9 May 2024

Weeknight wonders: Crispy cheddar chicken tacos and more

by | posted in: Adventure | 0

Eric Kim wrote a luminous essay about Japanese breakfast, with its constellation of small savory dishes (rice, miso soup, fish, pickles), and the daily practice of preparing it. You could make it bespoke every day, but the more pragmatic approach is to cook some of the elements ahead and fill out the meal with leftovers and other scraps from the fridge — “cooking for future you, not present you,” as Eric says, an idea I love and one you can embrace for any meal.

His new breakfast recipe for miso roasted salmon can be borrowed for dinner — it’s as satisfying at 7 p.m. as it is at 7 a.m., beautifully and saltily simple. The salmon recipe is below, along with four other dinners for the week ahead.

1. Miso Roasted Salmon

Miso roasted salmon. Gently salty and bright from miso and lemon, this easy recipe from Eric Kim is destined to be eaten with a bowl of white rice and something green. Props styled by Megan Hedgpeth. Food styled by Maggie Ruggiero. (Linda Xiao/The New York Times)

With this fish, less is more: The salty, umami balm of a miso marinade is lightened with lemon zest, which lends floral bittersweetness, and with lemon juice, which brings electric tang and tenderness. Salmon fillets cut into smaller, thinner portions — as they are for a Japanese breakfast spread — end up more evenly cooked and allow the marinade to flavor the fish more intensely (see Tip). If you can find it, yuzu would be fabulous here in place of the lemon. Serve with white rice, miso soup and goma-ae.

By Eric Kim

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 15 minutes plus overnight marinating

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons miso, preferably shiro (white) or awase (mixed; see Tips)
2 tablespoons mirin
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon avocado or canola oil, plus more for greasing pan
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 (4-ounce) salmon fillets, preferably with skin (see Tips)

DIRECTIONS

In a shallow dish, stir together the miso, mirin, soy sauce, oil, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the salmon, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 48 hours.
When ready to cook, heat the oven to 450 degrees and line a sheet pan with foil. Grease the foil with oil, then lay the salmon down, on the cut sides if possible.
Bake until charred at the edges, 7 minutes for medium-rare or 9 minutes for medium. Serve immediately.

Tips: To cut salmon fillets into thinner long portions as you would find in a Japanese breakfast spread, start with a skin-on fillet that’s 3/4- to 1-inch thick, scrape off any scales, then cut the fillet into 1-inch-wide strips.

Shiro (white) miso is made with a higher proportion of rice, which lends a milder, sweeter flavor. Awase (mixed) miso typically combines shiro and aka (red) miso for a balanced salty sweetness. You can substitute other varieties of miso if you can’t find either white or mixed.

2. Crispy Cheddar Chicken Tacos

These quick tacos use leftover or store-bought rotisserie chicken, and have a satisfying crispy Cheddar frico called a costra (crust) that is common both in taquerias in the northern half of Mexico and in the southwestern United States. In some taquerias, you can order a taco using only the costra as the shell without a tortilla. In this recipe, the tortilla and costra are layered together to wrap a simple but delicious shredded chicken and chipotle filling.

By Rick A. Martínez

Yield: 8 tacos

Total time: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced (lengthwise, from root to stem end)
1 cup hot water (tap water is fine)
Salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken, warmed
2 chipotles peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
6 ounces medium Cheddar, Monterey jack or queso chihuahua, grated
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Sliced avocado, salsa and lime wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Set an oven rack in the middle position; heat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir the onion, hot water and 1 teaspoon salt until the salt has dissolved. Let sit for 5 minutes. This will soften the onion and lessen any bitter or harsh flavors. Rinse the onion under cold water and drain. In the same bowl, toss the onion with the oregano, lime juice, orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt; reserve.
In a separate bowl, quickly toss together the chicken, peppers and adobo sauce, making sure the chicken is completely coated. Season with salt. Cover and keep warm.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat (do not use foil or the cheese might stick). Arrange cheese in 8 equal mounds on the prepared baking sheet. Spread each mound evenly to about 3 inches wide, and space at least 1 inch apart. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and deep golden brown in spots and around the edges, about 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and place 1 tortilla over each cheese crust and return to the oven to heat the tortillas, about 2 minutes.
Use tongs to carefully remove each tortilla with its costra, flipping each one onto a plate so that the cheese is facing up. Top with chicken, onions, avocado, salsa and a squeeze of lime.

