Kim Bartmann

Kim attended the University of Minnesota for way too long, and then opened Café Wyrd on Lake & Irving in Uptown in 1991 after having vowed to never work in a restaurant again. She still has yet had to don a cook’s uniform, so it’s sort of working out. She has re-imagined spaces in ‘difficult’ neighborhoods since 1991. Her commitment to community and the arts is manifest in Bryant Lake Bowl & Theater, opened in 1993. As an extension of her restaurants’ focus on local buying and sustainability, she opened Minnesota’s first LEED-CI certified restaurant, Red Stag Supperclub, in 2007. Her 7th and most recent project, Tiny Diner, takes these values further. The diner is producing energy with a patio/solar array and showcasing biointensive urban farming methods and efficient water use strategies through its edible gardens, pollinator habitats, and rainwater catchment systems. From its hardscape to its landscape, the Diner was designed to provide a renovated example of whole system design: low impact, educational, and tangibly tasty.

Tiny Diner: A Small Business Revolution Mini-Documentary from Small Business Revolution on Vimeo.