For Immediate Release                         Media contact: Barb DeGroot, 952-443-1459

Warm Your Taste Buds at Arboretum's 'Winter Hearty' Event Jan. 29

Chanhassen, MN (Jan. 19, 2012) - Get your taste buds ready!  The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum presents Winter Hearty, a lively afternoon of food sampling, beer, wine and live polka music.  This fundraiser takes place on Sunday, Jan. 29, from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Oswald Visitor Center.  (It's a football-free Sunday - just one week before the big game.)

Enjoy tastings of classic to comfort foods from favorite local restaurants and cafes, including pork sliders & cornbread from Famous Dave's, tuna tacos from Barrio, mushroom soup and Polish sausage/sauerkraut hotdish from Kramarczuk's, "Bull Bites" (tenderloin tips) from Axel's and pumpkin/apple cream soup from Country Cake Cupboard and Cafe.  Other participating eateries include Andy's Garage and Arboretum Catering.  Beverages include Surly and Summit beer samples and pours from Crofut, Garvin Heights, Crow River, Forestedge and Indian Island wineries. Also, Olive on Tap will provide samplings of flavor-infused olive oils and Balsamic vinegars.  

Special musical guests will be Alpensterne, an accordion-horn duo comprised of Jim Strehlke and Bruce Bradley who specialize in authentic German/Swiss music, with a little yodeling thrown in for good measure.

Reservations are $40 each; visit www.arboretum.umn.edu/winterheartyfood.aspx.  Or call 612-625-9875 for more information. All proceeds benefit the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.   Thanks to the Arboretum Foundation for sponsoring the beer. 

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, comprising 1,137acres, is located in Chanhassen, Minn., on State Hwy 5, nine miles west of the intersection with I-494. The largest public garden in the Upper Midwest, the Arboretum is part of the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences.   Open 363 days a year, admission is $9 adults; free for members and ages 15 & under.