Karyn Tomlinson of Myriel in St. Paul won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest, making her the first St. Paul chef to ever win that prestigious culinary prize.

French-influenced Bûcheron in South Minneapolis was also named the country’s Best New Restaurant, beating out nine other finalists for one of the award’s top honors.

Tomlinson — wearing a dress her grandmother wore in 1941 when she was crowned a local Corn Queen — was presented with the medal Monday night in Chicago by Twin Cities star chefs Sean Sherman, of Owamni, and Andrew Zimmern.

“I am privileged to work with many farmers today who are stewarding our resources to the best of their abilities and proud of their work,” she said in a brief acceptance speech. “The Midwest is beautiful. The Midwest is diverse. The Midwest is tenacious and strong, and we grow really good food.”

This is Tomlinson’s first win at the James Beard Awards and also her first time as a finalist for the Midwest award; she’s previously been named a semifinalist three times.

Tomlinson beat out four other finalists in the Best Chef: Midwest category, including Minneapolis chefs Diane Moua of Diane’s Place and Shigeyuki Furukawa of Kado no Mise. (The category encompasses Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.)

The Twin Cities were also well-represented at the James Beard Media Awards, presented earlier this week.

In particular, the Twin Cities Public Television series “Relish,” hosted by chef Yia Vang, won in a category called “lifestyle visual media,” which “honors excellence in food-centric talk shows and lifestyle programs that explore food or beverage alongside broader societal and cultural themes.” (Season 6 of “Relish” premieres June 23 on TPT.)

The National Geographic Channel show “World Eats Bread” won in the docuseries category; the third episode of the show features local culinary advocate Amalia Moreno-Damgaard exploring tortilla-making in Guatemala.

In addition, the James Beard Foundation recognized Minnesota U.S. Rep. Angie Craig with one of five Impact Awards, a new honor this year to highlight those pushing for broader food system changes. Craig, from Minnesota’s 2nd District, serves as ranking member on the House Committee on Agriculture.

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The adult children of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman released a statement on behalf of their Brooklyn Park family on Monday saying their slain parents were the “bright lights at the center of our lives.”

Sophie and Colin Hortman said: “We are devastated and heartbroken at the loss of our parents, Melissa and Mark. They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can’t believe they are gone. Their love for us was boundless. We miss them so much.”

The siblings said that they wanted to let people know that they were safe and with loved ones.

“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have received, and we appreciate your respect for our family’s privacy as we grieve.”

They also said the family wanted to thank law enforcement for “their swift action that saved others and for the coordination across communities that led to the arrest of the man who murdered our parents. We especially would like to thank the officers who were first on the scene to our parents’ home and their heroic attempts to rescue our mom and dad.”

The siblings said that their parents had touched many lives.

“They leave behind an incredible legacy of dedication to their community that will live on in us, their friends, their colleagues and co-workers, and every single person who knew and loved them.

If people want to honor the couple’s memory, they could consider doing some of the following, the siblings said:

Plant a tree.
Visit a local park and make use of their amenities, especially a bike trail.
Pet a dog. A golden retriever is ideal, but any will do.
Tell your loved ones a cheesy dad joke and laugh about it.
Bake something — bread for Mark or a cake for Melissa, and share it with someone.
Try a new hobby and enjoy learning something.
Stand up for what you believe in, especially if that thing is justice and peace.

“Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents lived their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer. Love your neighbors. Treat each other with kindness and respect. The best way to honor our parents’ memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else.”

A GoFundMe account (tinyurl.com/5eynjbnv) that has been set up for the siblings has raised more than $60,000 as of Monday evening.

The organizer wrote: “I created this gofundme to raise funds to help Colin and Sophie repair the home, car and garage, help cover the costs of the funeral, and the associated costs of laying their parents to rest. I greatly miss my sister Melissa and brother-in-law Mark and want to help my niece and nephew through this difficult time and help cover the expenses this tragedy has incurred.”

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As the Minnesota Legislature takes steps to protect members of the House and Senate following the Saturday shooting of two state lawmakers and their spouses at their homes, long-discussed security measures at the state Capitol figure to see renewed interest.

Lawmakers’ home addresses have been removed from the Minnesota Legislature’s website, and the Capitol saw a larger security presence than usual Monday. That’s on top of a longstanding 24-hour law enforcement presence, according to Kyle Everson, a spokesperson with the Minnesota State Patrol.

For many years, elected officials have called for greater security measures at the Minnesota Capitol, such as entry checkpoints with metal detectors and X-ray machines. Minnesota was one of 13 states to forgo those measures, according to a Council of State Governments review conducted in 2021, following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Lawmakers might act with more urgency to beef up security at the Capitol after Saturday’s shootings, which killed former House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, and her husband, Mark, and injured Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, and his wife, Yvette. The alleged gunman visited the homes of two additional lawmakers that same night and had notebooks naming dozens more targets, federal prosecutors said Monday.

“I think everybody at the Capitol is ready to look at this in a serious manner,” said Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, who has served in the state Legislature since the 1980s. “The idea of metal detectors and banning guns at the Capitol, I think it’s coming.”

Marty supports new security measures but also has backed legislation to ban the carrying of firearms in the state Capitol, something he says has met fierce resistance from gun rights groups and some GOP lawmakers. Some Republican members of the Legislature have carried guns on the House and Senate floors in the past, citing concerns over personal safety.

