FOOD GRAFFITI Andrew [Part 1]

Eating Off the Walls with Friends. Here we feature a local “foodie” that we have gotten to know and think is pretty darn interesting.

This is Andrew Meissner. 10 questions or so.  

You all know Andrew the Coffee Guy!

I think I can speak for all local small businesses. Andrew Meissner is a cheerleader for us all! His local t-shirt and hat wardrobe alone says it all. I know he is the reason everyone flocks to Bravo Espresso and I am thrilled to have been able to chat a bit with him about the foods he loves, what he cooks, and his LITTLES!

FU— Hey Andrew! Congrats on Bravo; owning your own business, that is very exciting. 

AM— First off, I'd love to say that I'm very honored and excited to do this!! And thank you for the congrats!! I've been doing the Bravo thing for 22 years now, and I'm super excited about what we are gonna do for chapter 2; I've been waiting for this for a long time.

FU— Love it! There are more than a couple of reasons I wanted to talk food with you. 

CONGRATS!!! to the new owner of Bravo Espresso

FU— How could we not have a great conversation being we are birthday twins?!

AM— We are birthday twins!! And we also share our special day with a couple other pretty spectacular people in our community! So it's a pretty awesome day! 

FU— Yes, we do. Jay Highum from Action Graphic Designs is one. He makes me laugh every damn time I chat with him. Then Brandon Sampson, founder of Limb Lab and also founder of Six Mile Grove alternative country band. They are literally my favorite local band. No joke, I'm listening to them on Spotify right now!  

#1 FU— Where are you from? 

AM— Well, I'm originally from Roseville, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. But I consider three different places my home. I feel each spot played a role in who I am today. I lived in Roseville through the middle school years, and then we decided to move into a rural area and bought a hobby farm in rural Wisconsin. That's where I lived through high school. I grew up a little bit city and a little bit small town, farm life. After high school, I moved to Minneapolis for a short time and found myself in Rochester, Minnesota. I've been here for about 23 years and consider Rochester my home. 

#2 FU— When you were in second grade, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a secret agent. 

AM— Hmmm. When I was in second grade, my best recollection would probably want to be a musician or a BMX/ skateboarder. Music has always been my first love, even at an early age. I remember listening to my parent's vinyl and always being interested in a wide variety of genres and musical artists. 

FU— Now you are in my time frame. What was your favorite song or album that they had.? If you say, Lobo, Me and You and a Dog Named Boo…

AM— I didn’t think I had ever heard of Lobo, but then I looked him up I knew some of the songs! I think some of my favorite albums that I pulled from their collection when I was younger were, Off the Wall, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Glasshouse, The Beach Boys, Little Deluxe Coupe, and Lionel Richie. I also remember really liking some Chicago and Little River Band albums as well

#3 FU— What did you do before Bravo? I can't believe we didn't have some work connection in the past, haha. 

AM— I’ve been a dish boy at supper clubs, I’ve swept floors at coffee shops. I worked at Cheapo Record store in uptown for a couple years. I also worked at a record store and head shop in Fargo North Dakota called Discontent. I was the assistant manager at Journeys (shoes) and that is what led me to Rochester Minnesota to become a store manager at the Apache Mall. And that is where I met and became friends with Mike Hayden, Derek Kostka, and Jay Johnson. The rest is history I’ve been at Bravo for 22 years and hopefully that will be the last thing that I do

#4 FU— I feel like you have a good food connection. In that, you know what is decent food and what's not. It doesn't have to be chef created to hit those marks, either (though I fancy that.). So, what is your most memorable meal?

AM— I am definitely gonna take that as a compliment and run with it from someone of your caliber in the industry. 

FU— Blush. Thanks for not adding age to that! 

AM— In my 20s, I started to develop a love for the food industry but really didn't start cooking myself until my early 30s. 

As far as a favorite memorable meal, I have a few. My first would probably be some late-night food vendors in Tijuana, Mexico, on a trip we took after high school graduation. 

FU— Very fun, and you lived to tell the tale!

AM— My second memorable meals would probably have to be learning to enjoy food at ZZest or Sontes. I think that's when I really started to enjoy the experience of dining. I'm gonna ramble a little bit more on this one.

FU— Please do. I'm all ears! 

AM— Another memorable meal would probably have been when a group from Rochester went to Travail. We did this like nine-course tasting menu, and I was just blown away by the experience. It was unforgettable! 

