From Fargo To The South Pole: Chef’s Childhood Dream Comes True

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — He’s a familiar face to patrons at south Fargo’s Luna restaurant.

And he’s back home in the kitchen after a year cooking for folks in -98 degrees, with what sometimes got up to -150 wind chill.

It’s the story of a chef who’s life’s ambition turned out to be really cool.

On a frozen day in Fargo, “It feels like summer out there, honestly.”

Most of us are dreaming about leaving for someplace warmer.

“On your left.”

Not Luna Fargo chef Steven Schalau.

“It was literally a childhood dream of mine. Ever since I was eight I was like, I want to go to Antarctica.”

Luna’s known for its local and sustainable food…tough enough with our short growing season.

What are we doing with these pickled carrots? and the artichokes?

So how do you keep an entire crew of researchers and contractors fed and healthy… in what Schalau describes as a frozen desert.

I think it was March, the entire continent shuts down for the winter. That’s when it’s too cold for planes to fly.

The answer…you don’t want anyone getting scurvy out there.

Schaulau put his inventiveness to work just as hard as the scientists he was feeding did.

Everything was like an episode of chopped. I was like, how do i use this cranberry sauce that expired in 23.

This steak that’s from 2018.

Schaulau spendt a lot of time digging up great food ideas.

We have a large backstock under the snow, minus sixty degrees to recreate recipes you’ll see at luna back home…
pickle plate!

And when he wasn’t, he volunteered to help researchers gather critical data on one of the most mysterious places on our planet.

First time going to the telescopes the researcher was like, you want to go inside? and I was like, aren’t we already? and he said no, all the way, to where the data is. And I was like, I can do that?

So while we’re dreaming of heat, just remember chef Steven, literal childhood dream come true.

And don’t put your dreams on ice.

Two of the Luna recipes he recreated at the South Pole include their smoked potatoes and their popovers.

For a link to the full interview and what Schalau is cooking now, check out our KVRR Morning Show page.