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Winnipeg Free Press
12-06-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba's sole organic milk producer a true grassroots success story
STEINBACH — It's Father's Day weekend and Jim Appleby wants to give credit where credit is due. Jim and his wife Angela are the founders of Stoney Brook Creamery, a micro-creamery located five kilometres south of Steinbach that is celebrating its 10th anniversary as the province's lone organic milk producer. The 44-year-old father of four reports that it was his own dad Sam who taught him how to milk a cow, back when he was barely able to walk. 'My dad grew up on a farm in England and bought the land here in 1979, two years after he and my mom arrived in Canada,' Jim says, seated next to Angela in their designated 'cheese room,' steps away from a small retail space that sells a variety of non-homogenized commodities including milk, kefir, cottage cheese and cream. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Thomas (seven, left), Julianne (17), Angela, Jim, Alex (18), and Jonah (15) Appleby at Stoney Brook Creamery. 'I came along in '81 and somewhere there's a baby picture of me kneeling down next to a cow, being shown the ropes.' Despite being raised on the 1,500-acre property, home to a herd of 100 red-and-white Holsteins, his dad's preferred breed of cattle, Jim had zero intention of following in his father's footsteps. The eldest of three siblings, he left home after graduating from Steinbach Regional Secondary School, to attend Augustana University College in Camrose, Alta. There he met Angela, a native of Cold Lake, Alta., in 2001. After completing his studies in Camrose, Jim transferred to Saskatoon's Lutheran Theological Seminary. He was working as a pastor in Armena, Alta., in 2011 when he started to become horribly ill. It turned out he had a chemical sensitivity, where even low-level exposure to substances such as scented deodorant and laundry detergent could result in an immediate reaction. 'He was always in other people's homes visiting, and being at church was one of the worst places for him. He'd perform a service and be done for two or three days, barely able to get out of bed,' Angela says. Things became so dire that in 2013 they made the decision to uproot their young family and relocate to Manitoba, to live in a house situated on an acreage near Woodmore also owned by Jim's parents. Angela came to understand that both her in-laws had previously dealt with a condition similar to their son. 'They were actually one of the first farmers in the area to use chemical sprays, but as soon as they did, Jim's dad would get the shakes, and his mom, who passed away in 2019, would get really bad asthma and allergies,' she says, noting the six of them now live next door to Jim's dad, in a recently-built addition. 'So the land's been chemical-free almost the entire time, and has been certified organic since around 2000.' It took Jim close to a year until he started to feel more like himself. As soon as he was strong enough, he began lending his dad a hand tending the cows and growing feed, at which point a lightbulb went on in his head. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Jonah (left) and Jim Appleby walk through a field with holsteins, which will be calving soon. At the time, the elder Appleby had a contract with an Ontario firm, Organic Meadow, which was buying a good chunk of the milk he was turning out under the banner Sardius Holsteins. The remainder was being handled by the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba, a non-profit organization responsible for selling milk from Manitoba dairy farms to different processors. Except when Organic Meadow severed the agreement without warning, Jim's first thought was why not market that share of their milk themselves? His and Angela's first order of business after settling on a tag — Steinbach means stony brook in German — was to ferret out a company that manufactured one-litre, reusable milk bottles, the sort that was the norm before plastic jugs became commonplace in the early 1970s. 'That's something I personally taste as a difference; I find I can definitely taste plastic,' Jim says, agreeing with Angela when she asserts if they hadn't discovered Stanpac, a packaging plant in Smithville, Ont., that makes precisely what they were looking for, their venture might not have gotten off the ground. Production was slow in the beginning — often no more than 15 litres of milk a day, twice a week — but things picked up at about the six-month mark, when Hermann Grauer, the owner of Nature's Farm, a fine-food shop in Steinbach, offered to help the couple out. Because he also ran a successful egg farm, Grauer had refrigerated trucks at his disposal, which were used to transport his eggs to stores in the southeast part of the province, as well as throughout Winnipeg. What if he was to load the Applebys' milk on those same vehicles, and drop it off to the same retailers he was dealing with, he proposed? 