Staff Directory 6370540

Rachel Hutton

Reporter | Features
Phone: 612-673-4569

Rachel Hutton writes lifestyle and human-interest stories for the Minnesota Star Tribune.


Hutton was previously the editor of Minnesota Monthly and Midwest Home magazines and City Pages' food critic. She has written frequently about restaurants, travel, and design and enjoys profiling interesting people. A Minnesota native, Hutton returned home after stints in the Bay Area and New York City and has traveled the state extensively, from the Spring Grove Soda factory near the Iowa border to the Northwest Angle, which pokes into the Canadian one. She has a degree in product design from Stanford and co-edited an essay collection about life "before the mortgage" prior to settling in the Twin Cities.
Recent content from Rachel Hutton
Peg Donahue orders food from Jon Christofersen the deli counter at Ingebretsen's in Minneapolis, Minn. on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024.  

ALEX KORMANN •

Why are these people waiting 2 hours for lutefisk?

Fans arrive at dawn, break out in song and become "part of the spectacle" to do their holiday shopping at Ingebretsen's.
TPT's "Remember the Magic" a nostalgic, behind-the-scenes look at Dayton's holiday shows.

Learn the secrets behind Dayton's holiday shows' magic in a fascinating PBS documentary

Add this to your holiday movie rotation to relive memories of the beloved Minnesota tradition.
The classic Lyndale Avenue restaurant Red Dragon will close after almost five decades.

Minneapolis' once roaring Red Dragon dive bar faces its final closing time

For nearly 50 years, the Lyndale Avenue dive bar packed a Wondrous Punch.
Toni Karger loves this jasmine- and musk-scented gnome candle at the Aldi store in Richfield, Minn., on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. Shopping for some of t

Meet the Minnesota fans flocking to Aldi's famed 'Aisle of Shame'

The discount grocer is expanding in Minnesota, winning over our deal-loving hearts, one can of chickpeas and ping-pong table at a time.
Canelake's Candies in downtown Virginia, Minn., has been in this location since 1917. The Canelake brothers started the business as Virginia Candy Kit

Minnesota's oldest candy shop makes hard-to-find sweets beloved for generations

On the Iron Range, descendants of Canelake's Candies returned to the family business after bringing Great Lakes Candy Kitchen to the North Shore.
Dan Holder presided over the SendOff for Siobhan Nelson, at the Royal Cliff Events in Eagan, Minn., a venue best known for hosting weddings.

Death with a signature cocktail? Minnesota company brings personal branding to funerals.

Taking a cue from weddings, SendOffs are happening at breweries and golf courses. Guests get funeral swag.
"Oregon Trail" produced by MECC.

Minnesota-made 'Oregon Trail' game being adapted into a movie

Local computer geeks created the beloved simulation of crossing the American frontier. Now Apple's bringing it to the big screen.
A pair of red women's slippers adorned with sparkles and a tiny bow toward the toe

Want to own an infamous piece of Hollywood memorabilia?

Auction begins for "The Wizard of Oz" ruby slippers stolen from Grand Rapids' Judy Garland Museum.
Bryan Robert, owner of Nokomis Tailor, cuts down a coat to make it smaller for a customer.

Minneapolis tailor MacGyvers Minnesotans' winterwear

Parka zipper broken? Flannel too boxy? Snowpants too long? Nokomis Tailor's specialty is altering cold-weather clothing.
photo of Louise Erdrich, outside her Birchbark Books

Louise Erdrich named a character after a rescued crow

Kismet in "The Mighty Red" was inspired by a bird that rode on the author's shoulder.
John Fredrichs releases a crate of his white doves (homing pigeons) for a training flight in a Bloomington parking lot.

Where do those white doves go after they're released at weddings and funerals?

A Lakeville couple's birds bring poignant moments to life events. But they require lots of training and patience.
Hudson-based personal-injury lawyer Russell Nicolet has plastered his bearded, sunglasses-wearing "cartoon-head" avatar on billboards across Minnesota

How a lawyer's 'cartoon head' billboards created Wisconsin's unlikeliest celebrity

The legal world's Kris Lindahl became "part of the pop culture of the Midwest." Now strangers tattoo his face on their nipples and invite him to their wedding.
Puffy dutch baby pancakes served with real maple syrup.

