observations of her unusual lifestyle, it feels clear that she was not willing to subscribe to any restrictive ideas of what she ought to do and be. She also writes about her mischievous childhood in a letter stating ‘when I was a boy’ and signs ‘Brother Emily’ in another, further challenging the gender impositions of her time.”
“Emily Dickinson: The Untold Verse” is set to Fanny Mendelssohn’s “Das Jahr,” which means “The Year” in German. The solo piano composition beautifully underscores the ballet and is a fitting choice considering that Mendelssohn was Dickinson’s contemporary.
“They only overlapped by about 15 years, [but] Fanny and Emily would have shared some experiences navigating to the world as women in the 19th Century from European descent,” Waterbury says.
Like Dickinson, Mendelssohn was beset by an intensely patriarchal world. “Fanny … had musical education like her more famous brother, Felix, and throughout their careers, he was said to have relied on her for much of his inspiration and guidance with his own composition,” Waterbury says. “Several works by Fanny were published under his name, supposedly because she was too busy with household duties to be in the public eye.”
“Das Jahr is what I imagine to be Fanny’s journey through a year,” Waterbury says. “Ultimately, she is the voyager and the choice maker, but we’re right there with her breathing in the scenery, feeling the bumps and turns so her choices make more sense. I hope to parallel that relationship with Emily’s story.”
All four performances are at Ballet Co.Laboratory Studio Theatre in St. Paul. Tickets are $40 with discounts available for children, students, seniors and groups. There is a delightfullooking VIP ticket package for Saturday shows that includes a short historical presentation and a cocktail hour. Tickets and more information are available on the company website, listed below.
Friday, April 11 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 12 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 12 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 13 at 2 p.m.
Ballet Co.Laboratory Studio Theatre
276 E. Lafayette Frontage Rd.
St. Paul, MN 55107
www.balletcolaboratory.org
What was once a gas station in Northeast Minneapolis with a “for rent” sign plastered onto its exterior became the first location of Brasa in 2007, with three other locations to come. The second location opened after customers from St. Paul probed for a new location, ready to not have to travel “all the way over” to another city. This was a relief for chef and founder Alex Roberts, who was ready to forgo overnight shifts and grow with the community.
The two restaurateurs who double as a couple, chef-by-training Alex Roberts and retired registered nurse and entrepreneur Margo Roberts, have been married for nearly 20 years. From being parents to three children to co-owning Alma restaurant and hotel, the couple has fostered a people-centric company — one that is intentionally diverse.
Margo Roberts made a fateful phone call back in 2007, stopping on the side of the road and reaching for her phone to immediately call her husband, who told her years prior that if she ever saw a “for sale” sign, it was meant to be and to tell him “right away.”
What started as a small kitchen to cook the Creole-inspired dishes in Brasa’s first location, equipped with a singular little stove and a cook staying overnight to keep up with the volume, has evolved into four locations, including Southwest Minneapolis and Downtown Hopkins locations, serving hundreds of customers daily.
Formally trained as a chef at a French cooking school in New York City, Alex Roberts says it was during that time that he gained an interest in Creole food.
At first, his interest was centered around Louisiana Creole food. Alex Roberts’ father has roots there, which sparked his initial curiosity. He began to spend his time engulfed in library books, trying to learn more about the way the food is cooked and its flavor profiles.
Alex Roberts came to realize that Creole cooking was bigger than New Orleans or Louisiana; it was a product of a diverse blend of influences from Africa, Europe and Indigenous traditions.
“We often don’t recognize how diverse those traditions are, and to me, it’s the most American of all cuisines because it represents many, many cultures,” he says.
Brasa was also inspired by family, a place where families left nourished and parents wanted to bring their kids to, Margo Roberts says.
“Our babies grew up on Brasa cuisine; beans, rice and collard greens,” she says. “It’s a place that young and old people can thrive in, with a heavy focus on the nourishing impact it has for pregnant mamas.”
Rather than the traditional American kids’ meal of chicken tenders and fries, Brasa has what they call a “Family Feast” including a protein of choice, a salad and one quart of rice and beans, with tortilla chips and sauces — aiming to make the meal nourishing for the soul, body and family.
Alex Roberts says that when initially starting Brasa, one of their main priorities was accessibility and inclusivity, which meant setting the price points where they could serve high-quality food at an accessible cost.
“It was this idea that it could be for everybody — that when you were there, you would feel very welcome, and then it was more of an eating place than a dining place,” he says.
This year, Brasa is a part of Dining Out For Life Minnesota, a 24-hour dining fundraiser for HIV service organizations. On April 24, 25% of all sales across all four Brasa locations will be donated to The Aliveness Project.
Brasa Director of Operations Darrell Adams has a personal experience with Aliveness, volunteering there when he first moved to Minnesota.