'Almost overnight, we went from using about a drop of our own milk to numbers we hadn't dreamed of,' says Angela who, along with her two oldest children, has become a familiar face at the Saturday St. Norbert Farmers' Market, where they also offer 15-litre containers of milk for local cheese and yogurt makers. '(Sales) are growing all the time and this year already, we're doing almost double what we did in 2024.' Ryan Labonte is the operations manager for Vita Health, which has six stores in Winnipeg. Labonte remembers Grauer approaching him and his associates in August 2015, to let them know he'd come across a great local milk, and were they interested in carrying it. 'We were like sure, let's give it a try, and the relationship's been history, ever since. Stoney Brook is by far our No. 1-selling milk, outselling the next closest by a margin of six to one,' Labonte says. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Sam Appleby rides on a tractor (which is the same model and year as the tractor his parents used on their milk cow farm in England). The organic aspect is a draw in and of itself, but the fact that the milk is produced in Manitoba is probably its biggest selling point, he says. 'We've really seen the switch-over in the last five years to 'buy local,' wherever possible. And that's been our big push, too: local supporting local.' Labonte notes he doesn't just stock the Applebys' milk; he's a loyal customer, too. 'We have a daughter who's turning three this year. When they're that young, you have to have milk with a higher fat content so for us, it's the go-to milk in our household. I don't drink that much milk personally but since it's in the fridge for our daughter, I use it all the time in my smoothies.' Although the Appelbys aren't 100 per cent sure what year they expanded their line to include cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, and cheese curds (the latter was recently featured in an Instagram video for the Exchange District's Ashdown Market, which uses Stoney Brook curds in its breakfast sandwiches), Angela knows for a fact it was seven years ago when what is presently one of their most popular items was added to the mix. While she was pregnant with their youngest, she developed a strong craving for chocolate milk. Jim was already toying around with the beverage, she recalls, but she let him know in no uncertain terms that there had better be a bottle or three in the fridge, when she went into labour. 'He actually brought it to me my first day at the hospital and we've been selling it ever since,' she says with a laugh. Going forward, the Applebys don't harbour dreams of landing their milk in 'every Sobey's across Western Canada.' Aside from maintaining the status quo, Angela says they would be more than content to reach a point where they use all of the farm's milk themselves, versus the 60 per cent or so they continue to supply to the milk board. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Angela Appleby in the farm shop at Stoney Brook Creamery. She has become a familiar face at the Saturday St. Norbert Farmers' Market, where they also offer 15-litre containers of milk for local cheese and yogurt makers. 'Plus we'd love to see more organic creameries pop up around the province,' Jim pipes in. 'I mean, there are so many other cheeses and things people could be making, plus it's a lot of pressure being the only one.' For more information, go to Every Second Friday The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. David Sanderson Dave Sanderson was born in Regina but please, don't hold that against him. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Eater
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
The Biggest New Las Vegas Restaurant Openings, June 2025
Las Vegas's dining scene moves quickly — powerhouse casinos usher in new behemoths with Champagne and sparklers and off-Strip restaurants continue to open doors in homey neighborhood strip malls. Here is a list of new and notable spots that opened in Las Vegas recently. For the best restaurants in town, check out Eater Las Vegas's Essential 38 or Eater's guide to eating and drinking in Las Vegas. Pisces The Strip Vibey seafood restaurant Pisces opened in one of the most stunning spaces on the Las Vegas Strip on May 10. Housed in the former Lakeside location at Wynn Las Vegas, chef Martin Heierling's menu features specialty oils from Greece, pastas from Tuscany, Mediterranean seafood like grilled dry-aged branzino and rare blue lobsters, and whimsical desserts shaped like fish. Pisces retains the former tenant's sweeping views of the Lake of Dreams from the window-lined dining room, while revamping the interior with deep navy tones, glittering Italian stone mosaics, and a striking