3. Creamy, Spicy Tomato Beans and Greens

Creamy, spicy tomato beans and greens. Take two cans of white beans, some tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes and cream, and you’ve got this brilliant quick recipe from Alexa Weibel. Food styled by Samantha Seneviratne. (Kelly Marshall/The New York Times)

This weeknight wonder is for those who delight in turning a modest can of beans into a spectacular dinner. Inspired by the flavors of red pesto, this recipe calls for simmering cannellini beans with staple ingredients like onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, tomato paste and heavy cream, as well as sun-dried tomatoes and salty Pecorino, until the results taste complex and rich. Top the beans with a lemony arugula salad that is peppered with fried breadcrumbs for a dish that is crunchy, chewy, crispy and creamy in every bite.

By Alexa Weibel

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
Salt and black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 (14-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other creamy white beans, rinsed
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped jarred sun-dried tomatoes in oil
2/3 cup finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan
4 (packed) cups/3 ounces baby arugula
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest plus 4 teaspoons juice (from 1 lemon)
Toasted bread (optional), for serving

DIRECTIONS

In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium. Stir in the panko, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently and shaking the pan, until toasted and golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer seasoned panko to a paper-towel lined plate, then wipe out the skillet.
Add another 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium. Add the onion, garlic and crushed red pepper, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 4 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and stir until darkened and mixture is combined, about 3 minutes.
Stir in beans, heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes and 1/3 cup water, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, about 5 minutes. Stir in half the cheese, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl, toss the arugula with the seasoned panko, lemon zest and juice, plus the remaining 1/3 cup cheese and 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Pile the greens at the center of the bean mixture. Serve with toasted bread, if desired.

4. Spaghetti al Limone With Shrimp

Spaghetti al limone with shrimp. The recipe is by Lidey Heuck, and it’s one of the simplest ways to have a fancy-feeling dinner. (Julia Gartland/The New York Times)

There are many interpretations of the classic Italian pasta dish, spaghetti al limone, or spaghetti with lemon. Some call for an Alfredo-like sauce made with heavy cream, butter and Parmesan, while others rely on just olive oil, lemon juice, Parmesan and starchy pasta water. This particular recipe, which adds sautéed shrimp, white wine and fresh tarragon to the mix, leans toward the simpler preparation. Without the addition of heavy cream, the sauce has a brighter lemon flavor, which works beautifully with the delicate brininess of the shrimp. Tarragon adds a fragrant note and a bit of complexity to an otherwise fairly straightforward dish. Finally, if there were a time to spring for freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, this would be it. In an uncomplicated recipe like this one, the quality of each ingredient is paramount.

By Lidey Heuck

Yield: 6 servings

Total time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound spaghetti
1 pound large shrimp (18 to 20 count), peeled and deveined, tails on or off
1/4 cup olive oil
2 lemons, zested (about 1 1/2 packed tablespoons), plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for serving
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions until al dente. Scoop out 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and set aside.
While the pasta cooks, pat the shrimp dry and season them with salt and black pepper. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest (setting a few pinches aside for serving) and tarragon in a large skillet set over medium heat. When the oil begins to sizzle, cook for 1 more minute, until the zest and tarragon are fragrant but not browned.
Add the shrimp to the skillet and spread into an even layer. Cook for about 90 seconds on each side, or until just cooked through. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and set aside.
Add the wine, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the skillet, and bring to a simmer, scraping any browned bits from the pan. Cook until the wine has reduced by about half, then set aside, off the heat, until the pasta has finished cooking.
Add the cooked pasta and reserved pasta water to the skillet. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing often, until the liquid that has collected at the bottom of the skillet has reduced slightly. (The sauce should still be fairly loose at this point.)
Off the heat, add the butter and 1/2 cup Parmesan, sprinkling the cheese evenly over the pasta. Toss until the butter and cheese are melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and toss until the sauce is thick and smooth.
Add the shrimp, toss, then season with more salt and black pepper to taste. Divide among shallow bowls and garnish with chopped fresh tarragon, lemon zest and black pepper.

