Issuu

D E C E M B E R 2 02 0

LIFESTYLE LETTER

DECEMBER 2020 PUBLISHER

John Lee | john.lee@lifestylepubs.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

"Christmas is the day that holds all time together." HELLO EDEN PRAIRIE LIFESTYLE READERS,

David Scheller | david.scheller@lifestylepubs.com AD DESIGNER

Whitney Lockhart L AYO UT DESIGNER

Dani Moore CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Kassi Miranowski | kassi.miranowski@lifestylepubs.com

Holiday traditions must be cherished more than any others. My aunt, for example, bakes a certain type of cake that doesn’t beg mentioning by name. It has the same density which physicists would normally assume can only occur within dying stars. It contains more rum than a Cuban sot, as well as fruits which haven’t been ripe since the Roosevelt administration. Making that cake is my aunt’s Christmas tradition. Trying to remove it all from my molars without the aid of power tools is my own. As the publisher of Eden Prairie Lifestyle, I would like to propose some new holiday traditions especially for Eden Prairieans. Order a big, hot, spicy pie for lunch from Red’s Savoy Pizza. Prepare dinner using the superlative ingredients offered by Kowalski’s. Buy a house with the aid of Helgeson/Platzke Real Estate Group, or construct a new one with Wooddale Builders. Christen that home’s garage with a sleek, shiny Range Rover. Finally, learn the ancient art of Wing Chun Kung Fu from none other than Eden Prairie’s own Grandmaster Steve Swift.

CORPORATE TEAM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt CHIEF SALES OFFICER Matthew Perry CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DeLand Shore ART DIRECTOR Sara Minor OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Janeane Thompson

And in a stroke of coincidence so great you might think it unbelievable, you can

AD MANAGER Chad Jensen

learn how to begin those fine new traditions in the pages of this very magazine!

REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Eric Williams WEB APPLICATIONS Michael O’Connell

As always, I would like to thank all of Eden Prairie Lifestyle’s sponsors, without whose generous support we could not mail our magazine directly to our readers’ homes. I always welcome any feedback or interest you may have in appearing on our magazine’s pages! 514 W 26TH ST., KANSAS CITY, MO

Best regards,

John Lee, Publisher

CityLifestyle.com/EdenPrairie ON THE COVER Mary Ostazeski Johnson, watercolorsbymary.com 4

Eden Prairie Lifestyle | December 2020

Proverbs 3:5-6 Eden Prairie Lifestyle™ is published monthly by Lifestyle Publications LLC. It is distributed via the US Postal Service to some of the Eden Prairie area’s most affluent neighborhoods. Articles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect Lifestyle Publications’ opinions. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Lifestyle Publications does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. Information in Eden Prairie Lifestyle™ is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed.

People you can count on. There is a lot to consider when choosing a financial institution - such as convenience, technology and products. Perhaps you want a bank that gives back to the community it serves. More than anything, your bank should have familiar, friendly people you know you can count on any time of the day. At First Western Bank & Trust we are all these things and more.

Nicholas Rahrich

Daniel Schreiner

Christian Lizaola

100 Prairie Center Drive | Eden Prairie | 952.516.7300

Kevin McShane

INSIDE THE ISSUE DECEMBER 2020

FEATURES 16 Red’s Savoy Pizza ‘Sota-Style, Since 1965

20 Kowalski’s “We Make You Feel Like Family”

26 Beauty & The Beast Meet the Range Rover vs. the Defender

20 16

30 Eden Prairie Real Estate Experts Speak! With Wooddale Builders & Helgeson/ Platzke Real Estate Group

DEPARTMENTS 4

Lifestyle Letter

Good Times

Giving Back

Hot Spot

20 Local’s Choice 26 Driver’s Notebook 30 Our Town 34 Local Limelight

GOOD TIMES

SCHEELS Supports the Thielen Foundation The Thielen Foundation hosted 25 young people from the Northside Commons Park youth football program (part of the Northside Impact Fund) for a shopping spree at SCHEELS. Each youth received a $150 gift card and a pair of new cleats.

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Eden Prairie Lifestyle | December 2020

Winter in Bloom Winter in Bloom at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is continuing until January 3rd! Go to the rollicking arcadia and bask in the glow of their immersive lighting displays, all of which are outdoors this year. To learn more and reserve your tickets please visit arbwinter.umn.edu.

