Wow, is it cold up here! My name is Jane and I’m a nurse at a branch of the Mayo Clinic in downtown Minneapolis. I mention the cold because this place is an igloo compared to the other places that my life’s journey has taken me to.
I was born across the Atlantic in Fulham, England, just outside of London. I attented school there, and got my first job working at as athletic trainer for Tottemham Hotspur football club, right out of college. Following that position I traveled over to the United States to attend school at George Mason University to pursue my nursing degree. After my four years there I received my first nursing position right here in Minnesota!
When I first discovered the news I was pretty excited. I had heard that despite the cold weather, people were quite cheerful and kind. I had also heard that this was a wonderful place to raise a family, which was especially convenient considering my husband and I were expecting our first child at the time.
All of those things were true, and we really settled in here nicely. The only problem was eating and drinking. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease at a young age, and finding gluten free food in the London area was quite simple. It wasn’t much more difficult at all in the Eastern United States. Things were a bit more difficult in Minneapolis however.
After some looking and talking to locals I was able to find a fair amount of restaurants with gluten free entrees. Beverages were a different story though. There was practically nowhere where I could go out and enjoy a drink or two on a Friday night in the Twin Cities metro area.
One afternoon I was chatting with a co-worker and they mentioned a place called LakeState Ciders and Brewskis, saying that they offered some gluten free drinks. The following weekend I went with a couple of my friends to check it out.
What I found was absolutely wonderful. Not only did LakeState offer some gluten free drinks, all of their beverages were gluten free! This offered me a lot of reassurance, as I am someone who is heavily effected by cross contamination.
While the drinks and appetizers (which were all gluten free as well) were awesome, I was even more impressed with the lively atmosphere that LakeState had to offer. I was particularly impressed with their live music the night that I was there. As someone who plays the guitar in a local band, it melts my heart to see places like LakeState supporting local artists.
And well the majority of the crowd was young adults, I was impressed by the number of middle-aged adults there too. There were even a few grandparents watching their grandson play high school hockey on TV while sharing some beer and wings!
LakeState is a place that I feel comfortable going to with friends, family, and co-workers because of the creative and festive environment that it offers. If I hadn’t have found LakeState I don’t know what I would’ve done!
LakeState Life 