5. Pan-Seared Asparagus With Cashews

Pan-seared asparagus with cashews. This new dish from Melissa Clark aims for amped-up crunch with chopped nuts, coconut flakes and sunflower seeds added to crisp-tender pieces of asparagus. Food styled by Simon Andrews. (Christopher Testani/The New York Times)

In this speedy, springy dish, a crunchy mix of nuts, seeds and coconut flakes gives seared asparagus plenty of texture, while a squeeze of lime and handful of fresh herbs add brightness right at the end. This makes a hearty side dish for simple roasted fish or chicken, or it can be a light meal when served over rice or alongside a fried or soft-cooked egg, the yolk turning into a glossy sauce that coats the stalks.

By Melissa Clark

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

Total time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup roasted unsalted cashews, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds or pepitas
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or use a neutral-flavored oil)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 pound asparagus (about 1 bunch), trimmed and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce, to taste
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, more to taste
Chopped cilantro and sesame seeds, for serving

DIRECTIONS

In a large dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast the cashews, coconut flakes and sunflower seeds, stirring, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour mixture into a bowl to cool.
Return pan to the heat, and add sesame and coconut oils and garlic. Cook for 30 seconds, then stir in asparagus. Season lightly with salt and black pepper. Cook asparagus until crisp-tender, 3 to 7 minutes depending on how thick they are.
Stir in the soy sauce, lime juice, nut mixture and red-pepper flakes. Taste and season with more salt and red pepper, if you like. Transfer asparagus mixture to a serving dish. Top with sesame seeds and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges for squeezing.

Related Articles

Restaurants, Food and Drink |


Owner of Minneapolis-St. Paul-West St. Paul Mexican restaurants charged with tax crimes

Restaurants, Food and Drink |


Last-minute ideas for Mother’s Day brunch and beyond

Restaurants, Food and Drink |


Kemps puts out Luke Skywalker’s Blue Milk from ‘Star Wars’ in time for May the Fourth

Restaurants, Food and Drink |


St. Paul’s West Side Cinco de Mayo celebration to be held Saturday

Restaurants, Food and Drink |


Steak from dairy cows? It could be a lifeline for American farmers

9 May 2024

Thomas Friedman: Why the campus protests are so troubling

by | posted in: Society | 0

Readers have been asking me, and I have been asking myself of late, how I feel about the campus demonstrations to stop the war in the Gaza Strip. Anyone reading this column since Oct. 7 knows that my focus has been on events on the ground in the Middle East, but this phenomenon has become too big to ignore.

In short: I find the whole thing very troubling, because the dominant messages from the loudest voices and many placards reject important truths about how this latest Gaza war started and what will be required to bring it to a fair and sustainable conclusion.

My problem is not that the protests in general are “antisemitic” — I would not use that word to describe them, and indeed, I am deeply uncomfortable as a Jew with how the charge of antisemitism is thrown about on the Israel-Palestine issue. My problem is that I am a hardheaded pragmatist who lived in Beirut and Jerusalem, cares about people on all sides and knows one thing above all from my decades in the region: The only just and workable solution to this issue is two nation-states for two indigenous people.

If you are for that, whatever your religion, nationality or politics, you’re part of the solution. If you are not for that, you’re part of the problem.

And from everything I have read and watched, too many of these protests have become part of the problem — for three key reasons.

A free pass for Hamas

First, they are virtually all about stopping Israel’s shameful behavior in killing so many Palestinian civilians in its pursuit of Hamas fighters, while giving a free pass to Hamas’ shameful breaking of the cease-fire that existed on Oct. 7. On that morning, Hamas launched an invasion in which it killed Israeli parents in front of their children, children in front of their parents — documenting it on GoPro cameras — raped Israeli women and kidnapped or killed everyone they could get their hands on, from little kids to sick grandparents.