Date a Canadian, get a free brunch

The country's maple-syrup producers have cooked up a creative promotion for "cuffing" season.
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Massive house fire breaks Shoreview nature blogger's 12-year streak

Artist Mary Jo Hoffman hopes to resume her STILL practice in 2025.
Nancy Tubbs walks out of one of the stone cabins at Camp Van Vac on Burntside Lake near Ely, Minn. The century-old resort that's been in the family si

'Chief cook and bottle washer' hands off her beloved Minnesota mom-and-pop resort

Five generations have vacationed at Ely's charming, rustic Camp Van Vac. As the end of a family legacy approached, guests anxiously awaited its fate.
The family of Adam Finseth — wife Tara and children Liam and Nora — wait to be presented with a flag in remembrance of the fallen Burnsville fire

Service for Minnesota Fallen Firefighters honors those who died in the line of duty

Burnsville firefighter Adam Finseth and two others whose names were lost to history are recognized for their sacrifice at annual memorial ceremony.
Zongxee Lee holds red malabar spinach, a culturally significant plant, at the new Hmong garden she designed for the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in C

Her family fled Laos carrying seeds and plants. A new Hmong garden at the arboretum features these healing herbs.

Hmong medicinal plants are being scientifically classified for the first time.
A detail from a poster for the 1977 blockbuster “Star Wars: A New Hope," now available in Ojibwe.

Ojibwe 'Star Wars' arrives in Minnesota movie theaters this week

Experience the classic in a new way, with local speakers as Obi-Wan Kenobi and stormtroopers.
Clay Babcock and Jodi Eschrich walk out of the Minnesota State Fair Lost And Found at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights on Sunday.

Lost your keys or kid at the Fair? Here's how to increase your odds of a quick reunion.

Lost and Found is the Fair's emotional rollercoaster
Campers enjoy a bonfire during the CampOut weekend at West Forty RV Park and Campground in Gilbert, Minn.

CampOut weekend gathers LGBTQ community on the Iron Range

One of Minnesota's few gay campground owners fosters inclusion and upends stereotypes in the great outdoors.
Ojibwe elder Sharon Day leads a Nibi Water Walk around Lake Superior Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023 near Washburn, Wis. The ceremony is meant to encourage th

Indigenous 'water walk' to travel the St. Croix River in September

Nibi Walks to pray for the water have followed the Mississippi and circled Lake Superior. All are invited to join.
Gwen Walz, her husband Gov.-elect Tim Walz, and Lt. Gov.-elect Peggy Flanagan talked with reporters during a press conference at their transition offi

Who is Gwen Walz? A mom, a teacher and an adviser to her husband

Gov. Tim Walz's wife of 30 years has proven to be a key political partner, even as she's fought the "first lady" stereotype.
Joshua Neumann, owner of Kind Lips, promotes changing our unofficial state motto from Minnesota Nice to Minnesota Kind.

Should 'Minnesota Kind' replace 'Minnesota Nice'?

With Walz in the national spotlight, a Minneapolis entrepreneur's new slogan amps up the compassion.
Elvis impersonator Chris Olson serenades Nancy Steien of Karlstad, Minn., at Zorbaz on Gull Lake near Brainerd.

How Zorbaz became greater Minnesota's best-known beach bar

With 11 locations and a 50+ year history, Minnezota'z Margaritaville took over Lakes Country, one bobber-topped cocktail at a time.
A detail from a poster for the 1977 blockbuster “Star Wars: A New Hope," now available in Ojibwe.

Ojibwe 'Star Wars' features Minnesota speakers

The Hollywood classic helps bring an endangered Indigenous language to the masses.
Frances McDormand plays the role of Marge Gunderson, the local police chief in the move 1995/96 "Fargo" made by the Coen brothers (native sons of St.

Why do Minnesotans have accents?

The state's well-known accent has come to symbolize folksy charm. But it has also been gradually evolving.
The 2023 winners of Pet Haven's Rescue Brew Contest were featured on Surly's Make Fetch Happen lager.