dual-level bar. Zaytinya The Strip José Andrés's acclaimed Mediterranean restaurant Zaytinya opened in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace on May 13, adding to the chef's lineup of restaurants in Las Vegas, including Bazaar Meat and é by José Andrés. The menu channels Greek, Turkish, and Lebanese flavors with dishes like spicy soujouk sausage-topped flatbread, charred octopus, and a mezze spread including labneh, tzatziki, baba ghanoush, and more. Larger mains include Tangier-spiced grilled lamb chops and a mixed grill of lamb, kofte, chicken, and adana skewers. Nudo Southern Highlands Nearly 20 years after debuting the sleek, nightclub-adjacent Nove Italiano high atop the Palms, which closed in 2018, Jenna and Michael Morton of Morton Group have returned to Italian cuisine — this time in a more relaxed, suburban setting. Their newest restaurant, Nudo Italiano, is now open in Southern Highlands, trading Strip-side sheen for casual dining and Neapolitan-style pizza. Helming the kitchen is William DeMarco, who served a menu of handmade pasta, house-baked breads, and Neapolitan-style pizzas fired in a traditional wood-burning oven. The restaurant embraces Italian comfort cooking, with dishes like crispy calamari with lemon aioli, a heaping bowl of pappardelle in veal ragu with sheep's milk ricotta, and pan-roasted branzino over eggplant puree. Holsteins Arts District Over-the-top burger and milkshake restaurant Holsteins is back — but this time, off-Strip. Holsteins Shakes and Buns closed its doors at the Cosmopolitan in May 2024, ending a 15-year run, before reopening in the Arts District on May 29, 2025. Fans of the restaurant will be pleased to see a return of the original menu, including the forager burger, made with a beef-and-mushroom blended patty, creamy steak sauce, a fried egg, Swiss cheese, and marmalade onions, as well as the blackened chicken sandwich layered with bacon, chipotle ranch, and pepperjack cheese. Diners can also find Holsteins' decadent 'Bam-Boozled' milkshakes: boozy concoctions like a cookies-and-cream shake spiked with whipped cream-flavored vodka, and a Nutella and coffee shake with chocolate ice cream. Each one comes piled high with doughnuts, cookies, and marshmallows. Bobae Noodle House Chinatown Bobae Noodle House earned a following in Korea for its signature dishes and now brings its take on Korean-Chinese comfort food to Las Vegas's Chinatown. The vibe is retro and cozy, with brick walls and neon signs glowing above diner-style red booths. The menu riffs on classics with standouts like the Bobae jjajangmyeon — chewy noodles slicked with rich black bean sauce, topped with quail egg and crunchy radish sprouts — and the jjamppong, a fiery seafood noodle soup that balances heat, brine, and depth. The tangsuyuk, a crispy pork dish glazed in sweet-and-sour sauce, also deserves a spot in the rotation. For late-night noodles, Bobae stays open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The Naughty Angel Strip-adjacent Just behind the Strip, chef Angel Lopez — an alum of Hell's Kitchen, Sadelle's at Bellagio, and Elio at Wynn — has opened his first solo project: the Naughty Angel. The sleek, French bistro-style restaurant blends fine dining polish with neighborhood energy, offering a menu anchored by Lopez's flair for rich sauces and balanced plating. Highlights include the 32-ounce picanha steak, a seared duck breast with potatoes au gratin and pepper aioli, and a slow-braised lamb shank in red wine. Baked escargot and crab cakes in lemon beurre blanc set the tone up front, while desserts lean classic-with-a-twist — like a whole poached apple in mulled wine with pie-spiced ice cream. Tucked into a low-slung plaza just west of Resorts World, the Naughty Angel feels removed from the chaos of the Strip, but still within striking distance for a night out. Blue Orchid Thai Kitchen Southwest Blue Orchid Thai Kitchen is the latest venture from the family behind Las Vegas's Pin Kaow Thai Restaurant. Executive chef Steve Piamchuntar leads the kitchen with a menu that blends flavors from both north and south Thailand. Blue Orchid marries bold flavors with bold presentations — an aromatic and herbaceous tom yum soup is prepared at the table using a siphon that dramatically drains a broth filled with herbs and spices. The menu features dishes like braised short rib khao soi, a northern-style curry served with wide egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, and red onion. Other notable offerings are the panang curry-style lamb chop with eggplant, bamboo shoots, and baby corn in coconut red curry, and the Bangkok brined chicken sliders topped with fermented red curry pickles and Kewpie mayo. The setting is nearly transportive, with hanging foliage, intricate murals of Thai landscapes nestled into booth alcoves, and a display of traditional Khon masks. Sign up for our newsletter.
