Lake Minnetonka Magazine January 2026 Issue

Welcome to the January 2026 Issue

With pen in hand and a postage stamp at the ready, how many of us write and send letters—regularly or otherwise? I’ll be the first to admit that,...

Chef Sam Gilman shares how home cooks can trust their culinary instincts to find success in the kitchen.

A Measured Approach With Chef Sam Gilman

Intuitive cooking can lead to a full course of creativity and freedom. Have you ever taken a road trip without a map or embarked on a home project...

Feng shui practitioner Kanika Babal believes small, intentional shifts in a space can lead to incredible life transformations and infuse each day with more flow and balance.

Heaven and Earth Feng Shui Finds the Flow

Discover the transformative powers of feng shui. Some people notice when a room just doesn’t feel right, and Kanika Babal, owner of Heaven and Earth...

Don Shelby and Nancy Nelson Retake the Stage

Don Shelby and Nancy Nelson are venerable veterans behind the TV camera and on local stages, including Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (CDT), where they...

Artist Laura Rockhold Shares Her Inspiration

Local poet and painter discusses her creative practice and original poem form. Long Lake’s Laura Rockhold finds inspiration for her poetry and...

The Lafayette Club's 100-year-old clubhouse starts its next phase of enhancements in April 2026.

The New Year Rings in New Changes at the Lafayette Club

The country club continues to embark on new and exciting improvements. Lake Minnetonka’s Lafayette Club has undergone, and continues to plan, many...

Lake Minnetonka Magazine December 2025 Issue

Welcome to the December 2025 Issue

What a year! As we close out 2025, I want to give one last nod to our 20th anniversary year. While May was our “official” anniversary month, when we...

Open up a World of Experiential Gifting

Make gift giving easier this season by leaning into a specialty theme or carefully curated focus. With experiential gifting maintaining its holiday...

Donamae’s Sweet Studio Pulls Double Duty

Let holiday desserts serve up sweet flavors and stunning table décor. Does anyone else fall victim to SHDF—seasonal holiday decision fatigue? The...

shopping, winter holidays and people concept - happy senior couple at christmas market souvenir shop on town hall square in tallinn, estonia

What to Expect at Christmas in Excelsior

Water Street will be aglow with lights and holiday cheer. On November 28 and 29, downtown Excelsior will transform into a festive winter wonderland...

Outdoor kitchen and pool area of Orono home

Gordon James Crafts a Zen Escape in Orono

One serene Orono property brings home the amenities of a spa resort. It’s something most of us have wished for: to bottle the essence of a luxury...

Stack of Chocolate Chip Cookies from Oven Fresh Cookies

Oven Fresh Cookies Knows if You Give a Kid a Cookie …

… they’ll probably want it served warm. Food, whether it’s a full meal, a dessert or a snack, often goes hand-in-hand with important life events....

Alan Bergo, with his harvest of edible native plants that he grows at home, appreciates earthly bounties.

Chef and Author Alan Bergo Discusses Mushroom Hunting

The Forager Chef educates on how to discover a wild harvest in your neck of the woods. If you’ve ever been on a woodland hike and noticed a cluster...

Editor Renée Stewart-Hester looking out at Lake Minnetonka

X Marks the Spot

Visit some of my favorite spaces to read, create and just be. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a favorite spot to read, reflect or...

An aerial shot of the historic Lafayette Club on the shores of Lake Minnetonka.

Lafayette Club Embarks on an Exciting New Partnership

The historic club has entered into a reciprocity agreement with Windsong Farm Golf Club. For over a century, the iconic Spanish Mission-style...

Welcome to the January 2026 Issue

With pen in hand and a postage stamp at the ready, how many of us write and send letters—regularly or otherwise? I’ll be the first to admit that,...

A Measured Approach With Chef Sam Gilman

Intuitive cooking can lead to a full course of creativity and freedom. Have you ever taken a road trip without a map or embarked on a home project...

Heaven and Earth Feng Shui Finds the Flow

Discover the transformative powers of feng shui. Some people notice when a room just doesn’t feel right, and Kanika Babal, owner of Heaven and Earth...