Again, you can be — and should be — appalled at Israel’s response: bombing everything in its path in Gaza so disproportionately that thousands of children have been killed, maimed and orphaned. But if you refuse to acknowledge what Hamas did to trigger this — not to justify what Israel has done, but to explain how the Jewish state could inflict so much suffering on Palestinian men, women and children in reverse — you’re just another partisan throwing another partisan log on the fire.

By giving Hamas a pass, the protests have put the onus on Israel to such a degree that its very existence is a target for some students, while Hamas’ murderous behavior is passed off as a praiseworthy adventure in decolonization.

‘From the river to the sea’

Second, when people chant slogans like “liberate Palestine” and “from the river to the sea,” they are essentially calling for the erasure of the state of Israel, not a two-state solution. They are arguing that the Jewish people have no right to self-determination or self-defense. I don’t believe that about Jews, and I don’t believe that about Palestinians. I believe in a two-state solution in which Israel, in return for security guarantees, withdraws from the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Arab areas of east Jerusalem, and a demilitarized Palestinian state that accepts the principle of two states for two people is established in those territories occupied in 1967.

I believe in that so strongly that the thing I am most proud of in my 45-year career is my interview with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, in February 2002, in which he, for the first time, called on the entire Arab League to offer full peace and normalization of relations with Israel in exchange for full withdrawal to the 1967 lines — a call that led the Arab League to hold a peace conference the next month, on March 27 and 28, in Beirut to do just that. It was called the Arab Peace Initiative.

And do you know what Hamas’ response was to that first pan-Arab peace initiative for a two-state solution? I’ll let CNN tell you. Here’s its report from Israel on the evening of March 27, 2002, right after the Arab League peace summit opened:

“NETANYA, Israel — A suicide bomber killed at least 19 people and injured 172 at a popular seaside hotel Wednesday, the start of the Jewish religious holiday of Passover. At least 48 of the injured were described as ‘severely wounded.’

“The bombing occurred in a crowded dining room at the Park Hotel, a coastal resort, during the traditional meal marking the start of Passover. … The Palestinian group Hamas, an Islamic fundamentalist group labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department, claimed responsibility for the attack.”

Yes, that was Hamas’ response to the Arab peace initiative of two nation-states for two people: blowing up a Passover Seder in Israel.

Hey, Friedman, some might ask, but what about all the violence that Israeli settlers perpetrated against Palestinians and how Bibi Netanyahu deliberately built up Hamas and undermined the Palestinian Authority, which embraced Oslo?

Answer: That violence and those Netanyahu actions are awful and harmful to a two-state solution as well. That is why I am intensely both anti-Hamas and anti-Netanyahu. And if you oppose just one and not also the other, you should reflect a little more on what you are shouting at your protest or your anti-protest. Because no one has done more to harm the prospects of a two-state solution than the codependent Hamas and Netanyahu factions.

Hamas is not against the post-1967 occupation. It is against the existence of a Jewish state and believes there should be an Islamic state between the river and the sea. When protests on college campuses ignore that, they are part of the problem. Just as much as Israel supporters who ignore the fact that the far-right members in Netanyahu’s own coalition government are for a Jewish state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. How do I know? Because Netanyahu wrote it into the coalition agreement between himself and his far-right partners.

Palestinians who detest Hamas’ autocracy

The third reason that these protests have become part of the problem is that they ignore the view of many Palestinians in Gaza who detest Hamas’ autocracy. These Palestinians are enraged by precisely what these student demonstrations ignore: Hamas launched this war without permission from the population of Gaza and without preparation for them to protect themselves when Hamas knew that a brutal Israeli response would follow. In fact, a Hamas official said at the start of the war that its tunnels were for only its fighters, not civilians.

That is not to excuse Israel in the least for its excesses, but, again, it is also not to give Hamas a pass for inviting them.

