 Top: Salad Sampler; Bottom Left: Chicken Tagine; Bottom Right: Beef Tagine (Photo Source: Greenspring Media)
Hassan Ziadi was willing to return to the humble beginnings
of accepting any cooking position in 2013 when he returned to the US after
working abroad as an international executive chef opening several hotel
restaurants because he felt Minnesota was the best place to raise his daughter,
Rim. As Hassan reconnected with former
employers from his first time working in the Twin Cities, he learned about the Midtown Global Market (MGM) and City of Minneapolis Business Technical
Assistance (B-TAP) partner Neighborhood Development Center (NDC). MGM offered a variety of international foods
but it did not offer North African cuisine and Hassan made it his goal to educate
the Twin Cities on why exactly this fare was so different and special.
Over the next year, Hassan worked multiple restaurant jobs
to save for a down payment on the restaurant. He enrolled in entrepreneurship
classes through NDC where he studied hard to learn accounting, vendor
management, menu design, and other critical restaurant management skills. During this time he was also working hard to
be reunited with his wife and daughter who were still in Morocco.
Finally, Hassan received his required Food Safety license to
have a restaurant in the market and the space he had been waiting for became
available. He went up against seven
other restaurants in a tasting competition. This was his opportunity to really show off Moroccan food.
In October 2016, Moroccan Flavors opened with Hassan’s wife
Raja Samlali working at his side as his co-chef and co-owner. NDC provided a
$50,000 loan to make the family’s dream possible and they continue to provide
technical assistance and support. Hassan
says at this point they are still focused on improving the efficiencies of
running day to day operations. Raja does
plan to expand their business to include selling tagines, ceramics and dishware
imported from Morocco based on customer requests in the near future.
 Aerial photo of Downtown East; (Photo Source: Ryan Companies U.S. Inc.)
Once a sea of surfacing parking lots, the Downtown East area has been dramatically reshaped by new development and transformed into one of the most thriving places in Minneapolis.
Approximately $91 million in public funds have leveraged roughly $569 million in private investment in the area, bringing more than 5,000 jobs, hundreds of new housing units, hotels, restaurants, retail and 4.2 acres of new green space to a section of downtown that had long been in need of revitalization.
The development has led to a dramatic expansion of the City’s tax base. The area, anchored by the U.S. Bank Stadium, The Commons and Wells Fargo office towers, will generate an estimated $14.1 million in new property taxes in 2018, bringing an additional $3.5 million to the City’s coffers.
The article on the transformation of Downtown East displays the noteworthy advancements. Read the full story here.
 Top: Camden Gateway - Saturn; Bottom Left: PS Wish You Were Here; Bottom Right: Birds of a Different Feather
Did you know that there are approximately 300 individual
pieces of public art (and counting) to visit in Minneapolis? You can now explore the City of Minneapolis’
public art collection through six new interactive map tours. Each of these unique
tours is geographically organized for anyone to explore at their leisure. Within
each tour you will find detailed information about each artwork and directions
to the works through Google Maps. You can choose to follow the numbered tour
order provided, or choose your own order and visit individual artworks that
peak your interest. To find out the number of artworks, featured artists, and
length of each unique tour, visit this interactive website.
Make sure to share your adventure on social media with
#TourMplsArt .
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Following a comprehensive
search conducted by Cohen Taylor, the City of Minneapolis announced that
Heather Worthington has been hired as the new Director of Long Range Planning
for the department of Community Planning and Economic Development.
Worthington brings over 20 years of
government leadership and management experience to the City of Minneapolis with
her most recent position being the Deputy County Manager - Economic Growth and
Community Investment for Ramsey County, which she held since 2010. Prior to that, she served as the
Assistant City Manager for the City of Edina where she was responsible for
leading their 2008 comprehensive plan update and facility relocation planning
among other duties.
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Worthington has also held leadership roles in the City of Falcon Heights as their City Administrator and she served as the Executive Director and a Community Organizer for the St. Anthony Park Community Council.
As Director of Long Range Planning, Worthington will be responsible for leading and managing a planning and research team who has the responsibility of updating the City’s Comprehensive Plan which outlines citywide policies and priorities related to investment in the built, natural, and economic environment.
Read full news release
 Top: Participants on the STEP-UP Walking Tour; Bottom Left: Ahmad from Kaleidoscope Place tells about his internship; Middle: Community Bridge Gardens; Right: Lutheran Social Services tech center interns Reyianna, Ariana and Sahra.
