Minden Food Company turns 10, hires new chef

Maurice “Ben” Larimer was recently named the new executive chef at the Minden Food Company.

Larimer is a graduate of Arizona State University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and an associate’s degree in hotel resort management.

He joins the Minden Food Company after a stint as the executive chef at the Gaia Hotel, Restaurant and Spa, a LEED-certified operation located on the Sacramento River in Redding, Calif.

Larimer brings a significant experience with him.

He has been an executive chef, a training chef and a dietary services director.

He won the Quaker Oats/Top Chef National Quick Fire Challenge on Bravo TV and he finished second in the American Royal Barbecue Sauce Contest in Kansas City in 2004 out of a field of 800 entrants. He also won second place at Sysco’s Iron Chef San Francisco competition.

“We’re really excited to have Ben on board. Our customers are going to see some very significant changes in the coming weeks,” owner Alan Reed said. “Our 10th anniversary is going to be a very exciting time for us. In conjunction with our 10th birthday, we’ll be rolling out new menus for both lunch and dinner.”

The restaurant is adding dinner specials that also include four gourmet burgers with bottomless fries.

“We’ll continue to have our usual outstanding specials,” Reed added. “We’re also adding homemade holiday pies and some new fresh baked desserts. Our lounge is also pretty cool, with two new large screen TVs. Banquets, catering and take out are also available.”

They are also expanding their operation to include breakfast 6:30-10:30 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

“That’ll have a nice homespun feel to it,” Reed said.

Reed said customers should be looking for the $4.99 breakfast coupon in the coupon book that came out on Sunday.

“Hang on to it,” he said. “It’ll be good through Nov. 30.”

Customers are also invited to bring in their laptops and tap into WiFi. The Minden Food Company is located at 1599 Esmeralda Avenue in Minden.

It was the first home of Warren Reed Insurance from 1952 until 1986. In 2003, the building was torn down and rebuilt from the ground up. The restaurant opened Nov. 3, 2004.