1. Jason Landis | 2. Bill Donovan | 3. Chris McNamara | 4. Chris McNamara

CityLifestyle.com/EdenPrairie

GIVING BACK

PHILIP BROWN, CHORISTER

“WE ARE FRIENDS FOREVER WHEN WE SING TOGETHER, THE WHOLE WORLD IS BETTER WHEN WE SING.” – WALLACE HORNADY

Eden Prairie Lifestyle | December 2020

ARTICLE DAVID SCHELLER I AM A TERRIBLE SINGER. The last time I sang in

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANGELICA CANTANTI YOUTH CHOIRS

public I received a sternly worded letter from Amnesty International a week later. I am a terrible teacher as well. I did it briefly in Japan, where I assume there are now several young adults capable only of asking “How are ya?” in an accent thicker than lead. The point I am leading to is this: Anyone who can both sing and teach very well must be exceptional. That is why Philip Brown of Eden Prairie, who is the director of choral activities at Thomas Jefferson Senior High School in Bloomington, as well as the conductor of the Treble Singers and Cantanti Singers with Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs, has all of my admiration. I felt that asking him to sing for me would be overstepping my bounds, though his crisp articulation and warm Midwestern accent are both pleasant enough to the ears. “I grew up in a family that was very supportive of music,” said Philip. “I started learning piano from the local neighborhood teacher when I was five years old, and my parents made sure I practiced. I played trumpet and drums in middle school as well, but I didn’t find singing fulfilling until my sophomore year of high school. That’s when I began to love choir. “I went to Bethany College in Kansas to major in K-12 music education. I actually went there on a tennis scholarship, but they were gracious enough to let me do both sports and music. From there I went on to get my Master of Music degree in education at Northern Arizona University. I got my first job teaching music at a large high school in Denver. I made a lot of mistakes my first time in front of a classroom, and there were a lot of things I wish I had done differently. Still, I believe moments like those shape us. “I moved to Minnesota when I was about 25 years old. After a year at North Campus High School in White Bear Lake I went on to teach and coach junior varsity tennis at Hopkins High School, which had a huge choir program at the time. I was fortunate to continue that tradition and expand on it, but after 11 years with Hopkins some family tribulations caused me to look for work nearer to my home in Eden Prairie. I’m now happy to teach at Bloomington Jefferson. “This is also my 11th year with Angelica Cantanti. Their youth choir program begins at second grade and continues all the way up to high school. Their high school choir was pretty small with only 18 members when they brought me on. As I got more kids to keep singing over the years, more and more families started to really value how much Angelica Cantanti offers. We added about ten more kids a year until we ultimately had to add a second choir, and then another one just for trebles and altos.

CONTINUED >

CityLifestyle.com/EdenPrairie

GIVING BACK (CONTINUED)

“Whenever I feel like my students aren’t understanding something, I know there’s some way I have to improve so they can keep elevating their skills. That’s the never-ending challenge of my work. Years ago I remember feeling so envious of teachers and conductors who seemed more successful than me. But by my mid-30s, I realized it’s okay simply to be the best version of myself. Taking that kind of professional envy off my plate and focusing on what I can do to aid my students right now has helped me greatly to develop as an instructor. “The biggest obstacle lately has been getting kids to sing when they’re not allowed in the same room as each other. I’ve had to find new ways to keep them involved, to continue helping them grow by holding them to a higher standard. It’s still unfortunate, because singing at their schools and churches fills such an important social element for these kids. The Angelica Cantanti students in particular come from a huge area, and may live in towns where sharing artistic expression with their peers is difficult. “Musical education embodies everything a liberal education has to offer – music, of course, but also culture, historical context, numerology, even human anatomy and the science behind how sound is created. Music also teaches a child how to have a strong presence, improving how they will carry themself for the rest of their life. A musician is a well-rounded person, with a better chance of seeing the bigger picture and succeeding in a group environment. The benefit of choir class goes well beyond making better singers. “As a choir teacher, nothing feels more rewarding than seeing my students continue to express themselves musically. I’ve been with Angelica Cantanti long enough to see kids who started singing when they were seven years old now going off to college. That’s an indescribable feeling. Sometimes I’ll get emails from former students telling me they’re now singing in an a cappella group or their community choir, or even that they heard a song the other day which made them think of me. “A simple message like that can make my whole week – to know someone’s connection with music has outlasted the time I got to spend with them. It is the greatest reward I could ask for.” You can learn more about Philip’s many achievements and accolades as well as the programs he teaches at angelicacantanti.org/cantanti-singers.