My view: Hamas was ready to sacrifice thousands of civilians in Gaza to win the support of the next global generation on TikTok. And it worked. But one reason it worked was a lack of critical thinking by too many in that generation — the result of a campus culture that has become way too much about what to think and not how to think.

I highly recommend a few different articles about how angry Palestinians in Gaza are at Hamas for starting this war without any goal in mind other than the fruitless task of trying to destroy Israel so Hamas’ leader, Yehia Sinwar, could get his personal revenge.

I was particularly struck by a piece in The National, a newspaper in Abu Dhabi, by Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Palestinian American raised in Gaza. The headline is: “Israel’s War Has Killed 31 Members of My Family, Yet It’s Vital to Speak Out Against Hamas.” Alkhatib placed Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in the context of the rising protests against its inept and autocrat rule that have broken out periodically in Gaza since 2019, under the banner of “We Want to Live.”

Wrote Alkhatib, a political analyst who is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council: “Having grown up in Gaza, I experienced Hamas’ rise to power and their gradual grip over the Strip and Palestinian politics and society, hiding behind a resistance narrative and using extremist politics to sabotage prospects for a peaceful resolution to the conflict with Israel. Months before Oct. 7, tens of thousands of Gazans protested in the streets in defiance of Hamas, just as they had in 2019 and 2017.”

Alkhatib added that the “‘We Want to Live’ protest movement decried living conditions and unemployment in Gaza, as well as the lack of a political horizon for meaningful change in the territory’s realities and opportunities. Hamas’ regime consisted of a criminal and despotic enterprise that used Gaza as a haven for the group’s members and affiliates and turned Palestinians there into aid-dependent subjects reliant on the international community” and turned Gaza into “a ‘resistance citadel’ that was part of a nefarious regional alliance with Iran.”

A campus with critical thinkers might have had a teach-in on the central lawn on that subject, not just on the violence of Israeli settlers.

Two indigenous peoples, two states

Against this backdrop, we are seeing college presidents at places like Rutgers and Northwestern agree to some of the demands by students to end their protests. As NPR summarized them, the “demands vary by school, though they generally call for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, disclosures of institutional investments and divestment from companies with ties to Israel or that otherwise profit from its military operation in Gaza.”

What Palestinians and Israelis need most now are not performative gestures of disinvestment but real gestures of impactful investment, not the threat of a deeper war in Rafah but a way to build more partners for peace. Invest in groups that promote Arab-Jewish understanding, like the Abraham Initiatives or the New Israel Fund. Invest in management skills capacity-building for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, like the wonderful Education for Employment network or Anera, that will help a new generation to take over the Palestinian Authority and build strong, noncorrupt institutions to run a Palestinian state.

This is not a time for exclusionary thinking. It is a time for complexity thinking and pragmatic thinking: How do we get to two nation-states for two indigenous people? If you want to make a difference and not just make a point, stand for that, work for that, reject anyone who rejects it and give a hug to anyone who embraces it.

Thomas Friedman, born in Minneapolis and raised in St. Louis Park, writes a column for the New York Times.

Related Articles

Opinion |


Stephen Mihm: Comparing Gaza protests to the ’60s is wrong — and dangerous

Opinion |


Marc Champion: Don’t let Gaza help Iran cloak its own repression

Opinion |


Trudy Rubin: 2024 isn’t 1968: University protesters need more clarity about their goals

Opinion |


Thomas Friedman: Israel and Saudi Arabia are trading places

Opinion |


Jonathan Zimmerman: It’s ‘academic freedom’ when you agree but not when you don’t?

9 May 2024

YWCA St. Paul repositions itself as a center for community engagement, access to health

by | posted in: Society | 0

St. Paul’s YWCA is undergoing a transformation under the leadership of CEO Ashley Booker, who aims to provide a space for anyone to achieve life and health goals, regardless of age, gender or race.

Ashley Booker, CEO of St. Paul YWCA. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

The organization — more than 100 years old with deep roots in the historic Rondo neighborhood — is broadening its scope beyond traditional youth-centered initiatives to promote healthier lifestyles for the community.

