Most people would not think to turn on the radio to experience their favorite cooking show but that is the aim of chef Uriah Hefter, host of The Hotdish Imperative on Two Harbors Community Radio.
“I wanted to create a show for those interested in cooking that I, myself, would actually listen to whenever it aired,” he said.
The weekly program is a blend of music, humor and food preparation instruction. The music for each show is selected to loosely complement the main dish through a shared commonality. If the focus of the program is about baking bread there is a better than average chance that the 1960’s and 70’s rock band Bread will see some air-play that day.
It would be easy for the average person to think to themselves, “A show about cooking? On the radio? He doesn’t do magic tricks, as well, does he?” To overcome for the lack of visuals that cooking shows on TV have traditionally relied on, during the broadcast Hefter closes his eyes and attempts to describe, in detail, each step of the preparation process.
“I would imagine that if you walked past the studio while I was in ‘explanation mode,’ you would most likely assume that I’d lost all mental capacity, or was experiencing a stroke at minimum,” he said.
Hefter, originally from Kansas City, Mo., met his wife, a Sauk Centre native, while in the City of Fountains. From there they moved to Iowa for a few years, but both had a yearning to make Northern Minnesota their permanent home. They are now going on their fifth year in the area.
A graduate of the culinary arts school at Indian Hills College in Ottumwa, Iowa, Hefter has honed his skills at small mom and pop owned kitchens, catering companies and large corporate operations. His preference is for smaller restaurants whereby he has oversight of aspects of the operation or as he puts it, “I like to have my fingers in lots of pies.”
The Hotdish Imperative airs Thursday at 11 a.m. and is rebroadcast at 11 a.m. on Saturdays. KTWH-LP, 99.5 FM, is a volunteer run non-profit serving the town of Two Harbors and surrounding area with a broadcast range of 10 miles. It streams online at ktwh.org.
There are plenty of things for the whole family to do during the Heritage Days celebration. Two Harbors Community Radio is back again this year with more to see and hear. The THCR booth will be located in the Vendor area near the Historic Depot. Volunteers will be on-hand to hand out KTWH-LP 99.5 FM program schedules as well as answer questions about the station and its mission.
On Friday, July 8th, starting at 11 AM, Nordic Roots host, and on-air personality Arna Rennan will be kicking things off on the Heritage Days stage performing a selection of Scandinavian dance tunes on accordion.
Saturday from 9 to 11 AM the radio station, 99.5 FM, will air rebroadcasts of two shows that will be of interest to residents and visitors alike.
Both shows will air again on Sunday, July 10th starting at 11 AM.
Saturday at 1 PM watch for KTWH’s very own Dave Anderson, host of Big Dave’s Beat Farm, and his Beat Farm float in the Heritage Days Parade.
Sunday at 12 noon Two Harbors Community Radio will hold a drawing for three awesome prizes including:
New Show Premiere! Sunday at 7 PM will mark the start of the weekly hour-long program, Hear Tomorrow. The show profiles new music and artists (of every genre) that might not otherwise be getting the attention they deserve.
KTWH-LP, 99.5 FM, is a volunteer run non-profit serving the town of Two Harbors and surrounding area with a broadcast range of 10 miles. It streams online at ktwh.org.
“It seemed like the perfect way for me to apply my interests and develop my skills,” said Sam Knight. Sam is one of the Two Harbors High School students responsible for the weekly production of The High School Show which airs Fridays & Saturdays at 1:30 PM. The young Mr. Knight joined the team as a self-taught audio engineer/editor.
The High School Show, a half hour of music and news relevant to all ages, is part of the Youth Radio Initiative which is funded via a grant from the Northland Foundation. The initiative seeks to promote intergenerational grassroots participation in a variety of endeavors throughout Northern Minnesota. Some of its goals are assisting students in acquiring the production skills and interview techniques required to produce a weekly show, developing relationships with mentors in business, government, and civic organizations, as well as a knowledge transfer from senior to freshmen participants in the program.
The program is overseen by on-air personality Mychele, who spearheaded a similar project while working in radio on the Iron Range. The students describe her as an easy going and accepting mentor who champions and relishes their uniqueness. She speaks glowingly of these young adults when she recounts lessons learned from them and tales of the 120+ hours of volunteer effort the students have contributed to various projects both in and outside the studio.
