Good Food award winners

Minnesota entrepreneurs took home five honors in the annual Good Food Awards last month in San Francisco. The awards recognize American food and drink crafters "who demonstrate a commitment to creating tasty, authentic and responsible products" but also have a commitment to sustainable production methods.

Drum roll: In the Elixir category, Gardenaire of Rochester won for its Rhubarb and Basil Shrub and its Tomato and Basil Shrub mixers, gardenaire.com; in Pantry, honors went to Grlk, in St. Paul, for its Fresh Basil Grlk, grlksauce.com, and to K-Mama Sauce, in Columbia Heights for its K-Mama Sauce, kmamasauce.com; in Pickles, Grandma's Gourmets of Albert Lea won for its Grandma's Bloody Pickles, grandmasgourmets.com; and in Spirits, the win went to Vikre Distillery, in Duluth, for its Boreal Juniper Gin and Boreal Cedar Gin, vikredistillery.com. Congratulations to all.

General Mills seeks youth partners

General Mills has launched the General Mills Feeding Better Futures Scholars Program, which enlists young people to help address the challenge of feeding a growing world population. Young innovators are invited to pitch their ideas for the opportunity to earn up to $50,000, present at Aspen Ideas Festival and develop a mentorship with a leader in the food industry. To get involved, ages 13 to 21 are asked to share a short video that explains a solution for an issue they have identified in one of two categories: hunger relief and sustainable agriculture. From five finalists, General Mills, with public input, will select a grand prize winner, with the remaining four finalists getting $10,000 for their programs. For official rules or to enter your in-action solution for General Mills Feeding Better Futures, visit feedingbetterfutures.com.

Don't dawdle

For its 35th anniversary, Bruegger's Bagels is giving away three bagels to anyone who walks in their doors from opening to 11 a.m. on Feb. 1 — that's today. To download a coupon, click on or visit this link: brueggers.com/3-free-bagels/.

Eighmey reveals Franklin

Minnesota food historian Rae Katherine Eighmey has a new book about Benjamin Franklin, covering the foods that exemplified his 84 years of life from 1706 to 1790. As with last year's similar book about Abraham Lincoln, "Stirring the Pot With Benjamin Franklin: A Founding Father's Culinary Adventures" (Smithsonian Books, $21.95) follows Franklin — an early foodie — as he dabbles in vegetarianism, applies principles of electricity to cooking a turkey and installs a state-of-the-art oven for his wife, Deborah. Eighmey writes how Franklin saw food as key to understanding the developing culture of the United States, casting maize as the defining grain of America. And there are recipes, from buckwheat cakes to floating island.

KIM ODE