Turning Recipes Into Stories w/ Authors Stephanie Hansen & Kurt Johnson

Stephanie Hansen and Kurt Johnson are coming to the Minneapolis Club on Thursday, October 22, to talk about their novel The Moon Tavern, A Culinary Love Story with Recipes. It's a book that grew out of their time sailing the islands off the Croatian coast, and the evening is built around bringing those descriptions to life. The two authors will share the stories and memories that went into the writing, and they'll be accompanied by Croatian-themed appetizers and wines to taste.

The Moon Tavern pulls from a specific set of memories: a romantic lunch of grilled fresh anchovies in the fifteenth-century ghost town of Lastovo, the ruins of a bombed Dubrovnik, and local cold-pressed olive oil sold in plastic Pepsi bottles. The book gathers those kinds of snapshots—the food, the places, and the people they encountered—and turns them into a story. The event lets you taste the flavors they write about while they talk through how those experiences shaped the novel.

It's a conversational night rather than a formal reading, with the food and wine serving as a companion to the storytelling. If you're interested in the book, copies will be available for purchase and signing. The event runs from 5 PM to 6:30 PM, with doors opening at 4:45 PM, so you have a few minutes to get settled before it kicks off. General admission starts at $45, and that ticket includes the Croatian-themed apps and wine. The Minneapolis Club is at 729 2nd Avenue South.