Em Cassel

Minneapolis

Owner and Co-Editor at Racket

a guy drops one piece of ham in the snow and he never hears the end of it. co-owner/editor of @racketmn, [email protected] (she/they)

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Articles

How Chef Abraham Gessesse Took Over (and Elevated) an Established St. Paul Restaurant

1 week ago | racketmn.com | Em Cassel

In October 2023, Abraham Gessesse became the new chef-owner of Hyacinth, the 7-year-old Italian restaurant on St. Paul's Grand Avenue. Just a year and a half later, Gessesse was named among the semifinalists for a James Beard award for the first time. That timeline might make it sound like there was a dramatic change—that Gessesse stormed into Hyacinth with bracing new ideas, ready to make his mark.
Oh, Good: Federal Cuts Shutter Vaccine Clinics

2 weeks ago | racketmn.com | Em Cassel

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories. The Trump administration cut billions in Covid-related funding last month, using the justification (not that it seems particularly hung up over justifications) that the public health emergency is over.
Nick Cannon Takes Us Inside His Media Empire

2 weeks ago | success.com | Em Cassel

Maybe you think you know Nick Cannon. The 44-year-old actor, comedian, musician and entrepreneur has been a presence on our TV screens since he was a boisterous teenager on Nickelodeon’s All That in the late ’90s, and he’s been a tabloid headline fixture since not long after that. But the Cannon who sits down with SUCCESS® for our entertainment issue is soft-spoken and gentle. His demeanor is easy; he’s quick to laugh.
Whoops! DFL Senate Prez Routed Millions to Unhinged Pastor Who's Also His Client.

2 weeks ago | racketmn.com | Em Cassel

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories. You might remember Rev. Jerry McAfee from the headlines he made in February, back when he stormed a Minneapolis City Council meeting and made threatening statements while representing his violence prevention group.
Let's Taco 'Bout Politics: Racket's Mayoral Mexican Food Interview With Candidate Jazz Hampton

3 weeks ago | racketmn.com | Em Cassel

Welcome to the latest installment of Let's Taco 'Bout Politics, a series that has us sitting down with as many 2025 Minneapolis mayoral candidates as possible over Mexican food. During the coming weeks, joined by Wedge LIVE! correspondent Jason Garcia, we’ll be getting tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and tortas with as many mayoral candidates as possible.
Let's Argue About the Strib's Concert Venue Grades

3 weeks ago | racketmn.com | Em Cassel

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories. Oooo baby, we love a "get 'em talkin'" list, and Strib music guys Jon Bream and Chris Riemenschneider deliver in a big way today with this rundown of the 53 "essential" venues in the Twin Cities.
Grading the 2025 Additions to Target Field’s New Food Lineup

3 weeks ago | racketmn.com | Em Cassel

As throngs of media and media-adjacent influencers gathered Tuesday inside Target Field for new food tasting day, freshly minted Twins President Derek Falvey stated the obvious during opening remarks: Through four games, the team stinks. Of course Falvey qualified that by mentioning 158 games remain, 81 of ‘em scheduled for downtown Minneapolis’s terrific ballpark, which’ll host Home Opener ceremonies Thursday.
A New Chicken Tendie Chain, the End of Dangerous Man, and More March Restaurant News

3 weeks ago | racketmn.com | Em Cassel

The sun is shining and my stomach is growling. Let's get right into the news:Big bowls of chubby udon noodles are the star attraction at Cafe Yoto, a new counter-service Japanese joint from longtime Kado No Mise chef Yo Hasegawa. We swung by the buzzy North Loop restaurant (548 N. Washington Ave. Suite #105, Minneapolis) earlier this month, and it’s worth a visit for more than the noodles—those donburi bowls are really something. Elsewhere in the North Loop (800 Washington Ave.
The Love of Your Life Could Be Waiting at This PowerPoint-based Singles Event

3 weeks ago | racketmn.com | Em Cassel

A pint. A pitch. A PowerPoint presentation. Could finding true love really be so simple? We’ll find out this weekend, when Pitch-A-Friend stages a Mad Men-ian romantic experiment at Sociable Cider Werks. Melissa Schipke and Ariana Brogan started Pitch-A-Friend in Philadelphia in 2022, adding a singles-friendly hook to the PowerPoint party trend.
Know Who Needs a Bailout? Wealthy MN Thoroughbred Owners.

1 month ago | racketmn.com | Em Cassel

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories. Plenty of people are in need of help right now: federal workers who've been laid off in DOGE's rampant cuts, the families of folks who've been scooped up and dropped in deadly foreign prisons, trans people who are watching their rights get erased in real-time, anyone who relies on social security or Medicaid. Minnesota Reps.