“Initially, I had a naive understanding, assuming HIV was primarily an LGBTQ+ issue — I was quickly proven wrong,” Adams says. “At Aliveness, I saw people of all backgrounds — white, Black, Hispanic, Native American, gay and straight — all welcomed with dignity and all in need of the vital services they offer.”
Adams says he relies on their prevention care and has never received judgment, unlike his past experiences with other providers, where he left the appointment feeling ashamed and without care.
“That’s why places like Aliveness are life-saving,” Adams says. “They provide care without judgment, something every person deserves. If you haven’t visited yet, you absolutely should.”
Alex Roberts says it’s such a human issue that faces humanity itself, people from every walk of life and every place — going across all borders.
Adams says it was early on that he learned that much of the giving Alex Roberts does is “very quiet,” and at first, he didn’t understand why he wasn’t being more vocal about the giving Brasa was doing.
“Alex pretty simply said, it feels really good to give and not have anybody know about its integrity,” Adams says. “And you know, for the first time in my life, that kind of clicked, like quiet giving if it feels good.”
However, when it came to Dining Out For Life, the louder Brasa could be, the more donations are given to the Aliveness project, so that is why they are so vocal about this, Adams says.
“It’s simply a no-brainer to care and to think about your neighbor, whether it’s your neighbor next door or your neighbor across the world,” Adams says.
Queer community member Emily Hunt Turner is a force to be reckoned with. She is a civil rights attorney who worked for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on issues of prisoner reentry, fair housing and housing segregation.
Hunt Turner describes what she witnessed working for HUD as a “public safety epidemic” with the level of discrimination occurring in public housing. Persons impacted by mass incarceration are discriminated against when it comes to housing and other basic necessities. Sometimes, they cannot even live with family because private landlords don’t allow
someone with a record to live there. When a man’s record, which was 41 years old, was used legally to evict him and his family in Minneapolis, Hunt Turner felt she was part of the problem rather than the solution.
This experience, along with her time in New Orleans, provided the fuel for the civil rights social enterprise she created called All Square. All Square consists of a delicious restaurant and food truck combination that provides competitive and safe employment for persons reentering society, a fellowship program for people impacted by mass incarceration and an educational pipeline. Their goal is to change the way that criminal records are used and viewed. People who have left prison should be considered “all square,” having done their time, but this is often not the case.
When working with this population, Hunt Turner holds personal accountability and systemic accountability in tension. She acknowledges personal responsibility while knowing that unresolved trauma and systemic factors like lack of socioeconomic mobility can be a driving force of illegal behavior. Therefore, she partners with a trauma-informed mental health group called Creative Kuponya in All Square’s programming.
New Orleans is where Hunt Turner first began to truly see and understand the prison system at work. She recounted seeing what happens during solitary confinement as “unbelievably disturbing and inhumane.” In New Orleans, Hunt Turner met people who she described as “life-changing human beings who espouse wisdom developed during their navigation of unspeakable horrors” who later became her legal mentors.
People who changed Hunt Turner’s life include the Angola Three, Black Panthers who were placed in solitary confinement for decades each due to fear of them organizing a prison uprising because of their affiliation. These men mastered the law from the inside and taught Hunt Turner that there are some things that cannot be learned from books.
This inspired Hunt Turner to increase access to education in prison to reduce the rate of return to prison and improve the quality of life of those impacted by mass incarceration. As a result, All Square provides a Prison to Law Pipeline where incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people have access to paralegal and juris doctorate degrees.
However, the educational pipeline does not ensure gainful employment for those reentering due to stigmatization. Thankfully, Hunt Turner runs a law firm that provides externships to currently incarcerated paralegal and law students. The firm provides civil legal services to formerly and currently incarcerated people to eliminate the collateral effects of mass incarceration.
With America leading the world in incarceration per capita, have you ever wondered why two out of three formerly incarcerated persons are rearrested and more than 50% are incarcerated again within three years? This vicious cycle of persons impacted by mass incarceration reentering the prison system is called recidivism.
People who are unaware of how a criminal record impacts reentry into society may misconstrue recidivism as a moral failure instead of a structural failure and humanitarian crisis. Being denied bare necessities such as employment opportunities, housing, food or healthcare curates the insurmountable challenge of reentry into society for many Americans impacted by mass incarceration. Shifting the goal of incarceration towards rehabilitation can lower recidivism rates by creating a prison-to-work pipeline instead of leaving persons impacted by mass incarcerations with nothing upon release.
In connection to the queer community, for whom identity-based discrimination is amplified in prison, Hunt Turner felt extra compassion for those impacted by mass incarceration due to her upbringing in rural North Dakota, where she did not have positive queer representation. In her work with this population who often feel “thrown away,” she realized she was trying to heal herself since she felt like she needed redemption based on her identity and how a deviant label was attached to it in North Dakota.
