Author: Mollee Francisco

Since 2017, Smokin’ Hottdish has brought Eden Prairie a taste of southern cuisine, transitioning from counter service to focus on catering.

Kaity Heart’s band Sunflower Fox and the Chicken Leg focuses on “undigitized rock and roll.”

Perched above the commons at Eden Prairie High School is a cozy classroom that practically beckons one to enter. Adorned with oodles of photos, quotes, tchotchkes and ephemera, it’s visually stimulating and gloriously chaotic. Linda “Wally” Wallenberg acknowledges the madness of the space, but after 46 years at the school, this classroom has become a second home and is a reflection of a life well lived. “Though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t,” she said, quoting the Shakespearean play “Hamlet,” a production she has seen 33 times and has represented with various posters dotting her classroom walls.…

MarySue Krueger has always had a love of art, but it took her teenage children being … well, teenagers … to put her on the path to making a career out of it. The longtime Eden Prairie resident creates watercolor paintings of dogs, cats, horses, bunnies, etc., capturing each animal’s individual spirit for their adoring pet parents. “Even as a little girl, I loved drawing and coloring,” said Krueger. She spent a year studying art in college, but the en vogue art of that time did not match Krueger’s realistic style, so she hung up her brushes for the moment.…

Hawaii is known for its delicious cuisine — fresh pineapples, savory pork, and colorful poke bowls — but for Matt Rosen of Eden Prairie, it was one fateful bite of a Hawaiian shortbread cookie that changed his life forever. “I absolutely fell in love with shortbread cookies,” he said. Rosen’s head-over-heels tumble in 2017 has since turned into a full-fledged business venture. He is now known as Sergeant Shortbread, offering up one life-changing bite of shortbread after another at farmers markets and local festivals throughout the southwest metro. Baking frenzy After Rosen’s first bite of shortbread, reality quickly set in.…

Genevieve Gellerman caught her first glimpse of Circus Juventas at the tender age of 8. Watching a friend perform in a show, Gellerman found herself entranced by everything happening in front of her. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this looks like so much fun,'” she said. Not long after, Gellerman signed up for her first circus class. Almost a decade later, the Eden Prairie teenager is now performing in her first Circus Juventas summer show: “Excalibur.” “Excalibur” tells the legendary tale of King Arthur through acrobatic and aerial acts. The show runs at the permanent big top on Montreal Avenue…

Enhancing a dinner party with music, what your musical preferences say about your personality and how music can affect patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia — Mindy Peterson has delved into all of these topics over the last five years with her podcast: Enhance Life with Music. “I really do believe music makes our lives better,” said Peterson. The Eden Prairie resident launched her music-themed podcast in 2019. Since then, she has put out more than 160 episodes and continues to generate new ideas for topics to tackle. “I love doing it,” she said. Piano lessons The podcast has become a…

Jane Froiland can trace her love of performing all the way back to Sharon Papic’s second grade class at Eden Prairie’s Eden Lake Elementary. “I had a very generous teacher who let me perform skits,” recalled Froiland. Froiland took advantage of Papic’s generosity and performed as often as possible. Soon, other kids were asking to get involved and Froiland found herself not only writing and acting, but casting and directing as well. “I realized it was a good way to get positive attention,” she said. “I took that and ran with it.” That run has brought her all the way…

Avaneesa Iyer may have just reached double digits in age, but the Eden Prairie resident — who goes by Ava — already has two world records to her name. Last summer, Ava became the Kids World Record holder for both the longest hair among girls 7-9 years old and the longest tree pose among any gender 7-9 years old. Kids World Records (KWR) is a website that tracks accomplishments among children between the ages of 4 and 16. KWR provides a platform for kids to explore their interests with enthusiasm and creativity while working towards a concrete goal. “We believe…

When Giang Nguyen decided he was ready to marry Elizabeth Leppert, he knew that the proposal would need to include two things: a Miniature Schnauzer puppy and a return to the place where they met. It took more than a year of planning (mostly due to the puppy), but 24 years after first laying eyes on Leppert, Nguyen got down on one knee on the grounds of Eden Prairie’s Oak Point Elementary School. Leppert said yes, but didn’t immediately realize the significance of the location. “It didn’t click until the next day,” she said. Meet cute Nguyen and Leppert met…