Eden Prairie Lifestyle | December 2020

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re d ’s

ARTICLE DAVID SCHELLER

HOT SPOT

savoy pizza ‘SOTA-STYLE, SINCE 1965

Eden Prairie Lifestyle | December 2020

I SEARCHED MY WHOLE LIFE FOR THE PERFECT

saw to the production of his own spicy sausage and

PIZZA. I was sure I’d find it in New York City, where

made certain no other ingredients of his pizza could

large men with names that end in vowels serve acres

be visible beneath its mountain of toppings.

of pizza per minute. I was disappointed to find New

Savoy’s Meat Raffle pizza, which is named after

York-style pizza too flimsy, in need of folding in half

a cherished tradition observed in fine bars through-

lest it should buckle and lose all its toppings. And the

out this great state, is piled under nearly a pound of

large men were surly.

their original sausage, pepperoni, hamburger and

In Chicago I found pizza which couldn’t be han-

Canadian bacon. The Red’s House Special offers

dled without the aid of a garden trowel. In St. Louis

up more of that famous sausage and pepperoni, but

I found pizza with crust as thin as a coffee filter. In

also mushrooms, peppers, onions and green olives. I

Japan I found pizza that someone who only had a

tell myself that its vegetables make the Red’s House

vague idea of what pizza should be had covered with

Special a health food and reward my responsible

corn and shrimp.

dietary choices by eating a Meat Raffle pizza.

Thus disheartened I moved to Minnesota, a land

These are only my two favorite specialty pizzas at

of countless blessings and nearly as many lakes. And

Red’s Savoy. Those with well-rounded palates will

lo, what did I find? The perfect pizza which I had so

want to try their Hammer, Eastsider, and Hawaiian

desperately sought out for decades. You guys were

pizzas as well, and of course their Inferno which

hiding it at Red’s Savoy Pizza all this time!

complements Savoy’s original sausage and pepper-

Red’s Savoy Pizza was founded by Earl “Red” Schoenheider in 1965. Red tended his little pizzeria

oni with giardiniera, a spicy Italian relish made with pickled peppers and jalapeños.

on East 7th St in St. Paul seven days a week until he

With their wide selection of toppings, Red’s Savoy

went on to eternal life in 2017. In that half century he

will make any kind of 10” or 14” pizza you could conceive

perfected the ‘Sota-style pizza, with a crust that is thin

of. They even have gluten-free crust for those among us

yet substantial enough to support copious toppings.

with constitutions that don’t agree with wheat.

Red’s style of sauce has been dubbed “passive-ag-

Red’s Savoy offers all the other traditional pizzeria

gressive,” a tribute to that uniquely Minnesotan abil-

fare as well. They have salads for those of us who

ity to seem like someone’s best friend while secretly

actually understand what health food is. They have

… not caring for them all that much, we’ll call it. Red’s

baked pastas that will give any Italian grandma’s

sauce hits you up front with a sweet savoriness,

lasagna a run for its money. They also have wings,

which it follows up with a piquant whack to the taste

pizza fries, and the “meatball boat” – three meatballs

buds. It’s not overwhelming, but just enough to elicit

smothered in sauce and served with the garlic bread

a hushed “Uff da!” from the Minnesotan trying it for

requisite for mopping the plate. Heaven help us.

the first time.

Red was hesitant to franchise the pizzeria he had

To skimp on cheese so close to America’s Dairyland

spent so many years building up. He finally con-

would be criminal. Each of Savoy’s pizzas is positively

sented under one condition: “Whatever you do, don’t

buried under nearly one pound of the stuff, so you can

[mess] with my pizza.” (His precise wording might

rest assured every bite will stretch behind it several

only be inferred.) Go to any one of Savoy’s 16 loca-

tendrils of hot, beautiful cheese. Two different types

tions throughout the Twin Cities and you will see their

of cheeses, as a matter of fact. Why not?

management has kept their promise to Red.