In her work, she affirms that we are all human and should treat each other as such, which she and her wife live out by treating everyone as if they are “all square” through the provision of human services and delicious sandwiches.
All Square
4047 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis (612) 778-9880
www.allsquarempls.com
Theoretically, it would be easy to be uncomfortable around Esera Tuaolo: he stands 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs around 300 pounds; he looks like someone who might have played defensive tackle for nine seasons in the National Football League … mostly because he is someone who played defensive tackle for nine seasons in the National Football League. Furthermore, he looks like someone who could still play defensive tackle in the NFL: one false word, and you’re sacked, or so it might seem within the blackest and bluest shadows of speculative imagination.
If his arms are visible, the tribal-type tattoos, thetatau, that adorn Tuaolo’s starboard will assert themselves, lines and dots and arrows that tell
a tale of octopuses and reptiles that evokes ancient, discomfort-inducing tools of bone and wood and turtle shells. Tuaolo’s inky scars make Queequeg the harpooner who clashed with Moby Dick look like a sub-tropical piker.
These subdermal scribbles demonstrate an undeniable, irresistible determination that delivered Tuaolo to the final round of competition on Season 13 of the singing reality competition television series “The Voice.” That same Polynesian pluck drove Tuaolo to create Hate Is Wrong, “a non-profit whose purpose is to foster diversity in sports and anti-bullying among youth,” according to its website. One bigoted word, and you’re whacked, or so it might seem within the blackest and bluest shadows of speculative imagination.
So, yeah, theoretically, it would be easy to be uncomfortable around Tuaolo if not for one thing: an inner light that radiates from below his arched brows, beneath his bent mustache. It’s his smile. It disarms all who see it, and somehow disarms the smiler, as well. Its existence countervails the possibility of being sacked, whacked or even harpooned. And the smile
never seems to leave his face, never stops comforting. And thanks to his latest venture, Tuaolo has started distributing comfort via a new unit: the plateful.
“Esera is bringing his love for Hawaii’s vibrant food culture to Saint Joseph, by continuing his passion and talents as an Executive Chef,” trumpets the website for Tuaolo’s 98 Hawaiian Grill, the number being the same that he wore while playing for the Minnesota Vikings.
“It’s not a restaurant, it’s more like a food court,” Tuaolo explains. “We serve Hawaiian comfort food.”
While food comfort is usually delivered via clots of carbs and founts of fats, the Polynesian version presents something different.
“98 Hawaiian Grill offers a delicious way to enjoy healthy, vibrant eating while embracing the aloha spirit!” the website gushes. “At 98 Hawaiian Grill, we believe in serving fresh, flavorful and nutritious island-inspired meals that fuel the body and satisfy the soul.”
Tuaolo’s main duty as Executive Chef is essentially to make himself obsolete. “My involvement is cooking, but it’s also putting together a team that can cook the way I cook,” the final boss catalogs. “This is an opportunity for me to hire some great people who can run the place, and I can just check in now and then. That’s the model we’re going for.”
The great people hired benefit from a culinary legacy that goes back in time and space, to the kitchen of Tuaolo’s beloved mother, who died last November.
“I was the youngest in a Polynesian family — I spent most of my time in the kitchen learning,” Tuaolo remembers. “I was taught how to make sauces and how to chop. It sounds silly, but [precise chopping] really affects food’s flavor.”
“A food hall is a vibrant, shared dining space where multiple individual restaurants operate side by side,” explains the website of the trendy, allnew locus. “Each team brings its own unique flavor and specialty to the building, offering a diverse range of cuisines under one roof.”
Further, the venue boasts a 30-tap self-pour wall which accesses a wide variety of drinks, some soft and some not-so-soft.
Tuaolo brings a uniquely urgent energy to this shared space. “I was in the closet for 35 years, and I put things on the back burner and wasn’t able to follow my passions and the things that I love,” Tuaolo professes. “Whenever people come out, they say, ‘Oh, my gosh, I feel so complete.’ Well, of course: when we’re in the closet, we hide a big part of our lives.”
Starting the 98 Hawaiian Grill is for Tuaolo nothing less than an effort to make himself complete.
“I’m on a quest,” he proclaims, a small laugh escaping his big smile. “My first quest was football — I always wanted to go to the Super Bowl, and I went to the Super Bowl. My second quest was singing — I always wanted to be on one of those shows — I was on ‘The Voice.’ I always wanted to be on ‘Oprah’ — I was on ‘Oprah.’ I always wanted to be on ‘Ellen’ — I was on ‘Ellen.’”
As it turns out, the dispenser of comfort finds his own comfort in busting out of his comfort zone … which just might be the case for the rest of us, as well.
“I always wanted to have my own little restaurant thing, a chain, and so now I do — I have a chain,” Tuaolo declares. “Everything that I’m passionate about is coming true. If you’re passionate about something, it can come true if you put your mind and heart and soul into it.”