Eater
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Holsteins Makes a Vegas Comeback With Over-the-Top Burgers and Boozy Shakes Off-Strip
In May 2024, Holsteins Shakes and Buns closed its doors at the Cosmopolitan, ending a 15-year run of serving wildly indulgent burgers and over-the-top milkshakes on the Las Vegas Strip. Now, one year later, Holsteins is making a comeback — this time off-Strip, in the heart of the Arts District. The new Holsteins opens Thursday, May 29, at 1216 S. Main Street, joining neighborhood favorites like Esther's Kitchen and Main St. Provisions. The signature menu returns, too — including the forager burger, made with a beef-and-mushroom blended patty, creamy steak sauce, a fried egg, Swiss cheese, and marmalade onions, as well as the blackened chicken sandwich layered with bacon, chipotle ranch, and pepperjack cheese. Diners can also find Holsteins' decadent 'Bam-Boozled' milkshakes: boozy concoctions like a cookies-and-cream shake spiked with whipped cream-flavored vodka, and a Nutella and coffee shake with chocolate ice cream. Each one comes piled high with doughnuts, cookies, and marshmallows. 'Holsteins built an ardent fan base while on the Las Vegas Strip,' says founder and Vegas native Billy Richardson. 'Now we're bringing Holsteins home — to a neighborhood that feels like the soul of Vegas.' The new 2,800-square-foot location sits next to Velveteen Rabbit, marked by the restaurant's signature colorful cow perched above a glowing marquee. Inside, guests will find exposed wood arch trusses, aged brick walls, and curving booths wrapped around a bar tiled in turquoise glass. Holsteins will debut at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, and will be open daily at 11 a.m. thereafter. Hours are until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 11:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
07-05-2025
- General
Less farmland is going for organic crops as costs and other issues take root
SKANEATELES, N.Y. -- Farmer Jeremy Brown taps the nose of a young calf. 'I love the ones with the pink noses,' he says. This pink-nosed animal is just one of about 3,200 cattle at Twin Birch Dairy in Skaneateles, New York. In Brown's eyes, the cows on the farm aren't just workers: 'They're the boss, they're the queen of the barn.' Brown, a co-owner at Twin Birch, is outspoken on the importance of sustainability in his operation. The average dairy cow emits as much as 265 pounds (120 kilograms) of methane, a potent climate-warming gas, each year. Brown says Twin Birch has worked hard to cut its planet-warming emissions through a number of environmentally sound choices. 'Ruminants are the solution, not the problem, to climate change,' he said. ___ EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is a collaboration between Rochester Institute of Technology and The Associated Press. ___ Wearing a weathered hoodie and a hat promoting a brand of cow medicine, Brown was spending a windy Friday morning artificially inseminating some of the farm's massive Jerseys and Holsteins. He stepped over an electric manure scraper used to clean the animals' barn. The electric scraper means the dairy doesn't have to use a fuel-burning machine for that particular job. Twin Birch also recycles manure for use on crops, cools its milk with water that gets recirculated for cows to drink and grows most of its own feed. Despite all that, the farm has no desire to pursue a U.S. Department of Agriculture organic certification, Brown said. Doing so would add costs and require the farm to forego technology that makes the dairy business, and ultimately the customer's jug of milk, more affordable, he said. He raises a question many farmers have been asking: Is organic farming just a word? An increasing number of American farmers think so. America's certified organic acreage fell almost 11% between 2019 and 2021. Numerous farmers who implement sustainable practices told The Associated Press that they have stayed away from the certification because it's costly, doesn't do enough to combat climate change and appears to be losing cachet in the marketplace. Converting an existing farm from conventional to organic agriculture can cost tens of thousands of dollars and add labor costs. The rules governing the National Organic Program were published in 2000, and in the years after, organic farming boomed to eventually reach more than 5 million acres. But that has been declining in recent years. Any downward trend is significant, as organic farms make up less than 1% of the country's total acreage, and organic sales are typically only a tiny share of the nationwide total. Shannon Ratcliff, a farmer and co-owner of organically certified Shannon Brook Farms in Watkins Glen, New York, attributes the decline to a 2018 fraud case in Iowa involving a farmer selling grain mislabeled as certified organic. 