Bake 1000 bad loafs
Then you might make a good loaf.
Maybe.
Almost three years ago I wrote an article called Bake It Everyday here on Hipsters of the Coast. It was fueled by the weekend that would be MagicCon Minneapolis, but particularly inspired by a pre-convention dinner with Vorthos Mike and Sam from Rhystic Studies. We ate at Tosca, a small Italian restaurant in Linden Hills, MN, on a warm Spring-ish night. We spoke of life, Magic, and putting in the work to make the wheels move in each of our corners of the multiverse. “Bake It Everyday” came at meal’s end, spoken ever so non-chalant by Chef Adam Vickerman as he stopped at the table before heading down the sidewalk. For the three of us, it was a savory summation of the evening and everything we’d said over the hours prior. Vickerman’s journey in finding the flawless focaccia was no different than what we three were doing: to get good, you need to do the thing, and a lot. Mess it up, do it poorly. But learn. Don’t stop. And then you might get there. Maybe.
Those words have rung in my ears for the last three years. They are a mantra, a motto, and a siren song to keep doing what I was doing then, which has turned into what I’m doing now. It was one of the best and most important meals I’ve ever had.
Hop back three weeks. I’m once again in Minneapolis for the little-convention-that-could called Shoebox. A slightly larger and different crew once again has the opportunity to go to Tosca. Was it just fun with friends those years ago, or does this place truly have magical powers?
Well Donny, you’re writing about it again, so…
This is Bake It Everyday, II.
Shoebox 2026
Magic artist Andrew Mar was invited to Shoebox 2026, Magic’s newest independent convention held in St. Paul, MN earlier this month. I’ve worked events with Andrew since 2022, so of course I was going along. After the second day at the Con it had begun to snow, but a quick Instagram message to the chef reassured us that Tosca was open, and we’d largely have the place to ourselves as the snow continued to fall.
Daniel (of Quest for the Janklord) said his wife would pick us up:
“Guys this is my wife, Kelsey. Kelsey, this is Andrew, he’s a Magic artist, and this is Donny, he’s a Sicko.”
Her eyes rolled so hard I could hear it in the back seat (love you Kelsey). But, she knew what Dan-imal meant, and you can’t beat that.
We rolled from one Twin City to the other and found a spot right out front as the snow fell, inch by inch.
On Nostalgia
The meal began with half the table, as the other van full of friends navigated the snow storm post-Con. To begin, Daniel ordered the Slow Roasted Tomato Sugo àla 1994 Pizza Hut (Pizza Shaker Spice, Parmesan, Fancy EVOO). It’s for the aforementioned focaccia, and yes it does taste exactly how you remember your BookIt! Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pizza tasted in 1994. The chef sent out the Whipped Burrata to go alongside, and if you have the opportunity in the future, order them together. Here is where I would normally put a picture, but it was late, and we were hungry. So let’s flashback instead
Image from Reddit user Otherwise_Basis_6328
The four of us there at the time are right around the same age, and everyone instantaneously had the same recall response. It generated a conversation, memories, and a fondness for the fleeting time growing up in the 1990s. To go to Pizza Hut with your paper slip and get a free pizza, just for you, just for reading, was as good as it got for an eight year old in terms of achievement and accomplishment. And to have that feeling come racing back before the meal truly began is an unparalleled experience. Chef Adam captured lightning in a bottle, or in this case, pizza spice in a shaker.
How often does this happen in Magic too? A card long forgotten shows up at a Commander table, or appears as a pet card in someone’s Cube. You remember 10 years old you casting it on the wooden picnic table at Scout Camp, or using a textbook as a playmat at recess. It generates a conversation, memories, and that same fondness for the ‘good old days’ before you even begin the game. It’s what brings you a couple strangers together
On Brussel Sprouts
As a Millennial I have tried my fair share of brussel sprouts. Their ‘height’ so to speak in the 2010s meant that many restaurants tried something new with the often-maligned vegetable, and in many cases, they were good. Few of them were great. The ones at Tosca are exceptional.