98 Hawaiian Grill is one of four start-ups up-starting within a larger, collective food hall, The House Food & Tap.
www.98hawaiiangrill.com www.thehousefoodandtap.com
The Queer Food Foundation is a nationwide resource for LGBTQ+ individuals in the food industry. The foundation strives to connect queer foodies across the nation, recognizing that food is a source of community and love. Its mission is to bring people together over shared meals and meaningful connections. The foundation began in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. Its initial goal was to provide mutual aid, ensuring that people had food in their fridges.
One of the founders of the Queer Food Foundation, Vanessa Parish, has been working in the food industry for over 15 years. Her first job as a teenager sparked a passion for food, and she fell in love with the industry. Over the years, she has worked as an executive pastry chef, caterer, private chef, corporate executive for multiple food businesses and much more.
“Food is an integral part of our livelihood, and knowing that I can provide that in my way and bring people joy is magical,” Parish says.
“Without these hospitality spaces, I would not have found my people and been able to celebrate the multiple marginalized intersections. As a Black and Indigenous woman, we do not get the recognition and support we deserve. Food is my contribution to helping change that.”
Parish understands that lower-paying jobs, such as those in hospitality, often go to marginalized communities, including Black, Brown and queer individuals. This is why the Queer Food Foundation prides itself on providing a space for these communities to find, connect with and support one another.
“We only thrive when we work together, and that’s what QFF is all about. Supporting our organization means supporting your community directly,” explains Parish.
The Queer Food Foundation understands that each city or community has different needs. For example, queer individuals in cities like Los Angeles or New York may feel safer coming out, while many others in the South may not feel as protected in public. The foundation recognizes that it is essential to assess the specific needs of each local community while providing a nationwide resource. By doing so, QFF can better understand and address the unique challenges these communities face. The challenge, then, is to build a bridge that connects these communities, offering them the support they need while fostering a stronger, more united network.
The Queer Food Foundation proudly supports the LGBTQ+ community with a variety of resources. The foundation recognizes that education is key to strengthening and empowering the community. Each year, they host the Queer Food Fund, providing micro-grants to Black queer and trans communities. They also com-
mission queer-owned food businesses and offer a Queer Food Directory, allowing queer individuals in the food industry to connect, collaborate and support one another.
“When we support other spaces, we aim to find different ways to offer care. There are many ways to provide resources, and we try to hit as many of those targets as possible. We work with many other aligned organizations that assist and collaborate with us,” says Parish.
The Queer Food Foundation hosts mixers, with their most recent event taking place in Los Angeles. The foundation recognizes the toxic environments that persist within many food industries nationwide. This concern is further amplified by the increasing number of reported hate crimes in recent years and the political climate that may contribute to the further marginalization of LGBTQ+ communities.
In addition to mixers, the foundation organizes events specifically designed to support minority groups working in the food industry. For example, an upcoming virtual panel will feature queer Latinx chefs, fostering conversations about the challenges and benefits of being in food spaces while providing guidance, representation and community support.
Since the foundation is queer, a large portion of its events revolve around Pride, spanning from May to October! These events range from bingo nights to dinner parties, as the foundation understands the deep importance of gathering around food to build community and celebrate identity.
“The phrase ‘food is love’ works by sharing the energy in your heart for a meal. We spend much time when we are out and about or at home with loved ones,” Parish explains. “The first thing that comes to mind is the food. We connect around the tables that provide us comfort and sustenance. That alone is a signature of love, care and safety. That’s exactly what our foundation is about. Our mission at the end of the day is to find ways to provide as much care, love and safety as possible and then use resources to our community that doesn’t often receive it consistently enough in our society.”
The Queer Food Foundation www.queerfoodfoundation.org
While gay bars and restaurants might still be few and far between in the U.S. today, there are still many more than in the mid-1990s. Back then, it was truly a revolutionary act to be an openly queer restaurant owner — to be openly queer at all. And that’s just what co-founder of Out On Main, the U.S.’s first LGBTQ+-themed restaurant, Michael Caven, did (and is doing!) with his life: a beautiful act of revolution, simply in existence.
Caven’s story doesn’t start with Out On Main, but it is a huge part of his journey into the public eye. “My role as co-founder of Out On Main began with a simple question I asked my then-partner and Out On Main co-founder Tom Grote: ‘At a historical roundtable, what would Alexander the Great, Willa Cather, Tennessee Williams and Eleanor Roosevelt say to each other, what stories would they share, what lessons have been learned?’ And so the idea for Out On Main was born,” he says.
The LGBTQ+-themed restaurant opened its doors on National Coming Out Day in October 1996 and became a community staple and safe haven for the next six years, before closing after September 11, 2001.
