Gyst Fermentation Bar has some changes simmering.
The petite Eat Street bar devoted to all things fermented (wine, beer, cheese, pickles) stopped running regular service at the end of November, said Mel Guse, who co-owns it with her sister Ky. It's only open now for private events and classes, like an upcoming kombucha workshop on Dec. 15. (25 E. 26th St., Mpls., 612-758 0113, gystmpls.com)
"It's been 4 years, it's been amazing and we love it," Mel Guse said. "But we're looking at it as a creative food business, with a focus on fermentation. Running a restaurant in the city, you kind of have to reinvent yourself and do things a little differently."
This summer, the spot was named to Esquire's "Best Bars in America" list.
Guse chalked up the change to "a lot of factors" including competition with new restaurants, and having to find staff.
The transition "opens a little more headspace," for the sisters, Guse said, "instead of hiring and retraining and doing the same thing all the time."
Plus, Guse gets to see a dream realized. She had a cheese and pickle cart built, and it will soon be doing "residencies" in different breweries. It has its own refrigeration and hand-washing sink built in.
The sisters are nearing the end of their five-year lease on their space and are "still debating" whether they will remain on E. 26th St. Even if they leave, Gyst will live on, Guse said.
"It doesn't meant that it's going away, it's just going to live differently for a little while."