Want to see your dog or cat on cans of Surly's beer?

The winners of Pet Haven's Rescue Brew fundraising contest will be pictured on limited-edition crowlers.
Christian Alberto Ledesma starts the game at the pitching mound to start a neighborhood pick up softball game at Lake Hiawatha Park on July 18.

Minneapolis principal's 'sandlot' works social muscles during summer break

Pickup baseball games "on the verge of extinction" combat the loneliness epidemic.
Falen Bonsett and iHeartRadio street team members look for boaters to throw T-shirts to on Lake Minnetonka.

Falen is vulgar. And vulnerable. And Minnesota audiences can't get enough.

Falen defied gender stereotypes on KDWB. Now the uber-popular media personality joins "The Jason Show."
Jason Matheson and Falen Bonsett, his new co-host on Fox 9's "The Jason Show."

Fox 9's Jason Matheson announces his new co-host

"The Jason Show" fans have been atwitter since Kendall Mark departed for MyTalk 107.1 FM.
Jimmy Lonetti talks with a customer about a catchers mitt at his shop, D&J Glove Repair, in south Minneapolis.

Minnesota's go-to guy for baseball-glove repair revives a rare art

Nationally, there's nothing like his memorabilia-filled workshop-slash-baseball-geek hub.
At Cub Foods in Forest Lake, Tina Fisher makes sure her stash of Top the Tater and Heggie's Pizza, Minnesota-made foods her family can't get in Florid

The secret cult following of Top the Tater, Minnesota's quirkiest condiment

Fans smuggle it in suitcases and slather it on sloppy joes. Yet their friends have never heard of it.
Windom experienced flooding Saturday after heavy overnight rainfall. Wyatt Haugen, 20, wades through the water while sandbagging.

Flooding fears rise in the state as residents scramble to control the tide

Flooding and no-wake warnings were issued across the state on Saturday after intense rain, especially in the south. Up north, families left stranded at Camp du Nord near Ely were able to leave.
Law enforcement members accompany the casket of officer Jamal Mitchell at Maple Grove High School on Tuesday.

MPD officer Jamal Mitchell memorialized as 'very best of our city'

Thousands attended the Maple Grove service and viewed the 30-mile processional for the police officer killed in the line of duty.
James Adams, founder of Twin Cities Skaters, skates at the new TCS Studio in Uptown Minneapolis, during a recent “Roller Fonk Friday” open skate n

A Minneapolis man vowing to 'Make America Skate Again' just opened an Uptown roller rink

The rink is revitalizing a struggling neighborhood and fueling the sport's comeback.
Major retailers commonly work with salvage companies that resell their excess inventory and returned items.

Psst! We found two secret sources of discounted Target goods

New clothing, housewares, toys and more sell for less than clearance prices.
Can we be comfortable putting our hearts behind a Timberwolves win, or will our hopes be dashed?

T-Wolves tips: How to ride the Minnesota sports roller coaster

This team has us going up and down and spinning around. How should we handle this week? Here are some tips.
Anishinaabe designer Delina White, who created and produced the event, walks down the runway at the annual Native Nations Fashion Night show at Quincy

'Native fashionista' creates runway looks and economic opportunity

An unlikely entrepreneur from Leech Lake helps lead the movement to "appreciate not appropriate."
James Adams, founder of Twin Cities Skaters, is converting the former Uptown CB2 into a boutique roller rink with a little help from his son, Jasper,

Former Uptown furniture store becoming a 'boutique' roller rink

The furniture store will be a bricks-and-mortar location for Twin Cities Skaters, which has hosted pop-up events around the metro area.
MJ Weiss and her fiancé Dale Blair listen as Erich Mische of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education speaks at a State Capitol news conference last mon

A grieving family fights for suicide prevention barriers at a Minneapolis hotspot

They're advocating for safety barriers on a popular bridge.
A pair of red women's slippers adorned with sparkles and a tiny bow toward the toe

The stolen ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz' were recovered by the FBI. But the tale isn't over.

