A view, a brew, the U

The University of Minnesota's Campus Club wants the public to know that it's open to nonmembers during the summer for happy hour. From its fourth-floor terrace, patrons can enjoy views of the Minneapolis skyline, and the bar has sweeping views of the Mississippi River. The weekday happy hour is from 4 to 7 p.m. with drinks, appetizers and early dinners prepared by executive chef Beth Jones, who emphasizes locally grown produce, grass-fed meat and organic-fed poultry. The Campus Club is in Coffman Union, 300 Washington Av. SE., on the East Bank of the university campus, with parking in the adjacent East River Parking Garage. The Green Line's East Bank light rail station is a block away.

Learn the secrets of tea

TeaSource, a Twin Cities tea importer, wholesaler and retailer, is offering a public two-hour tasting and workshop hosted by Chaminda Jayawardana, managing director of Lumbini Tea Estates in Sri Lanka, along with TeaSource founder Bill Waddington. Attendees can taste and evaluate eight teas, some just two weeks off the bush. What might make the summer's best iced tea? The event is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. June 19. Those arriving at 6 p.m. can get a tour of the warehouse. Cost is $20. To reserve a spot, call 651-788-9971. The TeaSource warehouse is at 2616 Cleveland Av. N. in Roseville.

'Kitchens' author Stradal returns

J. Ryan Stradal grew up in Hastings but now lives in Los Angeles. Still, his bio notes, "He does not own a gun and a motorcycle, which makes him unique among the men in his extended family." His debut novel, "Kitchens of the Great Midwest," was published last year to great acclaim and recently won the 2016 Indies Choice Book Award for Adult Debut. Now, Stradal's tale of rising star chef Eva Thorvald has been released in paperback. He'll be reading and signing books at 7 p.m. June 13 in an event at the Excelsior Chamber of Commerce, 37 Water St., sponsored by Excelsior Bay Books.

Katie Chin cookbook launch

Katie Chin, the "tastemaker in residence" for the popular food blog thespiritedtable.com, returns to her Minnesota roots to launch her cookbook, "Everyday Chinese Cookbook: 101 Recipes from My Mother's Kitchen." Her mother, of course, was Leeann Chin of local restaurant fame. Spirited Table's Supper Club Series hosts Chin at 6 p.m. June 15 at the Cambria Gallery, 625 2nd Av. S. in Minneapolis, for a cooking demo, book signing, wine and passed appetizers. Toastmaster is Raghavan Iyer, recent James Beard award winner. Tickets are $40 at Eventbrite; visit bit.ly/1sv6pG2.

Cheers for the Taste team

Congrats are in order for critic Rick Nelson, who is a finalist in the Restaurant Criticism category of the journalism competition of the Association of Food Journalists. Freelancer Steve Hoffman is also a finalist for Best Newspaper Food Feature for his Taste story on Richard Olney and French cooking. The results will be announced in the fall.

More compliments

Congratulations are in order to:

• Jer-Lindy Farms and Redhead Creamery, a partnership between two generations of the Jennissen family in Brooten, Minn., which earned a 2016 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award for Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability. The 200-cow farm reduced its energy use by 20 percent, uses no commercial fertilizer on any of its 258 acres and feeds back to the cows whey byproduct generated while making artisan cheese at the on-site cheese processing operation.

• At the recent Midwest Book Awards in St. Paul, "Cranberries Revealed: From the Marsh to the Table," by Wisconsin native Wayne R. Martin, won in two categories: arts/coffee table book/photography and cookbooks/crafts/hobbies. (We wrote about the book in October.) He was the only finalist to win in multiple categories at the event, sponsored by the Midwest Independent Publishing Association.

KIM ODE