One building on the state Capitol complex already has metal detectors and bans weapons: the Minnesota Judicial Center, which houses the state Supreme Court.

“I’m hoping, at a minimum, we will start next year off by banning guns in the Capitol complex, like we do in other courthouses,” Marty said. “I think the overwhelming majority would say, yeah, if they do it in courthouses, why shouldn’t they be doing it at the Capitol?”

Committee interested

Security took the spotlight at the state Capitol earlier this year after Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher submitted a letter to the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security requesting new measures, including metal detectors, X-ray machines, stationary guards and bag checks at entrances.

“The United States has become more politically polarized than it has been in decades,” he wrote to lawmakers. “Moreover, the willingness for certain actors to resort to political violence, threats, and intimidation to those who have different values and beliefs is clearly on the rise.”

Members of the bipartisan advisory committee said they were committed to working to ensure greater safety at the Capitol after the lawmaker shootings, though for now they aren’t publicly advocating any specific measures.

“This horrific act of political violence highlights the vital importance of our continued diligence to ensure that members of the legislature, staff, those that work in State Government, and the public are safe within the walls of the State Capitol and around the Capitol complex,” they said in a Monday statement.

Lawmakers on the committee include Rep. Kelly Moller, DFL-Shoreview; Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia; Sen. Bonnie Westlin, DFL-Plymouth; and Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove.

States take action

Former Senate Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, who served in the Senate until 2022, said it’s time for the state to increase Capitol security measures amid rising political violence, which he said became a bigger problem toward the end of his nearly 20 years in the Legislature.

“Hortman and I talked about threats that we and others were receiving,” he said.

Gazelka, a northern Minnesota Senator who started carrying a gun at the Capitol after protesters forced their way into the Senate Office building in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, said he thinks the Capitol still can be accessible to the public with added security measures.

“I just don’t think there’s any harm in bringing people through one gate for security,” he said. “You have multiple doors. I don’t have a problem with that. I just think you have to begin to think about the fact that people are far more aggressive.”

Since Saturday’s shootings, some neighboring states have moved quickly to boost lawmaker safety. Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, has requested added security ahead of a floor session Wednesday, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported. And in North Dakota, lawmakers’ home addresses were removed from the Legislature’s website.

Members of Minnesota’s Congressional delegation could see added security as well. U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, who reportedly was on a list of politicians alleged 57-year-old shooter Vance Luther Boelter hoped to target, was considering a regular private security detail, according to the Associated Press.

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A teenager with a job making burritos became a powerful Minnesota lawmaker who trained service dogs

In her last interview with the Pioneer Press, just days before she and her husband were fatally shot, state Rep. Melissa Hortman said that above all this summer she was looking forward to spending time with her family’s dog.

A nonprofit organization that trains assistance dogs posted Monday morning that their golden retriever, Gilbert, did not survive gunshot injuries he suffered during the Saturday shootings of Melissa and Mark Hortman in their Brooklyn Park home.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic news of Gilbert’s passing. We can confirm that he did not survive the attack at the Hortman family’s home early Saturday morning,” Helping Paws Inc. wrote on Facebook.

In this photo from 2022, provided by Helping Paws of Eden Prairie, Minn., state Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, poses with Gilbert, a golden retriever trained to be a service dog but eventually adopted by the Hortman family, at a training facility in Hopkins, Minnesota. (Helping Paws via AP)

When asked about her plans for the summer interim a few days before she was assassinated, the former DFL House speaker told the Pioneer Press that she looked forward to enjoying the backyard of her Brooklyn Park home and spending time with her dog, which she said could tell when she was about to head to the state Capitol for long days of work during the prolonged and politically contentious session.

“We are mourning the loss of two dedicated volunteers and one of our beloved dogs who once trained in our program,” the Helping Paws post said.

The mission of Helping Paws is to enhance the independence and quality of life for individuals with physical disabilities and veterans with PTSD through the use of assistance dogs, according to the organization.

A previous post mentioned Hortman’s death saying, “She was a Helping Paws Foster Home Trainer, a neighbor, and a friend. The Hortman family raised and trained Minnie, who is now a working service dog partnered with a Veteran. They also helped raise and train Gilbert, a service dog in training who was eventually career changed and became a cherished member of their family.”

The organization noted that when its service dog candidates can’t fulfill their training standards, volunteer training families, like the Hortmans, are giving the option of adoption.

The Hortmans’ connection to Helping Paws began in 2014 when their daughter, Sophie, chose to raise a service dog — Minnie — as her high school service project. When Sophie left for college, Mark Hortman continued training Minnie, who was successfully placed with a veteran in 2016.

The Hortmans, and Gilbert, continued their association with Helping Paws, including participating in events and dog-sitting other training candidates.

In Monday’s federal complaint charging Vance Boelter, 57, with murdering Hortman and her husband, there is mention of the dog being “gravely” injured in the attack. Helping Paws said later Monday that Gilbert was euthanized by his veterinary medicine caregivers.

“We’ve been deeply moved by the outpouring of support and compassion we’ve received,” Helping Paws wrote online. “In response, we will soon make a formal announcement regarding the establishment of a fund in honor of the Hortman family and Gilbert. This fund will support our program placing service dogs with veterans and first responders living with PTSD.”

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