Couples Who Cook

Does juggling two teenage stepchildren, plus three kids ages four, twelve, and fifteen sound like a lot? Then consider that Erin Ungerman and Hector Ruiz run two Latino restaurants (El Meson and Café Ena in Minneapolis). El Meson, like any first child, is quiet and self-contained. Café Ena, named for their four-year-old daughter, is closest to Erin’s heart. “We worked hard on this old space, once a grocery, laying the tiles, finishing walls, and painting it ourselves.” The older kids work in the kitchen and wash dishes.

The couple first met at Prima, where Hector was a chef and Erin a server. Now she manages the front of the house while he cooks and oversees the kitchens. “It’s a roller coaster. Hector is a brilliant, passionate chef,” says Erin, referencing the tamales and moles of his Morelos homeland. “We have our moments when we both want to say, ‘Screw it; let’s go to Mexico.’ But we know that we can’t freak out at the same time. We keep each other in balance.”

Photo by Steve Henke

Pop! is a casual Latin American–spiced bistro in Northeast Minneapolis, which just birthed a sibling in downtown St. Paul. Leslie Knutson runs the front of the house; Clark Knutson designs the menu and cooks. “At Pop! Northeast, we’ve watched couples date, get married, and then bring their kids in,” says Leslie. Having run kitchens in Florida and Arizona and at the University of St. Thomas, Clark knows the business. Leslie knows the clientele. “When you’re in love with someone in this crazy operation, you just get drawn in. It becomes your life.”

Dean Schlaak and his partner, Tom DeGree, own Wilde Roast Cafe, a casual coffee, dessert, and wine bar on East Hennepin Avenue. “Initially, we thought this area would be a gay ghetto,” he says. “But the other night, I watched a male couple snuggle on the couch. Nearby a young man and woman were flirting, sharing chocolate cake. I thought, ‘Mission accomplished.’ ” Wilde Roast serves morning coffee, casual lunch, and wine at nightfall. Its desserts have been featured in Bon Appetit. Tom teaches at an environmental center in Afton, but fills in on weekends and helps with marketing. Dean sees to the day-to-day operations. A skilled craftsman, he remodeled the space himself. There was a time when a gay couple owning a restaurant together seemed radical, Dean observes. “But as the minister at our commitment ceremony said, ‘Love is radical.’ ”

Photo by Steve Henke

Grand Café was just a glimmer in the eyes of Dan and Mary Hunter when they left Faegres two decades ago to become private chefs. When Bakery on Grand became available, they jumped in with both feet, risking everything. Mary refashioned the space into the “most romantic dining room in the Twin Cities,” said one critic. Though a fine cook herself, Mary defers to chef Jon Radle, who has garnered attention for dishes of local rabbit, duck confit, and house-pulled burrata. Dan, a skilled carpenter, executed the remodeling and bakes remarkable breads. Their two children, an older daughter and son in his teens, pitch in. “Sometimes he’s skateboarding through the kitchen,” Dan quips. The family vibe is not just frosting, it’s the “cake,” says Dan. “We all care so much about the place and each other. I’ll find a cook here on his day off checking to see that the pickles aren’t overbrined. Several of the wait staff have shared their grandmothers’ recipes with us.”

The transition from Bakery on Grand to Grand Café was especially smooth, Mary says, thanks to Jessica Anderson, who with her husband, Doug, sold the operation to create A Rebours, which is now Meritage. The Andersons moved on to open Nick and Eddie off Loring Park, a Euro-chic space that lends itself especially well to casual late-night eating with a bar menu of Swedish meatballs, buckwheat blinis, and chicken hash that goes into the early morn. Jessica is co-owner with chef Steve Vranian, while Doug works the room. “It’s not unusual for someone to order a hot dog and a great bottle of wine,” he says.