There’s a new restaurant and catering operation called Station 81 Drink & Eatery in the Union Depot in St. Paul. We check in with Aaron Palm, CFO of the nonprofit Appetite for Change which runs the restaurant, about Station 81 as well as the organization that aims to promote health, food education, jobs, youth empowerment and social change among many things. Palm also talks about how he got his start in the business and more.
Aaron Palm of Appetite for Change’s Station 81 Drink & Eatery inside the Union Depot in St. Paul, Feb. 13, 2020. (Nancy Ngo / Pioneer Press)
What was your fondest childhood food memory? My first food love would be French onion soup. When I was a kid, I first had it when my family was on vacation in Door County. I thought it was the greatest dish I had ever had and I had to talk to the chef about it because I was so impressed. I think it gave my parents a good chuckle.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Probably a historian or a naturalist, or something along those lines. I love reading and learning about things. And I love the outdoors.
How did you get into the industry? I think like many people, I sort of fell into it. In college, I went to school to be a musician and I was bartending and serving during this time. Things started to take a hard turn toward the industry. When I was serving, I was always keenly interested in learning about the food and wine and how different things paired together brilliantly.
How did your involvement in Appetite for Change come about? Appetite for Change has a social enterprise called Breaking Bread Cafe in north Minneapolis. My wife knew the executive director and they were looking for some supporting operations and she asked if I would be able to show up and give them my thoughts. This was in 2017 and at the time I was the director of venues at Crave restaurants (Kaskaid Hospitality). I was happy to do some consulting and ended up meeting with Appetite for Change executive director Michelle Horovitz. After we had a conversation, the truth was that it would be easier if I just joined the staff. I quickly realized how much I loved Appetite for Change and Breaking Bread and the sense of community that they had built. I found the nonprofit world rewarding and couldn’t deny how it made me feel. I officially joined the staff in March of 2018. I’m currently the chief finance and strategy officer. I oversee all of our chief finances, budgets and projections. But primarily day to day I work with our restaurants, retail and catering operations.
Station 81 Drink & Eatery in the Union Depot in St. Paul. (Nancy Ngo / Pioneer Press)
In addition to the restaurants, what other things does Appetite for Change do that others might not know about? In addition to our restaurants, retail and catering operations, we’re doing things like Kindred Kitchen where when we’re not utilizing our Breaking Bread space, we rent it out as a commercial kitchen. We want to be an active partner and our staff is here to help with how to use equipment and give culinary advice if they ask for it. We can give them technical assistance such as how to become an LLC/open a personal business, comprehensive food costs, things like that. We try to be good community partners. We want to support young burgeoning businesses in the food industry.
How did Station 81 Drink & Eatery come about? After Ramsey County underwent a huge renovation at the Union Depot, Kaskaid Hospitality and Crave catering ran the food operations. What everyone was finding was that it wasn’t a natural pairing as far as style of operation and price point. The county was looking for government groups working on a more restrained budget and budgets that appealed to a wider audience. One day I was talking to Kam, one of the Kaskaid Hospitality owners who I used to work for, and he said your organization would be great, I wish you could run it. And it was at a time when our production needs were already scaling and we were trying to figure out how to grow our catering operation with limited kitchen space. We asked the county if there was a way for Appetite for Change to sublease the Union Depot space. We officially opened on Dec. 6, 2019.
Our intent is to be accessible for both residents and employees that work in St. Paul. We want to provide you with quality, top notch food at a price that allows you to come here everyday. We just want to be approachable and accessible to all.
What’s your favorite dish on your menu? It’s going to sound crazy but the Brussels sprouts tacos are absolutely the best thing. I like that I can eat vegetables and still feel satisfied, that there’s just enough umami and richness in them. I like the acidity in them from the pickled onions and the fattier part from the gouda cheese. And the texture with the crispy leaf on the outside is great.
Where’s the last place you ate out at? When I was on vacation in Texas, I ate at Marufuku Ramen. They just opened in Frisco, Tex., their first place outside of the San Francisco Bay Area. It happens to be my favorite ramen so it worked out well that I was in Texas at the time. I don’t know how they make their broth, but I’ve never had such a delicious ramen base in my life.
If you could only eat or drink five things for the rest of your life, what would they be? French onion soup — my 9-year-old self is still enjoying that. I love a great hamburger. Tuna poke. Chilled tropical iced tea. A banh mi sandwich.
What’s next? We’re gearing up for the catering and wedding season. The amount of catering we’re doing is probably going to triple from last year. As soon as warm weather hits, our business exponentially grows. Also, I think we will probably be making some aesthetic upgrades to the space. We’re looking for a way to make it more intimate and engaging. Details to come soon.