A pile of roasted brussel sprouts on a plate. with a crumb of Feta cheese beside them
Crispy. This is important. Mostarda, which I originally mistook for a kind of Balsamic, but it makes sense that this is one of the key elevations. Blue Cheese to cut the sweetness. And I think chive might be Chef Adam’s secret weapon; it’s everywhere, I don’t know why, and that’s ok. Even after dinner, into the next day, into the next week, these have still come up in conversation. And what do these Brussel Sprouts have to do with Magic?
Nothing actually. But I’m still talking about them. And if that’s not the most Vorthos-adjacent thing you’ve ever heard, well, you best start listening.
On Finding Your People
The Mains at Tosca are a variety of pasta, with the option to add protein. I knew I’d be chasing the high of the Beef Short Rib Tagliatelle (Braised Beef Short Rib Ragù, Soffritto, Chive, Parmesan Reggiano) that I had those years ago, but I was equally enchanted by the White Spaghetti (Parmesan Fonduta, Lemon, Garlic Breadcrumbs, Italian Seasoning, Parmesan Reggiano). When I was surrounded by orders of spaghetti I knew I was safe to stick to my guns because there would be a bite to spare. This was not an assumption; I’d broken bread with these folks many times. Three Sickos, Two Artists, and Two Wives; this was family, and even though everyone had their own, it was Family Style. I think that’s the whole point.
For a key part of the recipe to Bake It Everyday means you must find your people, and these are a few of mine. Magic has introduced me to some of the most wholesome humans on the planet, and as often as it’s thrown around these days, I’m here to tell you it is indeed still The Gathering that’s the best part.*
*the taste is also the best part, but still second to the people
Food Token by Steven Belledin. Traditional.
On Being Sweet
We were too full for dessert. Physically, emotionally, all of it. It was snowing like a banshee outside, and the table was full of food to be boxed up. But when one person in the party ordered the Tiramisu (Candied Croissant, Mascarpone, Coffee Soak, Italian Ladyfingers, Cocoa Powder), moments later three appeared, enough for everyone to have some, no matter how stuffed you were.
It was, in a word, a delight. I had but a few bites and I’m glad I did. Because it’s not so much the dessert but the thought of it, wanting to make sure everyone had the opportunity of this culinary nightcap, even if we didn’t think we needed it. A gesture of kindness not needed but certainly not unnoticed, and absolutely not forgotten.
It’s a reminder that these small acts in all things; food, life, and Magic, mean the most of all.
Wrapping Up
It’s hard to not get romantic about food, and it’s hard to not get romantic about Magic. In the age of MagicCons, many of us are fortunate to revel in The Gathering at these sort of events, and I find myself incredibly privileged to be able to attend as many things as I do, and experience places like these.
Bake It Everyday is how I exist in this niche of Magic, and that revelation three years ago was the reinforcement of a roadmap I didn’t even know I was following, but follow to this day. It was inspiration handed out by the truly inspired; a chef who forged that formula in stainless steel, spaghetti, and sugo. I will never forget my meals here, no matter how many times I’m able to go back.
I’ll end today with the same charge as I gave in that first article, updated ever so slightly:
Do the very best at whatever it is you want to do, and do not give up. Don’t get discouraged when the first, or second, or tenth, or hundredth thing you do still isn’t what you’d like it to be. It will be someday. Be thankful that no one read the first couple articles, or watched the first few videos, or looked at the first page of the sketchbook. It’s probably not great, but you needed the experience; I know I did. Never let anyone stifle your creativity, and find your people; you’ll know it when you’re at the right table. Bake It Everyday.
Donny Caltrider (he/him) has been writing about Magic: The Gathering art since 2018. He has an M.A. in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University, and works in varying capacities as an agent with nearly 50 Magic artists.
He likes baseball, Magic, good cards, great art, whiskey, and you.