DeRusha Eats: Shoyu At MSP Airport
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's a strange sight as you head towards the gate in concourse G at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Executive Chef Sara Johannes is at the wok inside Shoyu, which is not your standard airport restaurant.
She says a lot of chefs probably think that working at an airport is not the best gig.
"You think that in your head, but then you start looking at what OTG (the company Delta hired to revamp food options) is actually presenting in the airport," Johannes said. "These guys are really game changers."
Chef Dan Zeroth makes a lot of his own noodles, slamming them until they break so he can rip them by hand.
"We're completely redefining what you can find in an airport. I think that's very cool," Johannes said. "You'd never know that you could get this kind of meal in an airport."
Johannes was a contestant on Bravo's "Top Chef" reality competition this year.
When the pros are at work, the results are really astonishing, like a dish with sweet potato dumplings in a light, earthy broth.
The cocktails are hand-crafted, too. There's sake with Lilet Blanc and Japanese cucumbers.
"We're meeting our purveyors down by baggage claim to pick up chickens every week," she said. "I have relationships with farms, everything that you'd see in a brick and mortar."
At about 1,000 degrees, the wok is like cooking on top of a jet engine!
"It's a really fun way to cook," Johannes said. "You got to move fast."
When dining at Shoyu, you'll almost forget you're at MSP.
"I just got back from Tokyo and finding things over there to bring here, so we're serious about what we do here," she said. "It just happens to be in an airport."
Click here for more information on Shoyu, and where to find it at MSP Airport.