The credit for the show’s inception goes to THHS student Dale Peterson, who submitted the initial proposal for the High School Show. Dale was already somewhat of an accomplished interviewer and reporter before KTWH went live. He served as Two Harbors Community Radio’s ‘man on the scene’ during a 2015 summer food networking event and has conducted many of the interviews during the H.S.S.’s early days.
The Leon brothers, David & Jackson, make up the other half of the student production team for the show. Jackson, the subject of an interview by Dale, enjoyed himself so much during his time in the station that he joined the team. His brother David soon joined him. Both plan to pursue careers related to radio and audio/visual engineering.
KTWH-LP, 99.5 FM, is a volunteer run non-profit serving the town of Two Harbors and surrounding area with a broadcast range of 10 miles. It streams online at ktwh.org.
KTWH is adding several new programs to its lineup in the weeks ahead. The team at Lake County’s first community radio station are excited about the new shows that will air soon, but are looking to expand its range of programming to more fully encompass the varied interests of the community. “While we are proud of our locally produced music programs and new programs are already under production, we still have some gaps in our offerings,” said THCR board member Fran Kaliher. “We are looking for team members to support a classic country show as well as polka, gardening, and a public affairs program about environmental and health care topics in our area. If anyone is interested in working in any of these areas (on or off-mic), please call 218-595-6195, email ktwh995@gmail.com, or stop by our studio in the Harbor Landing Building at 7th St and 7th Avenue.”
Three of the latest programs to be added to the lineup are:
The Gospel Truth – Sundays at 10 AM from WTIP, community radio station in Grand Marais
No matter what your level of faith, this Sunday morning program hosted by Doug Seim will lift your spirits. Doug explores Gospel’s roots, its history, and its modern day incarnation, with a slight focus on Southern Gospel, backed up with detailed information on the artists involved.
American Mosaic – Fridays at noon, immediately after Community Events.
A timeless series of stories with an emphasis on the common threads that connect rather than divide us. People from all walks of life and ethnicities relay their stories of everyday life.
Southern Crossroads – Wednesdays at 10 AM
Transplanted Texan Zak Williams hosts a two-hour musical exploration on the influence of bluegrass and the blues in Southern Culture.
January brings some minor changes to our program line-up. Please make note of these – and check them out!
* The Hotdish Imperative! a cooking show by local chef Uriah Hefter – airs Thursday mornings at 11:00-12:00, often done live, and repeated Saturday mornings at 11:00. [Note: Left, Right and Center and Sprouts which had aired during this hour are now broadcast from 10:00-11:00 Sunday mornings, replacing reruns of The Book Show and Person Place Thing. Those programs still air at 12:05pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays respectively.]
* Spirit in Action – an interview program produced in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, about the spiritual roots of guests’ social activism, airs Sunday mornings 9:00-10:00. [Note – we replaced the repeat of Maternally Yours, which had aired during that hour. Maternally Yours still airs at 1:00pm on Mondays]
*Saturday Morning Mix has been running on Saturday mornings for several weeks beginning at 9:00. After a rundown of local community events and weather, it is comprised of local, regional and seasonal features of interest to our area, including interviews from the previous week’s Grounds Control morning show. Running from between one and two hours, it is sometimes followed by Storytime readings from Tom Koehler and/or other surprises chosen by the KTWH programming staff.
Appearing on the Beat Farm this weekend is Larry Sandretsky, a poet and singer who writes a poem each year published by the Two Harbors Chronicle. He will read/recite the poem on the air live Friday night between 7:00 and 8:00 pm, in addition to talking with Dave and singing. Rebroadcast of the show is Sunday between 3:00 and 5:00 pm.
We are making changes in our schedule as we go along, it might be a while before it stabilizes, but nothing drastic either. See the October update here:
And some of the program descriptions are still available at
Prog Descrips for grid,sept2015
We welcome your feedback! call 218-595-6195 or send us an email at ktwh995@gmail.com
Meanwhile, some pictures from our studios and our open house…
Ribbon Cutting – 1:00pm September 13, 2015!
THUG performs at our Open House!
Harbor Landing atrium – site of our open house
Bruce Holmen, aka “Electron Bruce”, our engineering angel
Mel Sando, Dave’s guest on the Beat Farm
A day of golf, food, and fun will be held at Lakeview Golf Course on August 21 to support KTwH.
Golf teams can register at the Lakeview National Pro Shop or contact them for more information.
Two Harbors Community Radio has been awarded a certificate of partnership with the Northland Foundation’s Age to Age program!