The organization’s current focus is on health and wellness, employment, youth development, and housing. During the pandemic, most of the YWCA’s efforts went toward maintaining the eight buildings they have dedicated to provide affordable housing for families in the area, which currently are occupied by 161 people.

While the 57 residential units have been the priority for the YWCA over the last few years and a majority of the other programming stopped during the pandemic, more recent partnerships such as the new addition of the Element Boxing Gym has expanded the YWCA’s class offerings substantially, moving from about 25 classes a day to nearly 55.

Booker, who started last August, previously served as executive vice president of Learning & Impact at Planned Parenthood North Central States. She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota and a master’s in education from Augsburg University.

‘Culturally responsive programming’

Booker said part of the repositioning means the YWCA needs to “start offering more culturally responsive programming so that we are in alignment with our mission. We want to bring in programs like hip hop dance, Latin dancing, Chicago-style stepping, just trying to mix it up and give people an opportunity to move in ways that feel authentic for them.”

Another central aspect of the YWCA’s new direction is the establishment of a racial justice center in the lower levels of the building. This area aims to foster dialogue, education and training to address systemic challenges, but Booker also envisions it as a hub for activities that will cater to the needs of the community.

YWCA St. Paul also is exploring social entrepreneurship with the establishment of a health and wellness café or juice bar. This is aimed at not only healthy living but also pays homage to the vibrant Black business district of Rondo. Youth members at the YWCA will have the chance to get real-life work experience and try their hand at continuing that legacy of business in the Rondo area.

Board member Kristin Beckmann noted the new direction under Booker’s leadership.

“It’s rare to find a leader like her who is so truly comfortable with who she is, but it creates something exciting, and there is a new energy in the building and a buzz in the community,” Beckmann said.

In the past, the YWCA’s largest group for turnout was senior members, but the changes are intended to make the YWCA a welcoming space for individuals of all ages and backgrounds, she said.

Beckmann added that the final goal is “making sure the location is a community hub for health and wellness.”

How to join

The YWCA team says the best way to become a member of the Health & Fitness Center is to pay them a visit at 375 Selby Ave. to take a tour of the facility and explore different membership options. In addition to offering individual and family memberships, the YWCA also offers low- to no-cost options for seniors and students, and scholarships for people who demonstrate a need for financial support.

Booker’s vision for supporting the community in achieving health goals extends to better understanding long-term impact, with plans to establish data evaluations to track results and help inform future efforts.

“I want to be able to say without a doubt that these programs are generating specific outcomes and then we can follow people over time,” Booker said.

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and all of the planned additions in programming at YWCA St. Paul, Booker said “ideally we want to work ourselves out of existence, and if we are successful in doing what we are trying to do, then we won’t need to be here.”

More info at Facebook.com/YWCAStPaul.

Related Articles

Local News |


Horace the stinking corpse flower to bloom at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory — for just 2 or 3 days

Local News |


Twin City Model Railroad Museum celebrates 90 years this Saturday

Local News |


Ramsey County to close 64-bed Safe Space shelter downtown, relocate it to Luther Seminary

Local News |


Target ends contract with Major Metro janitorial vendor

Local News |


Downtown St. Paul’s Lowry Apartments building, location of Gray Duck Tavern, for sale

9 May 2024

Stillwater prison tattoo parlor aims to create career opportunities – while reducing infections

by | posted in: News | 0

Courtney Ocegueda isn’t scheduled to get out of Stillwater prison until 2033, but he already has a plan for employment upon his release.

Ocegueda, who is serving a 27-year sentence for killing one man and injuring two in a 2015 Rochester shooting, wants to work at a tattoo parlor in the Twin Cities.

Ocegueda, a longtime artist, is part of a pilot tattoo program at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater in Bayport designed to reduce the spread of bloodborne diseases and help provide inmates with work experience. It’s believed to be one of the first tattoo programs in a U.S. prison.

