If you follow news of food happenings in the Upper Peninsula, you’re bound to see Alex Palzewicz’ name pop up. Chef and Kitchen Manager of Northwoods Test Kitchen in Marquette, Alex is also a Taste the Local Difference ‘alum’ that we love to cheer on! We caught up with her to talk about her journey in food, and what’s new with Northwoods Test Kitchen.
TLD: What originally drew you to the food space?
Alex Palzewicz: My gravitation to food and the food system was a slow roll. I didn’t grow up on a traditional farm, but as a kid I was in 4-H and raised market hogs and lambs that I sold at the Upper Peninsula State Fair for over 10 years. I also raised rabbits, chickens and goats. At a young age I was exposed to raising livestock, understanding market and breakeven prices and most importantly learning what work went into raising an animal for food. On top of that I had the opportunity to see chickens, rabbits and deer processed for consumption that went straight into our freezer.
My first job was an ice cream scooper at Four Seasons Island Resort on Miscauno Island (located on the Menominee River that separates the UP from Wisconsin). I worked there on and off for 7 years. While working there I began college and never felt right in any major I choose. Then someone suggested I try out hospitality since I loved my job at the resort. I ended up enrolling in Northern Michigan University in the Food Service and Hospitality Leadership Program. That was the first time I got to work in the kitchen as we had to take culinary classes, before that I had always been front of house. It took about a week for the scary stainless steel environment full of large equipment to become my new favorite place to be – since then I’ve focused on cooking and food systems work.
I spent some time after college working in a few kitchens in Seattle, soaking up all I could and I returned home after that thinking I’d end up in a new location – but before I knew it, I fell in love with my original home here in the Upper Peninsula. Since college, I had gained a curiosity around the food system, how it operated, and realized that local food was something I was passionate about, which led me to my job at Taste the Local Difference. My time working for TLD as the UP Local Food Coordinator only cemented that passion, along with allowing me to build an incredible network along the way.
What have been some of the biggest learning moments in your journey as a chef?
AP: Balance: Most recently, I learned the impacts of burnout. I’ve been going hard since we’ve opened, and we have a small crew (usually myself, one other full time and 1 – 2 part time folks). For a while we were running a huge menu in the Barrel + Beam Taproom, did baking for wholesale accounts, catered events and did the farmers market. I was working way to much, by my own choice, because long work days are what I saw as an industry norm. But last spring, I really hit my limit – my dedication to the kitchen was affecting my mental and physical health, and even worse, I didn’t enjoy being in the kitchen anymore, which trickled down to my staff. To be honest, I was really close to stepping away – I just didn’t think I had what it took. Luckily, I have an incredible community of industry professionals, friends and co-workers that I decided to open up to, and who supported me beyond what I every could have imagined. I stopped saying yes to everything, and did some heavy work to cut back and reassess our priorities – basically applying lean practices to our operation (and my life.) Working to create balance is still something I’m actively doing daily – but I am happy to report my passion is back, I love being in my kitchen again and most importantly so does my staff who are more inspired than ever.
I think beyond that, I learned the principles of flavor and taste – another form of balance! I’m pretty terrible at using recipes, I often cook with my gut but I always use my taste buds to finish the dish, adding sweet, salt, acid, spice, sour/funk and Umami to create a complex and delicious end product.
What keeps you in the food industry today?
AP: My co-workers and community are the biggest things. I love supporting the work of my staff as they gravitate towards things that inspire them, on top of that I am active on my local food council, a member of our local culinary group and constantly look for ways to engage with up and coming culinary students be they a part of the NMU program or still in high school. My farmers are also my friends, so I want to be successful to help them too. If you work in the food industry (although not my favorite word for it), you know the family ties that come with being in these jobs.
The other reason is because I feel like having my hands engaged in food allows me to make a difference in a heavy world. Food is such an intimate piece of who we are: nourishment, health, comfort, tradition, culture, sustenance – I just want to provide good tasting food that is accessible and good for our environment – no easy task, but I guess food just feels like the way I can make some sort of difference in my time on earth, so here I am trying.
What do you recommend for someone wanting to pursue a career in the restaurant world?