But only children and ascetics would consider a

Go to the Eden Prairie location specifically. There you

pizza complete with cheese and cheese alone. Red

will meet Kris Residence, who began managing the piz-

knew this better than anyone else, so the pizzaiolo

zeria in 2014 and eventually bought it.

CONTINUED >

CityLifestyle.com/EdenPrairie

HOT SPOT (CONTINUED)

“It feels like just yesterday I left my hometown with nothing to my name except a pair of shorts and a towel,” said Kris. “Thanks to God, a little luck, and the awesome support of the Eden Prairie community I now have my own successful pizzeria. I’ve also had four kids since I first started out, and number five will be here soon! “This year has been tough, but it’s also created an opportunity to give back to a city that had already treated us so well. When COVID first started we created a Facebook post offering a free pizza to anyone too elderly or at risk to leave their home. We didn’t expect very much to come of it. Somehow our little offer became local news, though, and we were soon delivering pizzas to pretty much everyone affected by the pandemic. “I’ll never forget one 96-year-old woman we brought a pizza to. She was in tears thanking us. To see how much a simple pizza can mean to someone … well, it was just a little bit humbling. “Red’s Savoy launched the Love Large campaign after that, where for $10 anyone could order a pizza delivery to whoever they felt could use the comfort. By asking for a price that only covered our costs we were able to deliver over 2,500 Love Large pizzas to all the essential workers in the community. We brought Meat Lovers and Infernos to hospitals, daycares, veterinary clinics, fire stations – anywhere a pizza could do some good. “Our Love Large campaign is over now, and I hope things will soon return to normal. Still, I could never forget how much everyone loves each other here in Eden Prairie.” Red’s Savoy Pizza is located at 582 Prairie Center Dr, just across the way from SCHEELS. They are open seven days a week, just like Red would have had it, and are available to deliver big, delicious pizzas throughout our fair city. You can give them a call at (952) 944-3020 or find them online at savoypizza.com.

Eden Prairie Lifestyle | December 2020

CityLifestyle.com/EdenPrairie

LOCAL’S CHOICE

KOWALSKI’S “WE MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE FAMILY”

IN 1983 JIM AND MARY ANNE KOWALSKI INVESTED

“To be fair, we don’t really see ourselves as grocers,” said

THEIR LIFE SAVINGS – ON TOP OF A LOAN FROM A

Kris. “We are foodies first and foremost, and while I’m by no

FRIEND – INTO A FALTERING RED OWL GROCERY STORE

means a four star Michelin chef, I do know what good food

IN ST. PAUL. The couple must have encountered new prob-

tastes like. We are shoppers as well, so we constantly ask

lems to contend with on an hourly basis, but at the very least

ourselves what kinds of products we would want to see on

they could rest assured one of their cashiers, a 16-year-old

a store’s shelves. Before offering anything at Kowalski’s, we

named Kris, wouldn’t become one of them. For Kris to let down

must first ask ourselves: ‘Would we want to eat it, and would

her bosses would have been to let down her parents as well.

we want to serve it to our families?’

Kris’s tremendous skill at scanning Wheaties boxes and

“If you find a product at Kowalski’s its exceptional quality is

bagging bell peppers probably didn’t contribute too much to

a given, although we have even stricter standards than that.

the Kowalskis’ success early on. While her parents opened

Our buyers go to our vendors’ farms, processing plants and

their second location in White Bear Lake, Kris studied busi-

other essential areas of operation to understand just how they

ness and marketing in college. Perhaps to her parents’ mild

work and how well they treat their employees. We are looking

chagrin Kris had wanted a career in the fashion industry,

for integrity in addition to quality.

going so far as to work for a clothier for two years.

