New Minneapolis restaurant Square Roots aims to help Longfellow neighborhood thrive

There's an ambitious new restaurant with a refreshing mission in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Square Roots is planted in an area that's still finding its footing after the unrest of 2020. The new spot hopes to be part of the solution.

The restaurant's kitchen is whipping up impressive fine dining.

"We call this Afro Creole Southern cuisine," said Jared Brewington, founder of Square Roots.

The business is on the corner of East Lake Street and 27th Avenue South inside the historic Coliseum building from the early 1900s. The building itself has character. Brewington says the neighborhood around it is still healing.

"This building was on the same street, I'm pointing to only 50 yards away, to where some of the fiery aftermath of George Floyd's murder occurred," said Brewington. "Minneapolis as a whole has been on the rebound from COVID and the social implications of the murder of George Floyd that turned into financial implications for businesses that reside in those neighborhoods."

Now, he's using his nonprofit restaurant industry experience to be part of the solution.

"What is the solve for that? I believe to love, and heal and live continually, and there has to be some economic activity for a neighborhood to have vibrance and vitality," said Brewington.

You'll find that vibrance on the menu and in the beautiful dining room. But you'll also likely notice the value.

"The star of our show, this wagyu bone and short rib is our number one seller. It is $22," said Brewington. "We're decoupling food excellence from price. We want this style of food accessible to the community we exist in, and in fine dining, they're priced out of it for the most part."

They also want it to be a convenient stop.

"The lunch aspect, we want something quick. We want something fast. We're in an office building, but we're also in a busy neighborhood on Lake Street, where you can pull over and have a quick, double wagyu burger for $13 that includes fries or our soup du jour," said Brewington. "We took the profit mission out of our mission."

On top of that value to the customer, there's also a mission behind the scenes.

"We are training the next generation of line cooks," said Brewington.

They're about to launch a six-month paid residency program for 13 young people ages 18 to 24, where they'll learn the ropes of the industry and build out their networks with leading guest chefs dropping in to help train them.

"We want that experience to be connected to the mission and that you love the mission so you want to support us, because every diner is a donor by way of what we're offering philanthropically, which is accessible high-quality food in this in this Longfellow neighborhood," said Brewington.

He's far from alone. The board includes people like former Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo, the CFO for the Minnesota Twins, and the former CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council.

It takes a touch of love, a dash of creative ideas and a lot of hard work, but in the end, it adds up to a delicious addition to a neighborhood it hopes to give back to.

"It's a labor I love and a lifestyle that I chose," said Brewington. "If love were to build something with financial and economic implications, I think it could look something like this."

They now have their liquor license and a full cocktail menu offering a night out on a budget.

If you're interested in being part of the cohort, they are still looking for interest. They're also still looking for corporate partners to support the workforce development aspect of their mission.