AP: Reconsider. I’m absolutely kidding, but to be honest, I hate to refer to us as a restaurant, probably one of the reasons I gravitated toward the name ’Test Kitchen’ – I didn’t want folks to come in expecting a normal dining experience. Don’t get me wrong, I love going out to eat at restaurants so damn much, they are a place of community, celebration and so much more – but I think I’m just unsure of how efficient and sustainable they are, as well as how accessible they are to our communities as a whole. But that being said, so many incredible restaurants out there are deviating from norms, and finding ways to create a better way to operate – including fair wages, local sourcing, reducing waste and so much more! I absolutely love love the restaurant industry and although I hope expectations around it continue to change, I hope I work in this field for as long as my body will allow.
Also consider some education, there are lots of great options around the state, like my alma mater, Northern Michigan University, as well as others like Les Cheneaux Culinary School, the programs at Kalamazoo Community College and so much more!
Push yourself and never be afraid to apply. I remember applying for a job at a place in Seattle that had just been voted Restaurant of the Year by Seattle Met – I applied, and didn’t get hired (I don’t blame them, I was green and my knife skills sucked.) But a week later, someone hurt themselves, so they called me in. I kept my head down for the first 3 months and worked my ass off. By the time I left that job a year later, I had worked every position in the kitchen besides Sous or Pastry Chef and had gained the respect of my peers. I had no idea what I had been capable of, and am so glad I tried and applied.
Tell us more about Northwoods Test Kitchen! What should folks know when they come to visit?
AP: Know we are in a transition, really diving into some changes after the new year.
We will always have snacks available in the Barrel + Beam Taproom (spent grain crackers featuring B+B grain left over from brewing and NW MI flour from Loma Farm), our beet black bean dip, mushroom pate, quick pickled eggs (pickled in barrel aged B+B beer vinegar) and soon to add a pretzel with housemate mustard and beer cheese. We also source some heat and serve locally made items from friends at Smelted Pizza and will be adding Irontown Pasties from Negaunee after the New Year. They’ll be making us a custom mini pasty that features B+B beer.
To get a true taste of what we do here, we recommend you watch our social media to attend our pop up events like Ramen Nights (happening almost every Thursday staring in 2025), pop up taco bars, themed dinners and more. We also plan to roll out an option for folks to book small private meals ahead of time for 8 – 12 people. Lastly we always offer on or offsite catering for groups up to 50 (or more, if it’s just appetizers).
Behind the scenes, our kitchen is home to 3 kitchen renters (Botanica Quetzalli, Moonlight Meadows and Bad Seed Hot Sauce). All Rolled Up Food Truck (not open during the winter) parks along side our building and uses some of our infrastructure and their food is incredible. Find them at other breweries and events around the UP.
Behind our own scenes, we bake vegan and gluten-free items that are served at the Crib and Provisions in Marquette. And lastly, but my favorite of all, is that we have just begun exploring local vegetable processing for school food service. We’ve been cleaning, par cooking, cooling/freezing and vacuum sealing potatoes (grown locally or even by the students themselves) for Negaunee and Ishpeming school district to serve in their cafeteria. This work is funded through grants and partnerships.
What does ‘local’ look like at Northwoods Test Kitchen?
AP: Local is the main goal here, and we do all we can to source local. We use percentages of local NW MI flour in crackers and the ramen noodles we make, as well Michigan grown dry beans, cheeses from Michigan and Northern Wisconsin, milk from a local dairy and then I have relationships with meat and vegetable producers in the greater Marquette/UP area. Depending on the time of year we are around 60-75% local in what we serve, and now that we’ve transitioned away from a large menu in the taproom, I think that will only increase as our pop up events and catering are what truly allow us to buy the most local products. Our ramen night is my favorite example how local and how it looks for us. We call it Farmhouse Style Ramen: pork bones from Case Country Farm, mushrooms from MycoNaut, eggs from Cloverland Farm, produce from folks at farms like Seeds & Spores, Full Plate, Little Parsley and so many more. Like I said, the noodles also have percentage of local flour, and so on. It’s my favorite way to give folks a taste of the region and the food it has to offer as well as honor to use all the great knowledge I’ve been provided by teachers along the way. Shout out to Chong of OOINK in Seattle for teaching me everything I know about ramen!
We recommend following Northwoods Test Kitchen on social media, or stopping in for a bite at the Barrel + Beam Taproom for a truly local experience!