“Of course we carry mainstream products. I don’t believe a

“My mom and dad told me I needed at least three years

Minnesotan market could justify going without General Mills

of real business experience,” said Kris Kowalski Christiansen,

or Green Giant. But we’re always on the lookout for new, local

who today co-owns Kowalski’s alongside her mother, “so in

creators who are as passionate about their products as we are

1990 they reeled me back in full-time. I never left – and I’ve

about our mission. These small businesses create something

never regretted it.”

truly unique, and even if we have to assist them in getting their

In the following three decades Kris would prove instrumental to her parents’ grand design for their business. Whether that meant making certain all the labels on a row of cans were

products ready for retail, it’s well worth our time if that effort will elevate the experience we offer our shoppers.” Go to Kowalski’s and you will quickly appreciate the

facing toward the aisle or overseeing the inaugural openings

difference their ongoing search for exceptional food cre-

of nine new locations throughout the greater Twin Cities area,

ates. They have Akaushi beef, raised without hormones or

Kris has proven herself a grocer in full.

antibiotics and typically only available at high-end West Coast steak houses. They have chicken by Cooks Venture, all heirloom breeds raised on the pasture without ever tasting GMO feed. They even have Skuna Bay Salmon

ARTICLE DAVID SCHELLER

Eden Prairie Lifestyle | December 2020

from Vancouver, only five percent of which passes the craft farm’s rigorous inspection program.

CONTINUED >

CityLifestyle.com/EdenPrairie

LOCAL’S CHOICE (CONTINUED) Kris Kowalski Christiansen & Mary Anne Kowalski

Kowalski’s also showcases our state’s best. Their own brand of

our employees both know and do what is good for our business.

wild rice hails from the North Star State’s fertile plains. Cheeses by

We encourage democratic practices which enable people to make

The Humble Goat, which are made from milk supplied by Minnesotan

decisions that will guide our growth. Above all else, we believe in

ranchers who have pledged to keep their goats in only the happiest

active citizenship – that everyone has a role as a leader.

of circumstances, are available in a variety of flavors. (Humble Goat’s

“Kowalski’s has always held a strong commitment to supporting

cranberry chèvre will curl your toes.) Outside of the restaurant in

the communities we are so privileged to share a role in. All of our

Bloomington, Kowalski’s is the only place where you can find bread

stores budget to donate to local schools, churches and kids’ sports

by Ciao Bella.

teams. We donate millions of pounds of groceries to schools as

“We simply fell in love with the traviata bread served by Ciao

well as food banks, women’s shelters, and other important causes.

Bella,” said Kris. “It’s light and chewy on the inside, with a perfectly

Kowalski’s also organizes an annual kids’ golf tournament to raise

thin, crunchy crust. We knew we had to get it into our stores, so we

money for organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs of America

partnered with the owner to create a recipe that would offer as close

and Sharing & Caring Hands.

an experience to dining at his restaurant as possible. “We take just as much care to provide excellent service. We achieve

“You’re only as strong as the community that surrounds you. Kowalski’s is proud to work to everyone’s benefit, however we can.”

that by hiring gifted, passionate people, and then letting them fully realize

Eden Prairie’s neighborhood market offers far more than simple

their talents without micromanagement. It amazes me that Kowalski’s

groceries. Stop by to pick up lunch or dinner courtesy of their wing

now has 1,700 employees, yet each store still feels so personal and cozy.

bar, pasta bar, or hibachi bar where everything is made fresh to order.

Much of that comes from our employees’ habit of recommending their

You might as well let yourself succumb to their serviced pastry case,

friends and family for jobs with us. We have a genuine spirit of commu-

too. No one can resist the allure of a fluffy cheese Danish.

nity which I believe larger chains would have trouble recreating. “In the year 2000 Kowalski’s became a civic business based on a set of certain, fundamental principles. We cherish the notion that 22

Eden Prairie Lifestyle | December 2020

Kowalski’s is open 6am to 10pm every day at 16500 West 78th Street. You may also order home delivery or curbside pickup online at kowalskis.com.

DRIVER’S NOTEBOOK

B e au t y & The B e as t MEET THE RANGE ROVER VS. THE DEFENDER

B e au t y RANGE ROVER A truly First Class travel experience, combing a refined and luxuriously appointed interior with the ability to dominate any terrain. Enjoy effortless power in all conditions with up to 557 Horsepower and class-exclusive Adaptive Dynamics ensuring a smooth ride over the most rugged of terrain. Relax with available “Hot-Stone” massage, Ambient Lighting and immersive sounds from the optional 1,800 watt, 29 speaker surround sound system. With air suspension as standard and all aluminum architecture, ARTICLE KASSI MIRANOWSKI

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Eden Prairie Lifestyle | December 2020

