Author: Mollee Francisco

After a two-year hiatus, travel is back on the menu for many. With COVID-19 restrictions easing and positive cases relatively low in the Twin Cities, comfort levels have risen and locals have begun to quench their thirst for travel. “The industry is reporting a rebound to travel since the pandemic began two years ago,” said Melissa Rosdahl, an Eden Prairie-based travel advisor for Ciao Bambino. “I am seeing a pent-up demand for leisure travel, especially for families, who want to experience the joy of exploring destinations and creating memories, both domestic and internationally.” Hot spots Stateside, Rosdahl said that outdoor-centric…

There might be no such thing as a free lunch, but a free chair – that’s entirely possible, thanks to the efforts of people like Kristy Hymans. Hymans is the moderator for a Facebook group called Freecycle – Eden Prairie, MN. The private group allows members to offer items free of charge or to solicit free items from others. Hymans started the group in August 2018 after noting a plethora of Facebook Marketplace listings for free items. “I had the idea that having a smaller group of Eden Prairie residents who wanted to share free items would be useful to…

Those iconic pink boxes laden with soft, sugary treats have made their way to Eden Prairie. Crumbl Cookies celebrated the grand opening of its latest Twin Cities location on March 11. The Eden Prairie franchise can be found at 12575 Castlemoor Drive in Fountain Place — the same commercial complex that houses Home Goods and Sierra Trading Post. Crumbl Cookies is the brainchild of cousins Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley, who dreamed of creating the perfect chocolate chip cookie. The first Crumbl Cookies storefront opened in Logan, Utah, in 2017. Today, Crumbl Cookies has 389 locations across the U.S., including…

An Eden Prairie company is doing its part to help Team USA at the Beijing Olympics. Stratasys, which manufactures 3D printers and production systems, partnered with USA Luge to help create the sleds the athletes use in competition. Pat Carey, senior vice president of strategic growth for Stratasys, said he met representatives from USA Luge at a manufacturing trade show back in 2017 and struck up a partnership to create the sled molds for luge. That partnership was first on global display at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where the U.S. took home a silver medal in men’s singles,…

Angie Nelson’s son Liam was just six months old when he was diagnosed with food allergies. It was jarring news for the Maple Grove family that loved to cook together in the kitchen. “We felt overwhelmed and alienated,” said Nelson. “It was very difficult to find safe ingredients.” Nelson dutifully scoured items at the grocery store to make sure that they wouldn’t make her son sick, but as the world went into lockdown and she started ordering her groceries online, the task grew exponentially harder. “I thought, why aren’t there more options for families like mine?” said Nelson. Rather than…

It has been four years since Matt Connolly passed away, but his legacy lives on at a new eatery in Eden Prairie. Late last year, Wingman Matt quietly opened its doors in the Anderson Lakes Center at the northwest corner of Anderson Lakes Parkway and Flying Cloud Drive. It is now in full swing, with a take-out menu of broasted chicken wings, chicken fingers and a selection of sub sandwiches, as well as a mission to give back to families facing mounting medical bills due to cancer. John Connolly (Matt’s dad) and Bill Evanoff are the co-owners of Wingman Matt.…

When you need a break from heartwarming Christmas movies, Committee Films has just the thing to cleanse your palate this holiday season. The Eden Prairie-based production company premiered its newest television series – “The Killer Next Door” – on Fox Nation in mid-October. The five-episode series is a true crime anthology centered on some of the most notorious serial killers in modern history, along with the work of retired FBI profiler John Douglas. He pioneered the agency’s Criminal Profiling Program in the late 1970s, and personally interviewed the serial killers featured in the show. “It was a great opportunity to…

As the Beijing Olympics kick off this February, Jenna Weidner will be watching with more interest than she’s ever shown the Winter Olympics. That’s because she’s got her eye on competing in the 2026 games. The 23-year-old Minnetonka resident is currently part of a 20-member development hoping to compete for Team USA Bobsled at the Milan games. When she’s not on the track, she’s training at F2P Performance in Eden Prairie. “For all of us (on the development team) the goal is to make the Olympic team,” said Weidner. “But it’s not a sport that just clicks and you are…

Trick-or-treating is back for 2021. After a year when COVID-19 meant that many Halloween events were canceled and trick-or-treating was discouraged, kids can again don costumes and hit the sidewalks. Earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical advisor to the President, went on CNN’s State of the Union with a simple message: “Go out there and enjoy Halloween.” Fauci said that particularly for vaccinated individuals, outdoor Halloween events like trick-or-treating would be considered a safe activity. For the unvaccinated, including young children, Fauci urged those that can…