“This program is, really, the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Ocegueda, 27, who is expected to be one of the first tattoo artists in the state to receive a license while incarcerated. “For me, it’s an opportunity to do something with my life. It’s hope. It’s changed me. It’s an opportunity. It’s growth. It’s everything that, you know, I felt I needed in my life to be able to change from when I was younger because I was a reckless young kid.”

Inmates Courtney Ocegueda, left, and Daniel Gonzales work on sketches in the tattoo shop at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater in Bayport on Tuesday. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

On a recent weekday morning, Ocegueda worked with his mentor, Justin Jimenez, the program manager, on building his skills. Ocegueda and his fellow apprentice, Daniel Gonzales, were the first two inmates selected to participate in the program. They received their temporary tattoo licenses from the Minnesota Department of Health in March.

The men were picked based on their artistic talent and temperament, said Jimenez, who was hired by the Minnesota Department of Corrections in October 2022. Two other inmates have recently started the apprenticeship program, which is expected to keep expanding through the years.

DOC officials have worked for about two years to get the program up and running. Inmates must pay for their own tattoos. Jimenez will not actually be giving tattoos himself – his role is to provide apprenticeships to the program participants, who will be tattooing other inmates.

The men have set up shop in a back room in the prison’s laundry area. The room, which has running water, features a large mural created by Jimenez, Gonzales and Ocegueda with the words “create, inspire and achieve” painted on it.

The apprentices have worked on eight or nine other inmates who volunteered to be inked. “They’re still practicing, so they haven’t started to charge yet,” Jimenez said.

Inmates who wish to get a tattoo must have a record of good behavior for six months prior. Each tattoo design could take several sessions; each hour-long session will cost $25, Jimenez said.

“It’s a good reason for (inmates) to try to stay out of trouble,” he said. “I mean, there’s not a lot of things in prison that you get to look forward to besides your release date, and I think that this is a good way that some of these guys can pass their time. A little bit of ink therapy, if you will.”

Jimenez, 36, owns his own tattoo shop and has been tattooing professionally for about eight years. He said he applied for the DOC position because he wanted to be part of “something bigger than myself.”

“I saw the value in something like this,” he said. “I could see its potential.”

Developing the program to the point where Jimenez actually had students took more than a year, he said.

“There were all kinds of hoops to jump through,” he said. “We had to not only adhere to the state regulations and laws, but we also have security procedures and everything else that comes with doing it in this facility.”

Inmate and apprentice Travis Leonard applies ink to practice skin with a tattoo machine during class in the tattoo shop at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

The apprentices begin by working on designing and drawing on paper and then move on to “fake skin,” a silicone tattoo practice sheet, he said.

After perfecting their skills on fake skin, they are allowed to tattoo their own skin “and then, slowly but surely, they get to work on other people,” he said. “Once their skill is where it needs to be, we can let them start taking some appointments.”

The appointments – and the subject matter – would be dependent on the skill level. “We’re not going to start doing portraits right away or anything, but we’re going to build up,” Jimenez said. “It’s just like a natural progression of things as you go.”

Fewer infections, more jobs

Having a licensed tattoo studio in the prison reduces the risk of infections and the associated medical costs caused by unsanitary and unauthorized tattooing, said Marina Fuhrman, the DOC health services director who also is serving as the program director.

The DOC generally treats about 100 cases of hepatitis C each year, and the cost of treatment can vary significantly based on the course of treatment. The cost of medication to treat inmates for hepatitis C in fiscal year 2023 was $995,386.

Marina Fuhrman poses in the tattoo shop in front of a mural created by Jimenez, Gonzalez and Ocegueda. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Reducing the potential for transmission of bloodborne diseases creates a safer environment for everyone, including staff, while also being more prudent with taxpayer dollars, according to Fuhrman. The anticipated yearly costs of the tattoo program at Stillwater is about $130,000, which includes Jimenez’s salary.

Stillwater was selected for the tattoo program because it already had an art program, and the administration was supportive, Furhman said. If it is deemed successful, the DOC would consider expanding to other DOC facilities.

In addition to helping reduce the transmission of hepatitis C, the program is designed to help inmates find lawful employment upon their release, she said.

