The Heartland logo.
For the past four and a half years, I’ve been working at an amazing restaurant, under the most respected chef I’ve ever known; a man who changed not only how I think about food, but my life: Lenny Russo. His restaurant, Heartland, is a place that transcends what normal restaurants aspire to be.
I first heard about Heartland and its daily-changing menu (the first of its kind in Minnesota) about seven years ago. Back then, working at a place like that was just a dream. It stayed a dream until I worked with chef Andy Lilja, who introduced me to Lenny.
If you’re not familiar with Heartland, I’ll explain the concept briefly. The menu is sourced from ingredients located within a 300-mile radius of Minnesota. This means no salt water fish, mussels, clams, citrus, imported olive oil, dried pasta. On top of the sourcing theme, as I mentioned, the menu also changes every day.
The dining room has a beautiful wood backdrop.
The menu is the heart of Heartland, and we would try to not repeat a single ingredient in the entire thing, although something might sneak in twice if it was in season.
The menu is a collaborative process. When you come in as a cook, the first thing you do is look over your menu and see what ingredients are low, or if there are holes in the menu that need to be filled. Maybe you need a new sauce here, a new vegetable there. Maybe a protein is changing. Beef roast becomes goat becomes lamb becomes boar.
Everything is moving, changing, and when a different person works your station for a day, they’ll make their own prep, and put their touch and style on things. If you were running a cherry vinaigrette with your salad and it’s getting low, maybe they make an apple vinaigrette, to put in its place. It’s a beautiful, organic dance, and it changed the way I think about food, and how the menu of a restaurant is created.
A couple years of good inspiration
At about 4 p.m. each day, we have the menu meeting. We all sit down with the boss and discuss proposed changes to the evening’s selections. It’s cool how it works, but can be stressful, since you have to leave the kitchen for 30-45 minutes, and those minutes are valuable prep time, especially on the weekend.
Boss is the filter and focus for the creativity of the line, and at the end of the day, he creates the menu. This means that if you’re making something that doesn’t sound right, you’ll have to start all over, and you’ll probably hear about it for a while too. You learn Lenny’s style of cooking fast, or you won’t survive.
Heartland is demanding. I made a point of bringing menus home to study them after work, in order to plan for the next day. I tried to get to work at least two hours early as well, to give me plenty of time to prep.
After my promotion to sous chef, I had even more on my plate, and the job began to consume my life. It didn’t matter though. The freedom to create almost whatever you want is indescribably seductive for a cook. Not only did I get to work with obscure, funky things I’d never even heard of, but I essentially got the freedom to teach myself and experiment. I referred to the kitchen as “The Sandbox,” and it still is.
Salvadore is a professional dishwasher. He insisted on posing.
Life has this way of changing, though. This past summer, Lenny presented me with an opportunity, the biggest one of my life: becoming the executive chef of a brand new restaurant and helping to build it from the ground up.
At first I was skeptical. I mean, me? Could I do it?
One of the best pieces of advice I got was from my longtime friend, mushroom-hunting partner, and coworker Brandon, now sous chef at Heartland. When I told him about my trepidation he said:
“Alan, you’re a Heartland sous chef, what the f*** did you think your next move was going to be?!”
I knew he was right, and I accepted the offer. I gave a month’s notice at Heartland, and the days flew by. I taught people how to do things on my station so that they could operate without me. I said goodbye to people I’d grown close to in the kitchen, and it was hard.
It felt strange leaving the place where I’d worked longer than anywhere in my life. I was energized, sad, happy, and scared all at the same time. But something exciting was brewing, I could feel it in my bones.
Now some of the most important months of my life are approaching. I’m not working in a kitchen right now, but I’m working harder than I ever have before. It’s more cerebral, intense, important. I’m in a sort of purgatory, a place in between the conceptualization of a new restaurant and its grand opening. Wish me luck.
I really enjoy reading your web site and weekly emails and hope that you will be able to continue. Heartland is on my list of “must try’s” on my next trip through St. Paul.
Let us know more about your new location when you can as well. I’m always looking for interesting places to eat.
Best of luck in this exciting new opportunity.
What an incredible story, Alan and with so many more chapters to write… I am amazed at what you have done and are doing in your life! I’ve watched you from a very young age, as you know, I cant tell you how extremely proud of you I am! I will continue to follow you and your postings…and will be there to experience your finest one of these days! Congratulations to you and may God continue to bless you with much success!! Nicki Dyson
I applaud you for your courage. And your friend is correct. You need/must move forward. I just hope you don’t have to give up this website/blog. I am a forager, cook and fly fishing instructor. They all go hand in hand. I am responsible for meals at the fly fishing school. I can’t tell you how excited I get when I receive an email notice that you have posted something new on this site.
You are an extraordinarily gifted chef, a visionary. Lenny Russo knew this and latched on to you and hasn’t let go….good for him. I wish you the best and can’t wait to learn what happens next! Best of luck!
Thanks Trish, that really made my day, really. Fly fishing runs in my family too, I need to practice with Grandpa some more though.
Congrats! Where will your new restaurant be? Still in the Twin Cities? Regardless, good luck and kick ass!
Hank! I decided I had to split it into two posts so I wouldn’t bore people with over 1000 words. The restaurant will be in St. Paul. The name of it is Salt Cellar. Next time you’re in town stop in for a beer on me and I’ll give you the tour, we’re building a beer aging cellar, and a shiny new kitchen I like to call: “The Death Star” 🙂
Your story is awesome! And the page had me at ” roasted hens”.
We have a similar themed restaurant here in St. Louis that is family owned and uses only fresh local ingrediants. They focus on stimulating the 5 senses and is suitably named “Five Bistro”.
I hope to find my way to your establishment one day and look forward to watching your grand opening highlights!!
Best of wishes to ya!
I am so excited to hear this! It’s in my neighborhood!
Alan, I am thrilled for you and your new adventures!!! Congratulations on all you’ve achieved at Heartland and with your blog—one of the most well-written blogs I have the pleasure of reading. Bravo to you!
Jules, I can still remember being so jazzed that you let me do a presentation on truffles in that “weeder” class at Hamline, looking forward to seeing you in the future. Hope your health is good as well.
I second Hank’s question. But I assume, if you wanted to say right now, you would have. Let us know.
I’ll put it up in a new post Rob, too much to fit in 1000 words, don’t want to put people to sleep 🙂 It’s in St. Paul, name of the restaurant is Salt Cellar.
Our best wishes to you on your new adventure! We have never met anyone so passionate about food and it’s complexities as you. You will succeed, no doubt about it! Congrats!
Thanks you two!
Your discussions on foraged foods have always been great and I look forward to them a great deal. I hope you’re staying in the Mpls/St. Paul area and look forward to finding out where you’re going and when I can make a reservation there! Thanks for all of your very hard work. I know you bring a fun momemt to my day when I read your work.
Thanks Judy, that means a lot to me.
I’m a writer and a server and I just discovered your blog today. It was pleasure to read (as a blogger and a mushroom lover). I have been so curious about The Salt Cellar and I’m glad to see some info out on the interwebs. I hope you have a great opening and an even better following!
Thanks Elise, nice to meet you.