Photography by Spacecrafting
Kate Sidoti
Brim is the sort of neighborhood cafe that feels like visiting an old friend’s front porch. That’s not by accident, but rather by design of head chef and owner Kate Sidoti. A comfortable, fast-casual dining concept, her 7-year-old “intentional health cafe” right off Bde Maka Ska serves up lemonade and coffee alongside sandwiches and bowls packed full of nutrient-dense, locally sourced and gluten-free ingredients. “The name Brim is meant to evoke a feeling of fullness and abundance. It’s like being filled to the brim with all the good things,” she says.
Sidoti earned her healthy cooking stripes at a young age: As a teen with a gluten allergy, she developed a brownie recipe she and her friends could enjoy. Later, she trained at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York. When a call came from Park City, Utah, to be the private chef for a family healing from health issues, Sidoti leaped at the opportunity. There, she developed a robust recipe Rolodex — and as an added accolade, found herself cooking eggs for Elon Musk and cookies for Robert Redford during the Sundance Film Festival.
When she fell in love with her husband, Patrick, she decided to move to Minnesota to widen her influence. Her community-driven cafe prioritizes a healthy work environment and deeply vetted sourcing. “Brim is a landing zone for communities to meet and showcase what they grow,” she says, citing Larry Schultz’s vaunted Owatonna chicken farm. The eighty-something Schultz takes orders via the phone, and his brother delivers them to Brim’s doorstep. Summer veggies come from StrongHeart Farms of the St. Croix River Valley, where Brim has a half-acre earmarked. The eatery’s booth at the Minnesota State Fair uses 125 gallons of locally made blueberry jam using blueberries from Little Hill Berry Farm in Northfield.
Though the concept is fast casual, Sidoti says nothing about the prep is: For example, beef is braised for 18 hours before being delivered tableside in the popular pulled-beef sandwiches and chimichurri bowls. “We pride ourselves on being incredibly fresh from source to bowl,” she says.
