Daniel del Prado and Shawn McKenzie, Photo by Caitlin Abrams.
Chefs/restaurateurs Daniel del Prado and Shawn McKenzie will partner with the Walker Art Center on Cardamom, a new restaurant at the museum. The space currently occupied by Esker Grove will become a casual restaurant influenced by the cuisine of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.
The team behind the successful Café Cerés will present a menu heavy on vegetables, herbs, and spices while showcasing rotisserie meat and vegetables.
Chef Daniel del Prado is the chef and owner of some of the Twin Cities’ most successful restaurants (Martina, Colita, Rosalia, Sanjusan, Josefina). Born in Argentina, del Prado made his way up the ranks in restaurants all over the country, settling in Minneapolis where he was the Chef de Cuisine of Burch before venturing into his own restaurants. When del Prado has a rare free moment, he can usually be found showing you pictures of his dogs, Penny & Pablo.
Chef Shawn McKenzie is the pastry chef and owner behind the two locations of Café Cerés in Linden Hills. Having spent years as pastry chef In Portland, McKenzie joined her friend Daniel del Prado when he made the move from the west coast. McKenzie was the creative pastry force at Burch and Penny’s for many years before embarking on her own café concept this year.
In addition to Daniel del Prado and Shawn McKenzie, the kitchen will be led by Joe Doyle, the bar run by Megan Luedtke and the restaurant managed by Sarah Khan.
Cardamom will begin service July 15 and will be open Thursdays 11 am–9 pm, Fridays & Saturdays 11 am–8 pm, and Sundays 11 am–5 pm. Esker Grove, operated by Culinaire, will be open thru July 11.