The reporter who dug up the dirt, the museum head who took the heat and Grand Rapids itself are forever changed by the ruby slipper theft.
A model walks the runway during 2022's Native Starlight fashion show.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan hits the runway at Native Nations Fashion Night

The annual event spotlights Indigenous designers and an artisan market.
Graphic arrangements of found nature items such as feathers, fish, and fiddleheads photographed by Mary Jo Hoffman from her new coffee-table book "Sti

Spring's hot gift book features gorgeous found-nature photos

4,000 images later, this Shoreview photographer is still searching for the beauty we usually miss.
Shoppers scoop up deals at Mike’s Discount Foods in Fridley, which sells heavily discounted items ranging from produce and cereal close to their “

Do Minnesota's discount grocery stores really offer cartloads of savings?

Looking past sell-by dates can yield big discounts on everything from pantry staples to produce. Here's what we found.
A screen grab from the Too Good To Go app.

Is the Too Good to Go restaurant discount app too good to be true?

We shopped the app that helps restaurants reduce waste while giving shoppers steep discounts.
Krtstina Van Moer, right, and Brianna Neil chatted on the upper level of Fitger's Brewhouse in Duluth Min., Wednesday, May 22, 2013. ] (KYNDELL HARKNE

Duluth pub responds to Cargill's diss by serving Cheerios with its beer

The community is also donating boxes of the cereal to local food shelves.
Monticello High School teammates work on their entree during the 18th annual Minnesota ProStart Invitational. Students were judged by local chefs on t

A Minnesota chef trusted these kids to cater his wedding

High-school culinary students cook like pros at their bacon-scented state championship.
Ojai Valley Trail Riding Co. takes visitors through the Ventura River Valley Preserve on horseback.

Charming Ojai is Hollywood's playground for a reason

Just outside Los Angeles, this hidden gem has ranches, vineyards and spas for a great girlfriends getaway.
Nickelodeon Universe. ] GLEN STUBBE * gstubbe@startribune.com Thursday, June 2, 2016 Jess Nelson, MOA case manager, Oasis For Youth, walks through the

Not going anywhere for spring break? Try these fun Twin Cities area family activities

Get slimed, grab a joystick, brave a cold plunge.
Exterior rendering of Southdale's forthcoming luxury shopping wing.

Gucci, Max Mara, and Breitling are coming to Southdale

The Edina center is renovating a new luxury shopping wing , redefining "the mall."
Nancy Cameron's Kia Soul has been stolen and broken into multiple times.

A Minneapolis woman's Kia was stolen 5 times: 'I am going out of my mind'

Thousands of Minnesotans have experienced the material and psychological toll of having their vehicles stolen.
A small flock of wild turkeys briefly caused a traffic jam as they crossed Johnston Street Northeast while foraging for food Thursday.

Questions surround death of Minneapolis neighborhood turkey 'Gregory Peck'

The demise of a neighborhood turkey is a study in what can go wrong between urban wildlife and their human neighbors.
North is a real-estate and lifestyle magazine focusing on the Duluth area.

North is a new real estate and lifestyle magazine for Duluth

The glossy publication celebrates life on the North Shore.
Lives of fallen Burnsville police and firefighter celebrated in multi city ceremony

'Nothing could be more honorable': Fallen Burnsville police, firefighter mourned in massive ceremony

Thousands attended in person and watched the livestream sending off the first responders.
Members of the honor guard fold the flags for each of the three fallen public servants.

Burnsville responders mourned: 'May you forever rest in peace'

The BCA said 10,000 people filled Grace Church, hundreds more attended Prince of Peace Lutheran Church to watch the 2-hour service. More than 20,000 watched the livestream.
Friends are the key to health and happiness. Here's how to make (and keep) them.

Friends are the key to health and happiness. Here's how to make (and keep) them.

As Americans' precious social time erodes, friendships help stave off loneliness, build connection and cultivate a healthy "social biome."
Jaw-dropping rainbow hues at Naniboujou Lodge near Grand Marais.

After Lutsen, what is the state of classic lodges in Minnesota?

These old-time lodges are steeped in history for Minnesota travelers.
Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis is under new ownership.

