Birchwood Cafe in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis is a true community gathering place and owner Tracy Singleton wouldn't have it any other way. However this "one part funky coffee house, one part neighborhood cafe, and two parts eclectic organic kitchen" is a sought-after eatery for folks throughout The Cities. Tracy's clarity of mission is steadfast and true, and gathering from the crowd of food lovers at Birchwood Café on any given night, it looks like Tracy has gotten what she wanted, "a neighborhood restaurant that people could go to every day, something affordable with good, simple, fresh food made with love."
Tracy began her career with famed local foods pioneer Chef Lucia Watson and, once she ventured out on her own, was thrilled to carry with her many relationships with local farmer/growers. For Tracy, it's not only rewarding but essential to support small, local farmers, who she believes are a vital component for a healthy local food system.
Tracy just can't speak highly enough of Minnesota Farmers Union member Greg Reynolds from Riverbend Farm in Delano, from whom she purchases a significant portion of her produce. During the growing season, Greg makes his weekly swing by Birchwood Café, where Tracy anxiously awaits Greg's beautiful bounty and eagerly incorporates it into her eclectic menu.
After acquiring a degree in physics, Greg was heavily influenced by the back-to-the-land movement following the Vietnam War. Thinking that he wanted to "farm someday," he set out to grow food in an environmentally responsible manner with as little oil consumption as possible and a long-term view of the future. Tracy is proud to call Greg a partner in her calling to craft, as she puts it, "good real food."