“The tattooing industry is forgiving of people who were incarcerated, and they have much more opportunity to find jobs and be successful,” she said.

Gonzales, 27, said he has wanted to be a tattoo artist for as long as he can remember. “Some people want to be doctors; some want to play sports,” he said. “This was something that I’ve always wanted to do.”

Gonzales got his first tattoo – a Louis Vuitton symbol on his right forearm – when he was 14. “It really doesn’t represent who I am now, but it was a part of my past,” said Gonzales, who is serving time for second-degree murder.

Related Articles

Crime & Public Safety |


Owner of Minneapolis-St. Paul-West St. Paul Mexican restaurants charged with tax crimes

Crime & Public Safety |


MN Supreme Court denies new trial for man convicted in fatal St. Paul fender-bender shooting

Crime & Public Safety |


Inside the courtroom where Trump was forced to listen to Stormy Daniels

Crime & Public Safety |


Charges: St. Paul mother asked for Narcan before her baby’s December fentanyl death

Crime & Public Safety |


Woman charged in deaths of 2 children on Red Lake reservation

“Ever since I was young, I wanted to draw,” he said. “I used to see my cousins with their tattoos and ideas and stuff that they were doing. A lot of the time, they’d have a tattoo stencil book that you could look through and see all these designs, so it really inspired me to want to do the same thing. I used to take these books and do tracings to show my parents, show my aunts and uncles.”

Gonzales was transferred to Stillwater from the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Rush City when he was accepted into the apprenticeship program; his anticipated release date is March 2042.

“When I first came to prison (in 2016), I really didn’t see any light for my life in the beginning, you know what I mean?” he said. “But now I’m able to work towards achieving something that I’ve always wanted to do, so it makes a big difference in my life, and I’m hoping that I can be an example and help other people with my work.”

‘Opportunity to better my whole life’

Inmate and apprentice Corey Schuck applies ink to practice skin in the tattoo shop at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater on Tuesday. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

On a recent weekday morning, Jimenez taught Corey Schuck, 40, how to shade the contours of his tattoo design – a ribbon reading “Mom and Dad” – on fake skin.

“It will start to kind of break apart over time if you hit it too many times, but it’ll take more of a beating than real skin,” Jimenez told him. “That looks good. You always want to start with your darkest black. Now you want to whip that out of these deepest areas because you’re trying to create a little bit of depth.”

Schuck, serving time for first-degree assault, said he was “nervous and excited – at the same time” at the thought of putting his design on skin in the future.

“I’ve just got to trust the process,” he said. “It’s intimidating how good these guys are.”

Being accepted into the tattoo apprenticeship program is “a great opportunity to better my whole life for the rest of my life,” he said.

In order to become a licensed tattoo artist, Schuck and the other apprentices must work with a mentor who’s been licensed for at least two years and complete 200 hours of actual procedure time, Jimenez said.

Related Articles

Crime & Public Safety |


Baytown Township board to decide whether to bring incorporation matter to vote

Crime & Public Safety |


St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour opens Friday at seven different studios

Crime & Public Safety |


Stillwater Middle School students win national award for light-pollution project

Crime & Public Safety |


Deb Ryun, ‘the heartbeat’ of the Wild Rivers Conservancy, announces retirement

Crime & Public Safety |


Felony charges filed against man shot by police during standoff in Woodbury Target lot

“That’s the actual tattooing on clients, so it doesn’t count to just be in the shop working,” he said. “It doesn’t count to be cleaning the shop or anything like that. You have to be tattooing exactly 200 hours.”

Once the 200 hours are completed, the men will receive their licensure through the Minnesota Department of Health, “and they could work anywhere within the state of Minnesota legally,” Jimenez said.

Ocegueda, who has been interested in art since he was a young boy, said that is his dream.

“Having the opportunity to be a part of this, be a part of the art, the growth, the change within the facility is something special and definitely something that I’m going to pursue when I get out,” he said. “This is the rest of my life. Art and tattooing is the rest of my life.”