Caven knew the importance, especially since the concept had never been done before, of creating a specifically queer restaurant space. He and Grote understood that to create an openly queer space would mean they had to become cultural icons, in a way … and of course, be publicly open as a gay couple in the ‘90s.
“Our story was important: a gay male couple in their early 30s, successful, happy, enthralling business. How great for young people in Columbus to see and be inspired by!” Caven says.
“We wanted to create a safe space for LGBTQ folk to meet and eat and share space openly, with big windows onto Main Street, no longer in the shadows,” Caven continues. “We wanted to change the cultural landscape, open things up and as a community be more visible, more viable, more acknowledged: Yes, we are here and we’re celebrating our past and our present lives.”
Of course, this was no easy task. Even though Caven says that there was much more openness and acceptance in Columbus than he or Grote had expected.
“I think people were shocked at our openness and commitment to being a visible and wellknown LGBTQ+ establishment,” he notes. “I felt a sense of pride at meetings with Ohio business leaders being openly queer and not giving a damn what any might think about me.”
This bravery served Caven well, with his openness and community activism helping to earn him and Grote the HRC’s Equality Award.
And, along with their dedication to the community, Out On Main was also a lot of fun. They were always hosting celebrities (in fact, Ms. Eartha Kitt loved Out On Main’s Weiner Schnitzel), throwing parties with themed dinners (like the final meal served on the Titanic, for example!) and much, much, more.
Caven shared a story about some of their celebrity guests, saying, “Betty DeGeneres, who at the time was an LGBTQ+ ally activist traveling the USA, was an annual visitor to Out On Main. She’d say, ‘Someday I’m gonna bring Ellen!’ And she did — on her 70th birthday when Ellen was playing The Palace Theatre. Ellen, Betty, Anne Heche and a group of 20 others arrived, I served as bodyguard so they could dine in peace (fans waited patiently) and afterward I gave Ellen a tour around our restaurant.”
While Out On Main is a massive accomplishment for Caven, he doesn’t consider it the most important work of his life.
“The most important accomplishment of [my] life, even more than OOM, was putting my former high school predator teacher out of business,” Caven says.
In a story of incredible bravery and strength from Caven, he says, his former high school teacher “began grooming me at 15, and by 16 years old, the seduction and abuse. I thought he was my friend and mentor. Then, ten years later,
he sent me sexually explicit Polaroids taken of me at 16, and I began to slowly put the pieces together. With the help of a therapist, I came to terms with what this man did to me and found a way to bring him to justice, take him down and permanently remove him from the education system.”
This story of courage and resilience helped inspire Caven to write a memoir, “Spilling the Tea,” which he’s currently writing. In it, he talks about his life as a gay man, his experience with Out On Main, the traumatic and heroic story of how he got his predator teacher removed from the school system, and his time living with Frank Caven in his mansion in the sky in Dallas, where he became “enmeshed in his chaotic and wild gay bar empire, with large characters and even larger drama and ‘situations.’”
Caven’s memoir is a tribute to the many versions of himself that existed and still exist.
“At times the tears came before the words, other times the words have been followed by tears. Writing ‘Spilling the Tea’ has been life-changing as I’ve faced my worst and best experiences in life,” Caven says. And he adds, as a teaser, that in the memoir, he, “deliver[s] a lot of juicy stuff, pageturning, oh my God stuff” about gay life in Dallas in the 1980s.
Michael Caven’s story is truly one you don’t want to miss out on.
“My story is difficult and complicated. Certainly, Out On Main is a highlight and easy to digest. Victim Michael, Hustler Michael, Survivor Michael [are] not easy, just ask anyone with a personal connection to me, they’d rather I stay known as Restaurant Michael … because of their own shame about some aspects of my past,” he says. “But I’m not writing for them. I’m writing for readers who have no personal connection to me and find my stories interesting, captivating, inspiring and a statement of resilience: Never give up, no matter what.” Caven expects publication by early 2026.
BY E.B. BOATNER
Jason Colavito
Applause
$29.95
Colavito tackles the acres of James Dean material scribbled since his death at 24 on September 30, 1955. Crude maverick disliked by many or inspired actor adored worldwide then and now, his sexuality is still a point of contention. It mattered in the 1950s. Rock Hudson (Dean-hater) played straighter-than-straight, until AIDS, while any emotional male was designated gay and shunned. However, one pigeon-holed him, and everyone was forced to acknowledge that once Dean stepped onto the set and the cameras started to roll, once he’d unleashed the turmoil, pain and loneliness trapped inside, the very heavens opened, leaving a stunned audience speechless. Seventy years on, James Dean is still lauded by male and female acolytes. Seventy. And we’re still obsessing over manliness, insisting real men don’t show emotion.
