Executive Chef Paul Lynch at FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar in the Radisson Blu Mall of America champions the “regionally grown” philosophy. For nearly 40 years he has practiced farm-to-table cooking and prioritized locally sourced ingredients. Though not a Minnesota native, Lynch has adopted the restaurant’s “Minnesota-inspired” approach, drawing on the area’s Scandinavian, German and Irish culinary traditions.
A native of Texas, Lynch worked across the United States in a range of hotels, including the Four Seasons and the Westin, before relocating to Minneapolis in 1999. He initially worked at the Radisson Plaza Hotel and later took the helm at FireLake Grill House. His vision for the restaurant is straightforward: “a restaurant about the flavors of real burning wood from the land of 10,000 lakes.”
© FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar
Lynch co-founded Minnesota’s Heartland Food Network and was honored as a Carlson Fellow in 2006, the hotel group’s highest recognition for creativity and innovation. In 2008 he showcased his Midwestern cuisine at the James Beard House in New York City.
What three go-to ingredients are always in your home kitchen?
I always keep a high-grade tamari soy sauce on hand — it’s an instant marinade for poultry, pork or game and delivers deep umami and great caramelization on the grill. I also make my own paulula hot sauce each August; it’s a staple condiment that adds balanced heat and brightness to sauces, salads and egg dishes. Finally, I rely on a high-quality, fruity olive oil for dressings, marinades or finishing grilled fish — it’s where many great flavors begin.
What’s your favorite season for cooking, and why?
Fall. The air is crisp and ideal for firing up the grill, yet I still have fresh produce from my garden to work with. That combination keeps dishes vibrant and satisfying.
Aside from your current position, what’s the best job you’ve ever had?
In my mid-20s I was director of product development for a 14-unit restaurant chain on the West Coast. The travel and constant creativity required to keep menus fresh were invigorating, especially as regional food movements gained momentum. It was an inspiring time when food in America really came to life.
What’s the first meal you ever cooked?
I remember being about five years old in El Paso, picking apricots from our backyard tree. I used some pie dough my mother had made and empty chicken pot pie pans to fashion apricot pies in my sister’s Easy-Bake Oven. I presented them to my mother at dinner; she served them, and everyone raved.
What are your first thoughts when you hear “farm-to-table”?
It feels natural and sensible — better for the food, better for the planet and better for the kitchen. Although the term has been used a lot, it reflects how I’ve always approached cooking. At home, my meals follow what’s in the garden from May to November and what’s stored in my pantry and root cellar from November to April. It’s the way food was meant to be.
FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar
Radisson Blu Mall of America
2100 Killebrew Drive
Bloomington, MN 55425
tel 952 851 4040
firelakerestaurant.com