This year at the Creative Drive, we have three fantastic options to satisfy your hunger.

Miller Bjersted Rogers Catering at Silver Bison Ranch

Miller is an expert in local cheeses and meats. He works at the Rochester Food Coop and caters events.

Profits support Red Thread Charities, a non profit dedicated to supporting Chinese children in orphanages and foster homes.

MENU

• Bison Burgers with Smoked Gouda
• Bison Hot Dogs
• Smoked Salmon Salad
• Cold Natural Sodas
• Hot Spiced Cider if its cold out

Chef’s favorite: 

The Silver Bison Ranch burger or the smoked salmon salad – it’s a toss up!

Russell Glover Farm Pizza at Color Crossing

We are a family owned and operated business located in River Falls. We produce high-quality, gourmet pizzas with our mobile brick wood fired pizza oven.  We currently serve at farmers markets in the Twin Cities area and cater events.

MENU 

• Breakfast Pizza (served from 10am -11am)
• Rizzo Pizza
• Veggie Pizza
• Pepperoni Pizza
• Fruit Pizza

All pizzas are sprinkled along the edge with sea salt for extra deliciousness!

Chef’s favorite: 

The vegetable pizza has both the crunch of the fresh veggies and the richness of the melted mozzarella.

DJ’s Mexican Restaurante at Onkka Pottery

DJ’s is a family owned restaurant located on Main Street in Baldwin, WI. We pride ourselves on our fresh, homemade, authentic Mexican food.

All profits support Tumax Ministry, a non-profit organization dedicated to development work in rural Guatemala.

MENU

• Tacos with beef, chicken, or veggies
• Quesadillas
• Beans and Rice
• Homemade salsa: hot, medium and mild
• Guacamole
• Soft drinks, Coffee and Cookies.

Chef’s favorite: 

Beef Tacos.  Endlessly satisfying!

On an unusually warm Spring day, I made my way to the woods near Burkhardt, Wisconsin where Marlene Meyer works in her home studio. With magnificent trees outside her window, Marlene creates intricate, diverse and beautiful baskets, using a surprisingly wide range of natural materials including fungus from her woods.

JLK: When did you make your first basket?

MM: Almost 30 years ago, shortly after my husband and I moved from the Midwest to LaFayette, Indiana. Being in a new place, I thought taking some kind of class would be a good way to meet people. I went to a basket shop and saw so many wonderful things, and the shopkeeper said to me “well, you can make baskets too.” So I decided to take a class. I found my nitch almost immediately and thought it was really fun. I’ve been making baskets, teaching basketry and creating patterns ever since! And I think I’ll continue forever, I don’t ever want to stop. (more…)

I found Shawn in her studio inside her house with many projects going at once. She was knitting some hand made sweaters, a scarf, and was also in the middle of some production pieces she makes on her knitting machine. Our interview began as we sat surrounded by towers of multi-colored yarn spools and projects.

JLK: What is the first thing you remember making?

SG: I was about 9 and I did broom lace crochet to make scarfs for all my aunts for Christmas presents. Four scarfs total. Broom lace crochet is crocheting with a broom stick or with a dowel where you crochet a bunch of stitches together off the wood and it creates the holes between the stitches. I loved making the scarfs and my aunts were so happy.

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On an unusually warm winter day, I drove down a winding dead-end road, lined with majestic old trees, to glass artist Craig Campbell’s home and studio in Mahtomedi, Minnesota. I was welcomed by Craig in an expansive space, cheerfully interspersed with bright red glass pieces.

JLK: What are you working on these days?

CC: I just finished an edition of 310 cell phone holders. Oh no, there are 320! The cell phone holders look like little sculptures on the desk but then when you come to work, you just set your phone in the holder and the sculpture has become functional. I do a variety of kinds of work, everything from production, like the 320 cell phone pieces for a marketing company, to one of a kind pieces. The company that commissioned the cell phone holders prides themselves on being very creative. Every year we design an interesting new kind of piece – they have input and I have input. (more…)

If you would like to know what dragon eyes, writing books and leather have in common, then please join me in getting to know Charles Smith. Charles is an author and leather artist who has been living in the Baldwin area since 1990.  I met him one evening at his home in the woods of Western Wisconsin.

Jenelle:  What is the first piece that you remember making out of leather?

Charles:  A book binding.  I had written a novel, titled Dryad, for my kids.  My daughter, Soleil, who is now 16 years old, said she would like it in book form so I printed it out and stitched it together.  Then I bought some leather and made a binding out of it.  Soleil thought it was so cool, she helped me sign up to take some classes and learn more about working with leather.  I got started slowly and enjoyed it very much.  Every month I would buy a new tool and learn how to do something different.  That’s how I got started.
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My first time in the Color Crossing studio was on a bustling Saturday morning with well over a dozen people working on their particular projects. They were knitting, weaving, sewing or considering their next yarn purchase – which involves long meditations on colors and textures. My second time was on a peaceful fall day and the quiet atmosphere allowed all the beautiful pieces of art on the walls, racks and looms to shine. I was here to meet with Nancy Gavin. Nancy makes wearable art and has sold her art at Color Crossing for the Creative Drive for last three years.

Jenelle: What is the first thing that you remember making?

Nancy: I feel like I’ve been sewing forever!  The very first thing that I made was an apron when I was 9 or 10.  It was for 4H and my teacher was Mrs Kimble.  She was a very good teacher and insisted that every stitch be perfect, which meant things were torn out several times before they were right.  Ever since then, I have always sewn. (more…)