Beast

aluminum frame is 10 times stiffer than any other frame to come from Land Rover, and becomes unstoppable with class-leading

THE DEFENDER

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The return of an Icon from our roots, the

go-anywhere,

do-anything,

Motor

Rugged, yet refined, The Defender employs class exclusive air suspension that travels

Trend 2021 SUV of the year: The Defender. over 5 inches and a wading depth of up to Recalling design cues like the

‘Alpine

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Lights’, floating dashboard, barn-door rear

and with that comes our ‘Command Seating

tailgate and high mounted stop lamps, the

Position’, optional refined soft-grain leather

Defender has been reimagined to con-

and open-pore wood trims with heated and

quer road and trail. Defender’s rugged, all

cooled seating for up to seven. CityLifestyle.com/EdenPrairie

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Information Office: (Next to Punch Pizza) 8353 Crystal View Road Suite 203 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 952-942-2155

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OUR TOWN

E d e n Pr a i r i e R e a l E s tat e E x pe r t s S pe a k !

ARTICLE DAVID SCHELLER

WITH HELGESON/PLATZKE REAL ESTATE GROUP & WOODDALE BUILDERS

Ryan Platzke

RYAN PLATZKE HELGESON/PLATZKE REAL ESTATE GROUP hprealestategroup.com “Here’s the Eden Prairie real estate market right now: If you’re a seller, and your home is under $600 thousand, then we’re going to sell that property quickly, with multiple offers, and for three to four percent above market value. “We start to see a slowdown around the $800 thousand mark. At that price point buyers are looking for nicer amenities and within specific neighborhoods, so the presentation has to be perfect. “At the $1 million mark, that’s where homes start sitting on the market for upwards of six months. There’s a lot more inventory in that price range than there is demand for it, so when buyers are spending that much they can afford to get really selective – or simply decide to build a new house. “COVID put a damper on the national real estate market, and Eden Prairie certainly wasn’t exempt. I personally have 38 clients who had planned on selling in the spring, but decided to put it off because they didn’t want the possibility of people tracking the disease into their homes during showings. Still, as 2020 wore on, we saw an increasing number of people willing to sell. “2020 impacted the Twin Cities real estate market in another major way: the protests. Because of them we’re seeing more and more people moving from downtown into suburban communities like Eden Prairie. Zillow showed an eight percent decrease in Minneapolis home sales throughout September alone. “During the fall we saw the cooling effect of COVID wearing off at the same time that demand increased as the result of civil unrest. In just the past two months showings for our inventory have increased by 30 percent as compared to last year. October’s traffic looked every bit as busy as a spring month’s. “Assuming that COVID goes away and depending on how the election went, I’m anticipating a strong market as sellers become increasingly confident in 2021. And Eden Prairie isn’t just going to benefit from larger trends. Our close proximity to the cities and the airport has always made Eden Prairie’s homes desirable. Our schools are second to none, the construction of the Light Rail has made commuting here even easier, two new hotels were just built, and the growth of the Eden Prairie Center has created a good buzz as well. “Eden Prairie is going to stay a nice little city for a realtor like me to work in.”

Eden Prairie Lifestyle | December 2020

STEVE SCHWIETERS WOODDALE BUILDERS wooddalebuilders.com “Eden Prairie has remained a growing community since the 1980s, and Wooddale Builders was hugely active throughout much of that development – especially in the Bear Path, Entrevaux, Riley Creek, Settlers Ridge and Sonoma Ridge neighborhoods. “We’ve found that ‘empty nesters’ who are relocating want light, open spaces with sweeping views that bring nature into their homes. In the past two years we have introduced some smaller developments that will offer the empty nester homes which are so greatly needed in the community. Stable Path townhomes will go for up to $700 thousand, while the upscale villas of Highland Oaks will go for $1 to $1.5 million. For the most part developments like those are representative of any new construction that is going on in Eden Prairie. “But there’s really not a lot of land left in Eden Prairie in 2020. Because of that, most of our business here has been remodeling the homes built in the 1990s and 2000s.