“The Boxcar Librarian”
Brianna Labuskes
William Morrow
$19.99
Labuskes, author of “Librarian of Burned Books” and “The Lost Book of Bonn,” offers another historicallybased mystery from our own grim Depression years. A potential political scandal looms and Works Progress Administration (WPA) editor Millie Lang is sent from Washington to hinterland Montana to solve a problem concerning that state’s (real) “American Guide Series.” In Montana, Copper was King — and still is. As Labuskes has done so successfully in earlier novels, the story unfolds through Millie’s 1936 present, reaching back to Colette in 1914’s Hell Raisin’ Gulch and Alice in 1920s Missoula. There’s betrayal, murder, hard times, hints of romance and books. Ever present in Labuskes’ plots, characters themselves, now aboard a boxcar library servicing the needs of those in the scattered Coppermine camps, lonely and overburdened.
Josh L. Davis
U. Chicago Press
$16.00
“There are only two sexes.” Really? Many species do have large and small sex cells (egg and sperm), but many other lives share this sphere. The Splitgill mushroom, of 150,000 fungal species known so far, has some 23,000 “mating types,” used since sexual fungi employ same-sized (isogamous) cells. It’s a headily diverse world. Mammalian sex is often determined by XX and XY (usually M & F) sex chromosomes; other species, arthropod roly-polys, by ZZ and ZW (M & F). But, roly-polys (pill woodlice) actually derive their sex from an infection by a Wolbachia bacterium. Admittedly outré, but habits of familiars; giraffes, swans, bluegills, hyenas, penguins and low-land gorillas may shock and surprise in this nifty compendium of what actually makes the world go ‘round.
Juano Diaz
Octopus Books
$17.99
A wrenching account of a boy surviving life in Glasgow’s slums. His birth father has disappeared, and his addict Mum lives with Daddy Ronnie. Four-year-old John MacDonald, after five months in foster care, “because they were too sick from drinking beer to take care of me,” is at Barrhead Dams Family Day. Playful Ronnie drowns, and John’s alone with Mummy. Her subsequent derelictions reported, the boy is removed to the care system and eventually adopted by a caring family in the Romany community and offered education and a stability foreign to his chaotic background. And he realizes he’s gay. Eventually, the now-grown lad is saved through his art, and his determination to reunite with Mum. He persevered, and today is known internationally in his reclaimed true identity as Juano Diaz.
BY RANDY STERN
When it comes to premium and luxury vehicles, we automatically think of Audi among that group.
If you think exactly that way, then you’re correct. The four-ringed German badge has always been in the conversation, yet it does so with a low-key style and lack of pretense. No matter which model of Audi, all you have to do is to look at the badging.
The four-ringed logo is a calling card. No matter if it’s an e-tron all-electric model or a high-performance RS model from the Audi Sport family, that badge speaks volumes.
An Audi can also fly under the radar rather easily. Specifically, the one I am talking about here — a 2025 Q7 55 TFSI SUV.
“Please explain what that is?”
Sure. The Q7 is a three-row mid-size SUV that has been around for quite some time. This model is in its second generation — introduced for the 2016 model year. The current model had its second facelift, exhibiting a bolder look to meet current brand standards. The current lineup does not feature any e-tron battery-electric variants; strictly all internal combustion engines, including the performance-oriented SQ7.
This tester — denoted by the 55 TFSI moniker — packs a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine. It is good for 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. Power is channeled through an eight-speed automatic transmission
sending power through Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system. You can have your Q7 with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, as well.
A turbocharged V6-powered luxury SUV is normal, right? Calling an Audi “normal” might be considered an insult. However, the Q7 is the norm in its class. It is also stealthy in design.
Our tester came in a Tamarind Brown paint job with the Black Optic package. The paint appeared to be a mix of dark brown and black with caramel flakes shining when the light hits its right. This package adds dark-toblack badging and trim all around. It also adds a set of 21-inch alloy wheels. There is nominal brightwork to be found on our tester.
Call it “incognito,” “chill” or “low-key.” This is one vibe Audi wants its customers to embrace for its vehicles. This works for the Q7.
The profile and silhouette are as stealthy as the paint job and dark finishes. There is a sense of the Audi’s build quality in its presence. The new grille texture points to an additional layer of boldness in a geometric and functional way. LED lighting is found both front and back — including Matrix-design lamps up front.
As stealthy as it looks, the Q7 is also quite functional. The liftgate opens wide for exceptional loading and unloading. The doors open and close with a reassuring “thud.” You won’t find any fault in the way the Q7 carries itself externally.
Stepping inside the Q7, you are welcomed with similar themes. There is
Community Connection brings visibility to local LGBTQ-friendly non-profit organizations. To reserve your listing in Community Connection, email advertising@lavendermagazine. com.
ANIMAL RESCUE
Second Chance Animal Rescue
Dedicated to rescuing, fostering, caring for, and adopting out dogs and cats into forever homes.