'The whole thing went crazy — work requirements for farmers ramped up and inspection levels were higher,' she said. It's also just a tough business, Ratcliff said. Her co-owner, Walter Adam, also thinks younger generations' interest in farming of any kind is also declining. 'It takes six months to learn everything,' Adam said. 'We can't find anybody as willing to work on the farm.' Adam drives to Manhattan each week to sell their meat and eggs at markets, and spends Sunday mornings helping Ratcliff with business at the Brighton Farmers Market in Brighton, New York. Frank Mitloehner, a professor in animal science in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at University of California Davis, said lack of flexibility and efficiency are driving farmers away from organic in an era of rising prices for farmers. He said organic standards need to be overhauled or the marketplace risks organic going away completely. 'I am in awe that so many organic farmers were able to produce that way for that long,' he said. 'It seems that they are losing consumer base in these financially troubling times.' Still, there are consumers determined to buy organic. Aaron Swindle, a warehouse employee at a chain supermarket, spends every Sunday morning shopping for organic groceries at the Brighton Farmers Market. 'The taste quality is different when it's growing nearby,' Swindle said. He calls the Finger Lakes of New York a 'trifecta,' a region that contributes dairy, produce, and meat for its residents. John Bolton, owner of Bolton Farms in Hilton, New York, said he has some reservations about organic certification, but he's pursuing it for his hydroponic farm, which grows produce in nutrient-rich water instead of soil. It produces greens such as kale and chard and is popular as a supplier for restaurants in western New York, and draws waves of regular customers at the Rochester Public Market on weekends. Bolton doesn't use pesticides. On a chilly day this spring, he was at his greenhouse unloading 1,500 ladybugs to do the work of eliminating the operation's aphids. That's the kind of practice organic farms use to earn the certification, he said. He said his operations aren't immune to the dangers posed by climate change. Abnormally hot days affect their greenhouse, he said: 'It's devastating to not only the people but the plants." But Bolton described the organic certification as economically and environmentally beneficial to his farm. Getting the certification will carry an expense, but he is confident it will be worth the price. 'It helps with sales. And you feel good about it – you're doing the right practices,' Bolton said. ___
The Hill
07-05-2025
- General
- The Hill
Less farmland is going for organic crops as costs and other issues take root
SKANEATELES, N.Y. (AP) — Farmer Jeremy Brown taps the nose of a young calf. 'I love the ones with the pink noses,' he says. This pink-nosed animal is just one of about 3,200 cattle at Twin Birch Dairy in Skaneateles, New York. In Brown's eyes, the cows on the farm aren't just workers: 'They're the boss, they're the queen of the barn.' Brown, a co-owner at Twin Birch, is outspoken on the importance of sustainability in his operation. The average dairy cow emits as much as 265 pounds (120 kilograms) of methane, a potent climate-warming gas, each year. Brown says Twin Birch has worked hard to cut its planet-warming emissions through a number of environmentally sound choices. 