Conversation on the Creative Economy: Restaurateur Kim Bartmann

Kim Bartmann loves the creativity and energy that come from imagining and opening a restaurant. Her career started with one coffee shop; she now owns numerous Twin Cities restaurants like Barbette and Tiny Diner.

As her business has grown and expanded, so has her activism — from supporting women chefs to embracing sustainability.

Kim Bartmann is CEO of Bartmann Group, where she leads nine different restaurants where employees have access to health care and benefits; food is prepared with ingredients grown on the Bartmann Group organic farm or sourced from local producers and purveyors; spaces are built with an eye toward Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design specifications; and recycling and composting are standard practice.

She is a two-time semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation Restaurateur of the Year award. She was named to the Restaurant News Power List, was a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and was recently selected for Minnesota's 50 Over 50 leadership awards.

Chef and restaurant owner Kim Bartmann was Chris Farrell's guest for his "Conversations on the Creative Economy" series with a live audience Feb. 21, 2019, at the Food Building in northeast Minneapolis.

Series host Chris Farrell is senior economics contributor at Marketplace and economics commentator at Minnesota Public Radio.

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