P.O. Box 10533 White Bear Lake, MN 55110 (651) 771-5662 www.secondchancerescue.org
Quorum
Minnesota's LGBTQ+ and Allied Chamber of Commerce working to build, connect, and strengthen for a diverse business community. 2446 University Ave. W., Ste 112 St. Paul, MN 55114 (612) 460-8153 www.twincitiesquorum.com
The Nature Conservancy
TNC is an environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature thrive. 1101 W. River Pkwy., Ste. 200 Minneapolis, MN 55415-1291 (612) 331-0700 minnesota@tnc.org www.nature.org/minnesota
EVENT VENUES
Landmark Center
A classic venue, with a grand cortile and beautiful courtrooms, accommodates celebrations of all sizes. 75 W. 5th St. St. Paul, MN 55102 (651) 292-3228 www.landmarkcenter.org
GRANTMAKERS/FUNDERS
PFund Foundation
PFund is the LGBTQ+ community foundation that provides grants to students and grants to non-profits. PO Box 3640 Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 870-1806 www.pfundfoundation.org
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Aliveness Project
Community Center for individuals living with HIV/AIDS – on-site meals, food shelf, and supportive service. 3808 Nicollet Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55102 (612) 824-LIFE (5433) www.aliveness.org
Family Tree Clinic
We're a sliding fee sexual health clinic and education center, now in Minneapolis. 1919 Nicollet Ave. Minneapolis MN 55403 (612) 473-0800 www.familytreeclinic.org
NAMI Minnesota
(National Alliance on Mental Illness) Providing free classes and peer support groups for people affected by mental illnesses.
1919 University Ave. W., Ste. 400 St. Paul, MN 55104 (651) 645-2948 www.namimn.org
Red Door Clinic
HIV and STI screening, treatment, education, and referrals. Doxy PEP, nPEP, PrEP, and Reproductive Health. 525 Portland Ave., 4th Fl. Minneapolis, MN 55415 (612) 543-5555 reddoor@hennepin.us www.reddoorclinic.org
Quatrefoil Library
Your LGBTQ+ library and community center. Free membership, events, and e-books/audiobooks. Check us out!
1220 E. Lake St. Minneapolis, MN 55407 (612) 729-2543 www.qlibrary.org
Radio K
Radio K is the award-winning studentrun radio station of the University of Minnesota.
330 21st. Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612) 625-3500 www.radiok.org
Minnesota Historical Society
Create your own adventure at MNHS historic sites and museums around Minnesota. www.mnhs.org
Minneapolis Institute of Art Enjoy masterpieces from all over the world & every period of human history.
Free admission daily!
2400 3rd Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55404 (612) 870-3000 www.artsmia.org
Chanhassen Dinner Theatres
The nation's largest professional dinner theater and Minnesota's own entertainment destination.
501 W. 78th St. Chanhassen, MN 55317 (952) 934-1525 www.ChanhassenDT.com
Children’s Theatre Company
Children’s Theatre Company excites the imagination with world-class family-friendly theatre for kids, teens, and adults.
2400 3rd Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55404 (612) 874-0400 www.childrenstheatre.org
Guthrie Theater
Open to the public year-round, the Guthrie produces classic and contemporary plays on three stages. 818 S. 2nd St. Minneapolis, MN 55415 (612) 377-2224 www.guthrietheater.org
Minnesota Opera
World-class opera draws you into a synthesis of beauty; breathtaking music, stunning costumes & extraordinary sets. Performances at the Ordway Music Theater - 345 Washington St. St. Paul, MN 55102 (612) 333-6669 www.mnopera.org
Minnesota Orchestra
Led by Music Director Designate Thomas Søndergård, the Minnesota Orchestra, one of America’s leading symphony orchestras. 1111 Nicollet Mall Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 371-5656, (800) 292-4141 www.minnesotaorchestra.org
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
Leading performing arts center with two stages presenting Broadway musicals, concerts & educational programs that enrich diverse audiences. 345 Washington St. St. Paul, MN 55102 (651) 224-4222 info@ordway.org www.ordway.org
Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus
An award-winning chorus building community through music and offers entertainment worth coming out for! 1430 W. 28th St., Ste. B Minneapolis, MN 55408 (612) 339-SONG (7664) chorus@tcgmc.org www.tcgmc.org
All God’s Children Metropolitan Community Church
A welcoming, inclusive, safe place to explore and discover God’s love for ALL God’s children. 3100 Park Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55407 (612) 824-2673 www.agcmcc.org
Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church
Everyone is welcome at Hennepin Church! Vibrant Worship. Authentic Community. Bold Outreach. 511 Groveland Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 871-5303 www.hennepinchurch.org
Plymouth Congregational Church
Many Hearts, One Song; Many Hands, One Church. Find us on Facebook and Twitter. 1900 Nicollet Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 871-7400 www.plymouth.org
St. Philip's Lutheran Church
We invite and welcome those of every spiritual background, ethnicity, gender orientation, or economic situation. 6180 Hwy 65 Fridley, MN 55432 (763) 571-1500 www.splcmn.org
University Baptist Church
Creating safe and inclusive spaces for 175 years, UBC stands proudly with our LGBTQ+ family. 1219 University Ave. SE Minneapolis, MN 55414 (612) 331-1768 www.ubcmn.org
Westminster Presbyterian Church
An open and affirming congregation, welcoming persons of all sexual orientations, gender expressions and identities. 1200 Marquette Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 332-3421 www.westminstermpls.org
Lyngblomsten Community Services
Empowering older adults to live well at home through caregiver support, memory-loss enrichment, & wellness education. 1415 Almond Ave. St. Paul, MN 55108 (651) 632-5330 www.Lyngblomsten.org/CServices
Senior Community Services
Providing non-medical services that meet the changing needs of older adults & support their caregivers. 10201 Wayzata Blvd., Ste. 335 Minnetonka, MN 55305 (952) 541-1019 www.seniorcommunity.org/lav
Friends & Co
Fostering meaningful connections for older adults for 50+ years. Offering quick drop-in chat line, phone & visiting companionship services.
