Did you know that the word "yeast" originates from the Old English word, gist; gyst? A culinary wonder that brings us so many fulfilling foods and drinks… and the perfect name for a fermentation bar!
At GYST you will find artisanal cheese plates, craft beer and wine, mouthwatering sandwiches, pickle plates, charcuterie, yogurt creations, chocolate, and coffee, as well as other specialty fermented products. Our goal is to give people a sense of where these products come from while "creating community through food” (Sam Mogannam of Bi-Rite Market in San Francisco).
What to Expect at GYST?
Love cheese. At GYST you will find small-produced, artisanal cheese that we feature in three different rotating boards, a GYSTable (think bento box meets lunchables) and a Mother board (includes the whole shabang)! Or, we are happy to cut you a wedge(s) of cheese to go.
Enjoy authentic wine. At GYST you will find wine produced with integrity, little intervention and a sense of place. These wines, be they "natural," biodynamic, ultra-traditional and/or organic will all tell the tale of a place and leave you with a feeling of endearment toward a wine you most likely have never heard of before.
Drink great beer. GYST is your Cheers. Frothing on taps and in bottles, we will have a varied yet focused selection, constantly changing with emphasis on seasonal brews, special creations and tried and true favorites.
Attend a tasting, class or event. We will be teaching, as well as coordinating, a number of tastings and classes that expand, excite and educate your palate. Come and learn from us, as well as visiting chefs, cheesemakers, winemakers, chocolatiers, coffee roasters and food-book authors, for an unforgettable experience in a small and intimate setting.
Why Do We Need the Money?
Ideas for GYST Fermentations have been, well, fermenting, for years. Recently, we found a space in the Eat Street area of Minneapolis but in a very old building that has not been updated – until now. The new owner of the building is transforming it – its big, its bold, its red!
Together we are working hard to revitalize this space, but as you all know, it is costly. The owner has put in a lot of structural work, a new HVAC system and brand new solar panels for energy efficiency. We are committed to green standards at GYST.
We are putting in everything we've got to bring this space up to code for City and ADA requirements by building two new accessible bathrooms, as well as an accessible ramp outside. We are renovating the interior, and building a cozy kitchen to highlight amazing, fermented wonders/goods/creations.
We've got almost all of this covered but we cannot do it alone. GYST is about YOU and together, we will create an even more dynamic food and drink scene in Minneapolis. Your donations will bring GYST to life in every sense. Our $40,000 goal will help complete the kitchen, food counter, and the tiniest details that go into building a dynamic and comfortable space. (Thank you to our design team for all your great ideas!) Anything above our goal, will support efforts to develop community-focused classes and events.
Thank You. At the end of the day, ideas for GYST have been inspired by our family, friends, and colleagues. We could not be doing this without each and every one of you. We THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts to be able to create such a place in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Who Are We?
We are Ky, Mel and Jill. We love traveling, Spaceballs the movie and most importantly, we love creating unforgettable experiences surrounding fermented foods & drinks...In fact, we have all been working with products of fermentation in one way or another for many years...
Mel (mustache #1 going from left to right) has exceptional wine and restaurateur experience! She is a certified Sommelier through the International Sommelier Guild (ISG) in San Francisco and helped open two new restaurants (Delfina Pizzeria in San Francisco and Broders' Terzo Vino Bar in Minneapolis). She also helped open Winery SF - an urban winery and events center on Treasure Island and was co-wine buyer for Bi-Rite Market.
Jill (mustache #2, in the middle) has worked in almost every facet of the wine business; from importing and distribution to assistant winemaking in places like New Zealand, Spain and Oregon. While traveling to wine growing areas such as South Africa, Italy, Croatia, France, etc., Jill became a certified sommelier through the International Sommelier Guild and moved to Chicago to work as a wine buyer for both on and off-premise establishments. She has been teaching the third and final, diploma level course for the International Sommelier Guild for the past five years.
Ky (mustache #3 pictured on the right) has been studying social entrepreneurship and the art of storytelling, while eating and drinking all products of fermentation along the way! She has an MA degree and was lucky enough to receive a Fulbright Scholarship to Brazil, where she formally studied how gender inequalities affect health, and informally, Brazilian cheese. Her experiences working at Bi-Rite Market and interning at 18 Reasons in San Francisco are what moved her to turn her passion of cheese into a profession.
Risks and challenges
As a backer of this Kickstarter, you should be aware that we are a start-up with all of the same challenges and obstacles that any start-up may have to overcome. We are prepared for these - our team is savvy with a lot of experience.
Also, the corner of 26th and 1st is awesome - walkable to MCAD, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Stevens Square park, not to mention all the other wonderful bars, restaurants and businesses that make up Eat Street. However, as mentioned above, this building is old and is a change of space, which means we have a lot of work to do to bring it up to code and make it GYST right. After much thought and strategy, we decided to go for it because GYST is about community. It will take all of us to build it but the rewards will keep coming for years and years.
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Funding period
- (30 days)