Steve Schwieters

“All the way through the ‘90s, homeowners wanted oak and cherry wood everywhere, paneled cabinet doors, and crown molding with ornate designs such as leaves or eggand-dart. Today’s trends are moving away from heavy, muted colors like tobacco and amber. Light and clean have come into style, and if there’s any ornamentation at all it’s only minimal. Oak, interestingly enough, has remained popular for flooring. “Millennials are especially fond of transitional style, which to them means mid-century modern or farmhouse aesthetics. That’s why we’re seeing a lot of reclaimed beams, rough sawn lumber, and stone going into both new construction and current remodels. Industrial accents with brushed steel and exposed brick are in high demand now as well. And when they do build new homes, millennials are choosing to include more rooms dedicated to their children – not just bedrooms and bathrooms, but also lounges, homework spaces and sports courts. “A lot of the millennials’ parents are content to keep their homes the way they are, but just as many are embracing modern trends – or at least aware that if they ever want to sell, they’re going to need a remodel that covers more than paint and carpeting. We just brought a 6,200 square foot home on the River Bluffs into the new millennium by gutting all three of its floors right down to the sheetrock, and it’s the third remodel of that scope we’ve done this year. “I believe the light and clean styles of 2020 will age a lot better than so many heavy wooden accents of the past decades. Then again, who’s to say what 2040 will bring?” CityLifestyle.com/EdenPrairie

Eden Prairie Lifestyle | December 2020

CityLifestyle.com/EdenPrairie

LOCAL LIMELIGHT

ARTICLE DAVID SCHELLER | PHOTOGRAPHY FEATHER MEDIA

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LEARN WING CHUN KUNG FU FROM A HALL OF FAME GRANDMASTER

G ra

G r a n d m as t e r s Wing Chun Kung Fu

Swif

You have already witnessed Wing Chun’s surgical efficiency in action if you have ever watched a Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan movie. Ip Man, Wing Chun’s most famous master, was memorialized in the fourth movie bearing his name just last year. (Though great fun, the Ip Man movies are somewhat embellished. The grandmaster did not in fact fight Mike Tyson, for instance.) True Wing Chun Kung Fu grandmasters are something of a rarity in this country. Eden Prairie, as is so often the case, is exceptional, for it is here that Grandmaster Steve Lee Swift has set up shop. The silver fox has devoted the past 50 years of his life to mastering every

ACCORDING TO CHINESE FOLKLORE, NG MUI WAS ONE

subtle hand motion, every sweeping leg movement, and every intri-

OF THE LEGENDARY FIVE ELDERS TO HAVE SURVIVED THE

cacy of balance that true Wing Chun calls for. Grandmaster Swift

DESTRUCTION OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE IN THE 15TH CEN-

was personally trained by Ip Man’s sons, placing him in the same

TURY. Though ousted, the Shaolin nun continued teaching kung fu

martial arts lineage as Bruce Lee himself.

to subjects she deemed worthy of her art.

Grandmaster Swift possesses a burning passion for Wing

During her exile Mui encountered Yim Wing Chun. Mui sympa-

Chun, yet he does not convey it with even a modicum of arro-

thized with the young girl who was being bullied into marriage by

gance. It is simply the man’s great joy to pass down his ancient

some unsavory bandit, so she taught Wing Chun a new martial

technique to all who have him as their teacher. Sure, some of

art – one which implemented the Shaolin school’s most efficient

Grandmaster Swift’s students are hardened combat veterans

techniques, but didn’t require overwhelming strength or years of

who could already eat a bowl of nails for breakfast before they

intense training.

had ever heard of Wing Chun. But he has also taught countless

Precisely how the ruffian lost interest in the girl is not preserved by legend, although a broken nose very likely did the trick.

children, seniors, and people with disabilities how to capably defend themselves.

The style of fighting named after Wing Chun proved effective at

Go and meet with Grandmaster Swift at Grandmasters Wing

dealing with far greater threats than unwanted advances. Over the

Chun Kung Fu. You will appreciate that his enthusiasm is just

course of the past 500 years it has been refined into a compre-

as rare as the martial art he teaches, and you will want to train

hensive system of self-defense, emphasizing reflexive blocking and

at his side.

rapid, direct blows to a threat’s most sensitive vital areas. Without exaggeration, a practitioner of Wing Chun delivers attacks like a

6566 Edenvale Blvd, Eden Prairie

belt-fed weapon.

grandmasterswingchun.com

Eden Prairie Lifestyle | December 2020