Charlie Awards Celebrate Twin Cities Food, Drink

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Foodies will celebrate the Twin Cities restaurant, food and drink industry at the second annual Charlie Awards this weekend.

The awards show will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at The Foodies in downtown Minneapolis.

Awards will be presented in such areas as Outstanding Chef, Outstanding Pastry Chef, Outstanding Bartender, Outstanding Restaurateur and Outstanding Cup of Coffee.

There also will be awards for Outstanding Restaurant Item and Outstanding Food Truck Item, as voted on by the public and a panel of experts.

A VIP brunch will be held at the Brave New Workshop before the show. An after-party follows in the IDS Center Crystal Court.

The awards are named after famed restaurant Charlie's Cafe Exceptionale, a downtown Minneapolis mainstay until the 1980s.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)