Local blog Pastry Affair gets its due in book about bloggers worldwide

Minneapolis blogger Kristin Rosenau is included in "Beyond the Plate" (Prestel, $35), a book that highlights 30 bloggers from around the world. Her blog, pastryaffair.com, is nestled among those originating from Helsinki to Hong Kong, from Brooklyn to Portland, Ore. Rosenau was in grad school studying astroparticle physics when she began looking into the art of pastry, blogging and working in bakeries. But she missed physics. She's now a high school science teacher, and uses science in both of her worlds. Her baking style is represented with recipes for a chocolate cacao-nib banana bread and plum almond crumble. She mixes delicious photography with philosophical quotations. Great recipes, too.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul market is among the first to see Dole Go Berries, a bundle of three 4-ounce snack-sized packs of fresh strawberries, aimed at responding to "the growing mobile snacking trend," according to a company release. National distribution is to follow with more berry varieties in the rinse-and-go clamshells. For more information on the berry line, visit dole.com. And remember to recycle.

Gyst Fermentation Bar, 25 E. 26th St. in Minneapolis, won the Sustainability Award at this year's Community Impact Awards honoring businesses, social enterprise organizations, nonprofits, initiatives and individuals making a significant impact on local communities. The awards are organized by Minnesota Business Magazine. Sisters Kylene and Mel Guse opened Gyst in 2015 and specialize in fermented foods and beverages such as artisanal cheeses, pickles and chocolate, as well as coffee, beer and boutique wine. They partner with small farms and growers to prolong seasonal access to produce through fermentation. One of its most popular sandwiches? The Sandor: peanut butter and house kimchi on a focaccia roll.

If you're watching the March Madness games with a crowd, or perhaps just want to binge-eat through a bracket, City Works Eatery and Pour House, 600 Hennepin Av. S. in Minneapolis, offers a heaping platter of Starch Madness. This appetizer consists of 4 pounds of Totchos (tater tot nachos). What's in them? Varying amounts of tater tots, pepperjack cheese sauce, smoked pork shoulder, blackened chicken, beer-battered shrimp, cornmeal beer-battered cheese curds, cannellini beans, pickled jalapeños, pico de gallo, sunnyside eggs, ancho sour cream, avocado and micro cilantro. They're available through April 3.

KIM ODE