Chef Lenny Russo and his wife Mega Hoehn opened Heartland: A Contemporary Midwestern Restaurant in October 2002. Before opening the restaurant, Chef Russo spent four and a half years as Executive Chef of W.A. Frost & Company in St. Paul's Cathedral Hill neighborhood, and over the last 30 years he has held numerous positions including Corporate Chef of U.S. Restaurants and Corporate Chef of Aveda Corporation as well as Store Manager/Chef of Blackberry Creek Market, General Manager/Chef of the New French Café, Food and Beverage Director/Chef of the Loring Café and Executive Chef of Faegre's, all in Minneapolis.  In March, 2006, Chef Russo was contracted by Bon Appetit Management Company to helm the kitchens of the restaurants in the new Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.  After a successful opening there during which Cue at the Guthrie was named "Best New Restaurant" by Minneapoils-St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Monthly, Chef Russo returned full time to Heartland in February, 2007.  In March, 2007, he was named "Restaurateur of the Year" by Minneapoils-St. Paul Magazine honoring his work at both Heartland and the Guthrie. Mega Hoehn has held numerous service positions over the past seventeen years including Beverage Director/Bar Manager for the New French Café and Beverage Director/Dining Room Manager for the Whitney Hotel.  Ms. Hoehn is Heartland's Service Manager and Sommelier as well as co-owner with her husband and partner Chef Lenny Russo. Chef de Cuisine Robert Moore, who assumed the reins of the Heartland's kitchen during Chef Russo's absence between March, 2006 and March, 2007, spent six years at nationally acclaimed Goodfellows in Minneapolis where he rose to the position of Executive Sous Chef.  Chef Moore is a graduate of the Western Culinary Institute.  He and Executive Chef lenny Russo are very ably assisted in the kitchen by Sous Chef Stephanie Kochlin.  Chef Kochlin began her career at Roy's Nicolina in Maui, Hawaii.  She is a member of Heartland's opening culinary team, and she is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu.   Pastry Chef Jack Fulton joined Heartland full time in July, 2005, after relocating to the Twin Cities from Seattle, Washington.  Before that, Chef Fulton worked for fourteen years as a pastry chef in numerous restaurants in and around Boston, Massachusetts.      The restaurant concept features North American Midwest regional cuisine that employs indigenous and cultivated ingredients from the American and Canadian Midwest to create a nightly changing menu featuring two degustations along with à la carte selections. All pastries and breads are prepared daily in the restaurant's pastry kitchen.  The restaurant has shunned mainline purveyors in favor of small family farmers and artisanal producers to sourceorganically grown and sustainably raised local ingredients. The wine list is international in scope, and represents over 270 labels with strong emphasis on Burgundy, Loire, Alsace and Rhone as well as American Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc   With 50 seats, the restaurant offers an intimate setting and superb service. The decor pays homage to the Arts & Crafts movement of the early Twentieth Century by employing muted tones of blue, cream and gold and natural materials such as wood and slate.   click to enlarge       The service line is located directly on the dining room floor allowing guests to employ all five senses while observing the preparation of their food.  The chefs are readily accessible to the diners, and they are available to meet with the guests. Most recently, Heartland opened an elegant but comfortable wine bar in August, 2005.  The bar offers a similar intimate early to mid-twentieth century decor in tones of beige, copper, green and gold, and features a menu of smaller plates at reduced prices along with a large selection of wines by the glass as well as bottled and tap beers.