And finally it would have to be my wedding day when we created a tasting menu at Sontes. 

The Wedding Menu! Yum!

#5 FU— I saw your beautiful wedding photos, and there was so much to love. Cute kids and what a sense of fashion going on! I love it. Does Emily get all the credit for that? Though you do have a fab style.

AM— I appreciate that compliment; it was a pretty awesome day! Any credit for the fashion of our wedding day would go to Emily and me! I decided that we all wear different colored vans for our footwear. Emily and her mother chose her dress and the girl's dresses. But I think the main thing which gave it that sensational style would be that it was unscripted. And the photos! That combination of Deb Lee Carson and Erin Sinwell, who were our wonderful photographers. We told Deb and Erin that we didn't want scripted photos and to follow us around and capture the day. Same with the music for the day. The fabulous Jeremy Jewel played for hours and hours without stopping, lol. He was great!! Overall one of the most incredible days of my life. 

#6 FU— I also feel you find something suitable at every restaurant you visit. I am much snobbier than that. Do you have any fave menu items? 

AM— I'm not gonna say any specifics, but I definitely have my favorites in town. And if I post something or say something online about my meal or the business, I always try to praise them, especially nowadays with the pandemic and everything going on. You never know what the kitchen and waitstaff are dealing with that particular day. I also will say I'm a firm believer in customer service. Experience is number one, and product number two. If I go somewhere multiple times and continue to get poor service, I will not return. I have my favorite things, but I also like to try things recommended by the staff. 

FU— Fair enough. And, btw, you have nailed the customer experience at Bravo! 

Hot Chip made the cut. In 2019 Penelope chose it for her kickoff to Kindergarten! That’s pretty Emily too!

#7 FU— What are 3 things always in your fridge? 

AM— The three things that we always have in our fridge, that's kind of a difficult one. I jump all over the place with different cuisines. So I'm gonna keep it kind of simple and say variety of meats, variety of vegetables, and cold beer. If you have those then any three things from a  spice rack well, now you can come up with a lot of wonderful things.

#8 FU— what is your favorite beverage? 

AM— My favorite beverages would have to be coffee, highlife for the day drinkers, and IPAs are still my favorite. I also favor a good stiff old-fashioned. Oh, I almost forgot, a very spicy ginger beer!!

FU —Oh my gosh. I almost forgot about this; at ZZest, we carried Blenheims Ginger Ale for years. It was from South Carolina and was killer. You would love it. Get one if you see it; and bring me a bottle! 

#9 FU— What are your hobbies? 

AM— My hobbies are pretty simple. I would say cooking, I had always been interested in cooking, but I just had a fridge full of beer and condiments. When I met Emily, my wife, I purchased an America’s Test Kitchen Cooking for Two magazine. I started cooking; then it was more test kitchen books and utensils. Then new spices and oils and vinegars. Now it’s just my thing, I guess! I also enjoy dining out, hiking, camping, music, art, and a bonus is doing all these things with my kids!

#10 FU— Do you have a favorite recipe?

AM— Some of my favorites are jerk chicken recipes and any properly cooked steak with a fresh Chimichurri sauce. Taco night with all fresh ingredients is always popular at our house. I think the kid's favorite, though, is a charcuterie spread; they call it a snack supper, or sometimes we refer to it as a challenge supper. We go around the table, and everyone has to try everything one item at a time before moving forward to the next item. But, I'm gonna have to say, in all its simplicity, One of my favorite recipes on a night when I don't have much time is New York Times recipe for 3 Cup Chicken with Jasmine Coconut Rice.

Along with the chicken thighs, I use tons of garlic, whole fresh ginger cut into coins, basil and red pepper flakes. I add a little Aleppo pepper. For the rice; I take one cup of water, one can of coconut milk, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, and a cup of jasmine rice cook as directed on package.—AM

#11 FU— What are you currently watching on Netflix?

AM— Because of this pandemic and being stuck at home, I'm running out of things to watch. But I will tell you my favorite things to watch is Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown and No Reservations. I enjoyed the Netflix Chef's Table, especially the episode on Sean Brock. I enjoy watching MasterChef Junior with the kids. And love any crime documentary series, forensic files, etc.

FU— OK we are gonna stop here. Click over to Part 2,  The Meissner Tiny Chefs. These kids can cook!

Find out where they learned their knife skills, their favorite things to cook and,

what they thought of the FU box.