'Ruminants are the solution, not the problem, to climate change,' he said. ___ EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is a collaboration between Rochester Institute of Technology and The Associated Press. ___ Wearing a weathered hoodie and a hat promoting a brand of cow medicine, Brown was spending a windy Friday morning artificially inseminating some of the farm's massive Jerseys and Holsteins. He stepped over an electric manure scraper used to clean the animals' barn. The electric scraper means the dairy doesn't have to use a fuel-burning machine for that particular job. Twin Birch also recycles manure for use on crops, cools its milk with water that gets recirculated for cows to drink and grows most of its own feed. Despite all that, the farm has no desire to pursue a U.S. Department of Agriculture organic certification, Brown said. Doing so would add costs and require the farm to forego technology that makes the dairy business, and ultimately the customer's jug of milk, more affordable, he said. He raises a question many farmers have been asking: Is organic farming just a word? Declining enthusiasm for the organic certification An increasing number of American farmers think so. America's certified organic acreage fell almost 11% between 2019 and 2021. Numerous farmers who implement sustainable practices told The Associated Press that they have stayed away from the certification because it's costly, doesn't do enough to combat climate change and appears to be losing cachet in the marketplace. Converting an existing farm from conventional to organic agriculture can cost tens of thousands of dollars and add labor costs. The rules governing the National Organic Program were published in 2000, and in the years after, organic farming boomed to eventually reach more than 5 million acres. But that has been declining in recent years. Any downward trend is significant, as organic farms make up less than 1% of the country's total acreage, and organic sales are typically only a tiny share of the nationwide total. Shannon Ratcliff, a farmer and co-owner of organically certified Shannon Brook Farms in Watkins Glen, New York, attributes the decline to a 2018 fraud case in Iowa involving a farmer selling grain mislabeled as certified organic. 'The whole thing went crazy — work requirements for farmers ramped up and inspection levels were higher,' she said. It's also just a tough business, Ratcliff said. Her co-owner, Walter Adam, also thinks younger generations' interest in farming of any kind is also declining. 'It takes six months to learn everything,' Adam said. 'We can't find anybody as willing to work on the farm.' Adam drives to Manhattan each week to sell their meat and eggs at markets, and spends Sunday mornings helping Ratcliff with business at the Brighton Farmers Market in Brighton, New York. Frank Mitloehner, a professor in animal science in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at University of California Davis, said lack of flexibility and efficiency are driving farmers away from organic in an era of rising prices for farmers. He said organic standards need to be overhauled or the marketplace risks organic going away completely. 'I am in awe that so many organic farmers were able to produce that way for that long,' he said. 'It seems that they are losing consumer base in these financially troubling times.' But the label still matters to some buyers Still, there are consumers determined to buy organic. Aaron Swindle, a warehouse employee at a chain supermarket, spends every Sunday morning shopping for organic groceries at the Brighton Farmers Market. 'The taste quality is different when it's growing nearby,' Swindle said. He calls the Finger Lakes of New York a 'trifecta,' a region that contributes dairy, produce, and meat for its residents. John Bolton, owner of Bolton Farms in Hilton, New York, said he has some reservations about organic certification, but he's pursuing it for his hydroponic farm, which grows produce in nutrient-rich water instead of soil. It produces greens such as kale and chard and is popular as a supplier for restaurants in western New York, and draws waves of regular customers at the Rochester Public Market on weekends. Bolton doesn't use pesticides. On a chilly day this spring, he was at his greenhouse unloading 1,500 ladybugs to do the work of eliminating the operation's aphids. That's the kind of practice organic farms use to earn the certification, he said. He said his operations aren't immune to the dangers posed by climate change. Abnormally hot days affect their greenhouse, he said: 'It's devastating to not only the people but the plants.' But Bolton described the organic certification as economically and environmentally beneficial to his farm. Getting the certification will carry an expense, but he is confident it will be worth the price. 'It helps with sales. And you feel good about it – you're doing the right practices,' Bolton said. The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