On Tuesday, August 1, STEP-UP interns guided
elected officials, program partners, and funders on the annual tour of STEP-UP
worksites, giving them a glimpse into the STEP-UP intern experience.
The focus of this year’s tour was the
Phillips Neighborhood in South Minneapolis. This summer there are 507
interns working at 70 worksites in South Minneapolis. The tour visited four
sites, all located on or near Park Avenue, including the American
Swedish Institute, Community Bridge, Kaleidoscope Place, and Lutheran
Social Service of MN.
From working as a kitchen aid to being an
educator, interns shared the highlights and challenges of their summer job
experiences. Their employers and supervisors also shared what they have taken
away from the experience.
This summer, 1,687 youth and young adults
aged 14-21 are employed by STEP-UP at one of 213 government agencies,
nonprofits, small businesses, and corporations throughout the Twin Cities metro
area.
American Indian OIC (AIOIC), a
partner of Minneapolis Employment and Training for over fifteen years, provides
career support services to Minneapolis adults and youth. Services include
developing employment plans and résumés, connecting to personal resources,
searching and applying for jobs, preparing for interviews, procuring
professional clothing, and retaining and advancing employment.
Unique to AIOIC is its integration with Native American culture and
staff’s knowledge of culturally-specific resources to address the needs of
Native participants. However, most AIOIC programs are open to anyone regardless
of race.
AIOIC also offers:
- The Takoda Institute of Higher Education, a
career college, offers accredited training for the occupations of health
information specialist, computer support specialist, and administrative professional.
The Institute is also a partner of MSP TechHire.
- Adult Basic Education (ABE) and GED classes
- A computer lab and digital and financial literacy
programs
- Takoda Prep, a Minneapolis Public Schools
alternative high school, provides culturally-infused education to students who
are at-risk of not completing high school.
 Silicon North Stars at Facebook
The City of Minneapolis STEP-UP program partnered
for a fourth year with Silicon North Stars, a nonprofit organization in Silicon
Valley dedicated to inspire and educate young Minnesotans to become future
leaders in technology.
Silicon North Stars is an experiential education program that
gives a group of high-potential, incoming ninth-graders (eight STEP-UP interns
from Minneapolis and eight youth from St. Paul) the opportunity to spend a week
in California's Silicon Valley learning about technology from some of the top
tech companies and startups in the world.
Co-founder
Steve Grove, who grew up in Northfield, Minnesota said, “We felt like we can
make the biggest impact with students who show a lot of promise but may not
have as much opportunity.”
The
group spent the week of July 16th visiting Google, Facebook, YouTube, Uber, and
a venture capital firm. They also toured Stanford University and met with
industry mentors who worked with them on goal setting. Mid-week the youth
shifted gears and learned about design thinking and created a tech solution to
a problem posed to them. At the end of the week, they pitched their start-up
ideas at a “Demo Day” to Silicon Valley tech leaders at an event in San
Francisco. This year a special Minnesota Demo Day was added on August 3rd
where youth pitched their businesses again to a crowd in Minneapolis.
Youth will continue to have quarterly meetings in the Twin Cities throughout
high school.
Anna
Peterson, Director of STEP-UP, chaperoned the trip. “The youth come out of
their shells and shift their thinking throughout the week. They begin to
focus on innovation and big dreams, and they start to believe in all
possibilities for their futures.”
The Minneapolis City Academy program,
which runs five Wednesdays, 6:30 – 9 pm, from Sept. 20 – Oct. 18, gives
residents a rare behind-the-scenes look at how Minneapolis City government
functions and provides an opportunity to meet City staff and leaders and ask
questions. Each session will focus on one aspect of City government.
The program is open to all Minneapolis
residents 18 years or older. Participation is free. Registration opens July 26
on the City’s website
and will be first-come, first-served. People of culturally diverse backgrounds
are encouraged to register.
Participants will:
- Tour
the City’s Emergency Operations Training Facility.
- Learn
the latest in firefighting techniques.
- Discover
how the City’s Water Treatment & Distribution Services operates and tour
the water treatment plant.
- Find
out how future developments are planned and constructed.
- Learn
about police procedures.
- Find
out how taxes are levied and budgets approved.
- Learn
about City Boards and Commissions.
Learn more
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