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Niver Niver Land
PRESENTED BY LAND O LAKES FOODSERVICE
Welcome to Niver Niver Land: a podcast that addresses massive change in the restaurant industry. The show is hosted by award-winning restaurateur Tim Niver – a local legend of Minnesota's Twin Cities – known for his involvement with fabled spots like Aquavit, Town Talk Diner, Saint Dinette, and Strip Club Meat & Fish. Today, he runs Mucci's Italian in St. Paul. Tim sees a major problem with industry dialogue: nobody is having realistic conversations about the ongoing, unprecedented change. Many of those who work in the industry are still trying to wrap their heads around what has happened over the last two years. Today, Tim is ready to talk about these things – through his trademark wit and foolishness – so that we can better appreciate and preserve the cultural importance of restaurants.
Niver Niver Land
Ed Porter: On The Art of Cooking and Rapping and Being Human
Ed Porter is a creative storyteller who moves fluidly between the worlds of food, music, and media.
Born in Mount Vernon and raised in The Bronx, Ed’s journey took him from the kitchens of acclaimed restaurants like Aquavit, Café Beulah, and Sweet Ophelia’s to the screen, where he appeared on Guy’s Grocery Games (Food Network) and Netflix’s Pressure Cooker.
He trained at the Culinary Institute of America, but his foundation was built earlier: in music. That early passion still informs his perspective on the world. For Ed, creativity is a language that transcends medium—and storytelling is the vehicle.
In this episode, we talk about:
– the parallels between food and music
– the limits of traditional fine dining
– how he embraces the modern concept of "personal brand"
– and why he’s more interested in storytelling than prestige
It’s a conversation that sits at the intersection of flavor, feeling, and philosophy.