Don Shelby and Nancy Nelson Retake the Stage

Don Shelby and Nancy Nelson are venerable veterans behind the TV camera and on local stages, including Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (CDT), where they...

Artist Laura Rockhold Shares Her Inspiration

Local poet and painter discusses her creative practice and original poem form. Long Lake’s Laura Rockhold finds inspiration for her poetry and...

The New Year Rings in New Changes at the Lafayette Club

The country club continues to embark on new and exciting improvements. Lake Minnetonka’s Lafayette Club has undergone, and continues to plan, many...

Welcome to the December 2025 Issue

What a year! As we close out 2025, I want to give one last nod to our 20th anniversary year. While May was our “official” anniversary month, when we...

Open up a World of Experiential Gifting

Make gift giving easier this season by leaning into a specialty theme or carefully curated focus. With experiential gifting maintaining its holiday...

Donamae’s Sweet Studio Pulls Double Duty

Let holiday desserts serve up sweet flavors and stunning table décor. Does anyone else fall victim to SHDF—seasonal holiday decision fatigue? The...

What to Expect at Christmas in Excelsior

Water Street will be aglow with lights and holiday cheer. On November 28 and 29, downtown Excelsior will transform into a festive winter wonderland...

Gordon James Crafts a Zen Escape in Orono

One serene Orono property brings home the amenities of a spa resort. It’s something most of us have wished for: to bottle the essence of a luxury...

Oven Fresh Cookies Knows if You Give a Kid a Cookie …

… they’ll probably want it served warm. Food, whether it’s a full meal, a dessert or a snack, often goes hand-in-hand with important life events....

Chef and Author Alan Bergo Discusses Mushroom Hunting

The Forager Chef educates on how to discover a wild harvest in your neck of the woods. If you’ve ever been on a woodland hike and noticed a cluster...

X Marks the Spot

Visit some of my favorite spaces to read, create and just be. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a favorite spot to read, reflect or...

Lafayette Club Embarks on an Exciting New Partnership

The historic club has entered into a reciprocity agreement with Windsong Farm Golf Club. For over a century, the iconic Spanish Mission-style...

Your Community, Your Vote

Best of Lake Minnetonka, Noteworthy

Let’s start the year with some exciting news. Best of Lake Minnetonka is moving—to February! We think it’s a perfect fit. After all, February is the...

Don Shelby and Nancy Nelson Retake the Stage

Arts, Featured, People

Don Shelby and Nancy Nelson are venerable veterans behind the TV camera and on local stages, including Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (CDT), where they...

Chef Sam Gilman Shares Three No-Recipe Recipes

Local Makers, Recipes

Executive chef Sam Gilman offers starting points with no-recipe recipes for dishes he enjoys making at home. Rosemary-Sage Salad Dressing Dijon...

Winter Wonderland

Photo Contest

Nature’s winter handiwork can artistically move us through the season and unlock creative minds. Local resident Gundula Behbahani spent several...

Shop Local

Created out of the desire to make lake living easier, Lifetime Piers has been building customized, wood-simulated piers for over 33 years. As the leading manufacturer of high-quality, zero-maintenance piers in the Midwest, lakefront owners have been able to enjoy a customized, worry-free life on the lake year after year. Produced from Premium HDPE plastic decking with the look and traction of wood yet made from post-consumer plastic, Lifetime Piers are built to provide a beautiful, zero-maintenance lake life to build memories for you and your family that will last a lifetime, and beyond....

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Noteworthy

“Ahoy, Minnetonka!”

Book Club, Education, Noteworthy

Now in its third season, the Ahoy, Minnetonka! podcast from Minnetonka Public Schools features conversations with the people who make the district...

Packaged With Care

Gift Guides, Noteworthy

I’m excited to kick off 2026 with Lake Minnetonka Magazine and its readers. As a stay-at-home mom turned social media influencer, I love sharing...

Your Community, Your Vote

Best of Lake Minnetonka, Noteworthy

Let’s start the year with some exciting news. Best of Lake Minnetonka is moving—to February! We think it’s a perfect fit. After all, February is the...