New owners keep tiny door of beloved children's bookstore, Wild Rumpus, open in Minneapolis

Don't worry, the famed menagerie is staying put.
Allison Kaplan peruses the racks at Requisite boutique for her startup, Mother Of, a website that curates mother-of-the-bride fashions.

Ali shops. Ali edits. Ali influences. What doesn't Twin Cities media maven Allison Kaplan do?

The longtime writer and serial entrepreneur brought substance to style. Now she's making business news more relatable.

How does the Minneapolis FBI operate? Citizens Academy offers a rare peek inside.

The Minneapolis FBI's Citizens Academy is designed to educate the public and cultivate a diverse group of informal ambassadors, as well as humanize agents.
Marti Gudmundson pulled boxes of pie crusts from pallets in the alley behind Harvest of the Heart food pantry in south Minneapolis. She found out abou

What were 48,000 pie crusts doing in the alley behind a Minneapolis church?

The modern manna from heaven was a rare hiccup among millions of pounds of food that the church helps rescue every year.
A new generation can’t get enough of the beloved beagle.

Why is Gen Z obsessed with Snoopy? These Minnesotans offer a few clues.

Teens and twentysomethings are stalking CVS stores and donating blood to show their love for the 1950s beagle.

In frugal, freewheeling Buy Nothing groups, even dryer lint and used deodorant find new homes

Neighbors engaging in mutual aid turns household effluvia into social glue.

Alexandria death investigated

A man was found unresponsive in a home Friday night.
Artist Kada Goalen envisioned Mary Poppins’ magic gone wild in a City Center storefront.

Dayton's holiday figures return to downtown Minneapolis

In Holidazzle's absence, artist-designed displays of the old eighth-floor statues enliven Nicollet Mall storefronts.
Lila Monetti, from St. Paul, is 2024’s Girl of the Year.

New American Girl doll hails from St. Paul

Lila Monetti is 2024's Girl of the Year.
There's only one cranberry farm in Minnesota, and it's run by a 21-year-old woman and her brother

There's only one cranberry farm in Minnesota, and it's run by a 21-year-old woman and her brother

For this second-generation farmer, harvest is a beautiful season — and a big responsibility.
The Englund family’s drive-thru lefse stand featured on the Quirky Minnesota Places Facebook page.

What could be more Minnesotan than a lefse drive-thru — in a converted deer stand?

Rural family sells the Norwegian holiday treat, plus a few others, from their front yard.
In 2011, Robert Janssen trudged into Painter’s Marsh near Lake Minnetonka chronicling birds to help the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District with a ha

A Minnesota birding 'pioneer,' expert and author dies at 91

Robert Janssen was considered the "pioneer of ornithology in Minnesota."
Artist Russell Sharon walks through a grove of his upside-down tree sculptures at his home in Randall, Minn.

Upended tree sculptures' surprising backstory links the '80s East Village art scene, rural Minnesota

Artist Russell Sharon continues to create bold, nature-based work at his Little Falls farm.
What's it like behind the scenes at one of the Twin Cities area's largest scream parks?

What's it like behind the scenes at one of the Twin Cities area's largest scream parks?

Dead End Hayride's creepy actors share their scare tactics.
Dan Callahan and several of his GWG Life co-workers watched a 2017 solar eclipse in Commons Park, downtown Minneapolis.

Where to watch the Oct. 14 solar eclipse in the Twin Cities area

Minnesota viewing events offer solar activities, astronomers and more.
The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck comes to Ridgedale on Saturday, Oct. 7.

Why is a Hello Kitty Cafe Truck coming to Minnesota? And why do we still care?

The Japanese cat has cultivated fans for nearly 50 years, while other Gen-X cuties faded away.
Houston White photographed in his “barbershop” “office” in the Webber-Camden neighborhood office.

North Mpls. entrepreneur talks Black excellence, cultural appropriation and eagle-watching

Houston White's new book reads like a memoir, but serves as a guidebook for creative entrepreneurs.
Aging But Dangerous releases a tastefully nude calendar featuring women 50+, including 81-year-old Faye.

Aging But Dangerous women of Minnesota produce a nude calendar

The group's 83-year-old co-founder helps older women break taboos.