2550 University Ave. W., Ste. 260-S St. Paul, MN 55114 (612) 721-1400 www.friendsco.org
Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota Serving all Minnesotans with personcentered services that promote full and abundant lives.
lssmn.org | (651) 642-5990 | (800) 582-5260 Employment Opportunities | lssmn.org/careers PICS (Partners in Community Supports) | picsmn.org
Pooled Trust | (888) 806-6844
Supported Decision-Making | (888) 806-6844
Westopolis Minnesota’s Sweet Spot! St. Louis Park & Golden Valley offer exceptional dining, attractions, shopping, hotels and event space.
1660 Hwy 100 S., Ste. 501 St. Louis Park, MN 55416 (952) 426-4047
www.westopolis.org
nothing over-the-top in an Audi’s interior. The dashboard alone is designed for clear information and driver engagement. The combination of the digital instrument cluster screen and heads-up display offers more than enough information that is comprehensive. The rest of the dashboard and center console is well laid out, with plenty of screens and controls available to the driver.
There is a curve ball or two to grasp for those unfamiliar with an Audi. Maybe it’s an Audi feature, but the cruise control is on a stalk to the left of the steering column. It is not as visible as most of us like, but it works logically. The transmission is actuated by a chunky shift-by-wire controller. Again, this is found on a lot of Audi models.
The infotainment system and climate control have their own screen in the center stack area. Both are of a size for easy reading and control. You can connect your smartphone wirelessly and there is a wireless charging pad underneath the center armrest. Bang & Olufsen provides the soundtrack through a series of 3D speakers, including a pair that pop out of the edge of the dashboard.
Another expected luxury is the Saiga Beige Valcona/Cricket leather upholstery that is fitted across three rows of seats. The front seats yielded no fatigue on extended drives, as they are comfortable and supportive. The three-seat second row is accommodating with superb comfort. However, the third-row room is best for small children. Access is quite good from the outboard second-row seats.
Cargo management in the Q7 starts with 4.2 cubic feet of space with all three rows of up in place. Once you get both the third and second rows folded down, the SUV will accommodate up to 69.6 cubic feet of space overall.
Once everyone is settled into the Q7, driving it was simply wonderful. Ride quality was enhanced by a comfortable adaptive air suspension system. Depending on which drive mode you select, the dampers will be set accordingly — for example, selecting Dynamic will add a touch of firmness. Comfort mode keeps the dampers a tad soft, but very smooth. This works well when dealing with rougher roads.
An Audi should handle and corner flatly. The Q7 does exactly that. Not exactly like, say, an RS6 Avant, but enough to manage it through the curves with nominal lean and roll. This is augmented by an all-wheel steering system. This enables the rear wheels to turn along the curve of the front wheels, further tightening the radius to accomplish the maneuver. The steering wheel and response were quite good, as well as its on-center feel.
The brakes are also what you expect in an Audi. The Q7 offered a solid pedal feel that translated into good stops during normal and panic situations. Overall, the Q7 drove very well. It also yielded a fuel economy average of 20.7 mpg, while humming along the highway with ease.
Pricing for the 2025 Audi Q7 starts at $60,500. Our tester came with a sticker price of $88,790, equipped with practically everything you can tick off the package and options list.
If your expectation of an Audi — whether an SUV, Sportback, sedan, Avant, e-tron, Audi Sport or anything in-between — is a vehicle that is rewarding to drive and own, the Q7 delivers upon that. You may not need three rows of seats, but you can feel just right when driving around town or on a long journey. You also have the capacity to pack plenty of stuff for either drive.
All you have to do is look for the four rings on the grille to know that your expectations will be met.
