Northwoods Test Kitchen
locally focused food projects
processing, education and collaboration
Marquette's most unusual kitchen.
Local Vegetable Processing
In collaboration with local partners and encouragement from area students, we've focused on finding ways to minimally process locally grown produce from area farms in small batches for school food service providors in the region.
Culinary Experiences & Education
From salad rolls to general kitchen techniques, we strive to educate minds of all ages about real life culinary skills to help folks feel more comfortable cooking for themselves and neighbors, and better understand how to cook with the seasons and what's available.
Collaborative Events + Pop Ups
We love working with grassroot and community organizations and other small food businesses to provide local, delicious, thoughtful and affordable smallscale catering options. Additionally, find us popping up with ramen nights, taco bars and other fun food focused events around the Upper Peninsula.
Food System Consulting & Connection building
With roots in Upper Peninsula FFA & 4-H, ties to chefs around the state, and connections to farms and food business after spending years as the UP Local Food Coordinator for Taste the Local Difference - owner Alex Palzewicz knows the importance of building connections to the folks that bring the food to our table.
Our business is about so much more than a delicious bowl of food - it's about creating a conversation about everything connected to that food.
About Us
Words from customers & Collaborators
NTK celebrates good food in the best way — with deep knowledge of local products, creativity, and sensibility. Alex shares UP cuisine generously, thoughtfully, with an approach that reveals the true abundance of a cuisine that others have called "just meat and potatoes." Authentic, adaptable, amazing — NTK gets all the stars for quality & service.
NTK celebrates good food in the best way — with deep knowledge of local products, creativity, and sensibility. Alex shares UP cuisine generously, thoughtfully, with an approach that reveals the true abundance of a cuisine that others have called "just meat and potatoes." Authentic, adaptable, amazing — NTK gets all the stars for quality & service.
NTK celebrates good food in the best way — with deep knowledge of local products, creativity, and sensibility. Alex shares UP cuisine generously, thoughtfully, with an approach that reveals the true abundance of a cuisine that others have called "just meat and potatoes." Authentic, adaptable, amazing — NTK gets all the stars for quality & service.
״Alex catered our micro wedding and it was everything we wanted and more! Start to finish the experience was smooth, the food was incredible, and having Alex with us felt like just adding another old friend to the mix. She created the perfect menu and sourced locally, which was important to us. Would absolutely recommend Alex for any catering needs!״
Anonymous
Katie Bartelt
Alex catered our wedding, and we specifically had a special ask for ramen for a 100 guests- not an easy task along with the addition of filling our bellies with salads and appetizers and a special drink. - Multiple people have told me that the food at our wedding was some of the best they’ve had. Our experience working with Alex was awesome, I had a specific but also vague idea of what I wanted. Ramen and tasty items? I think that trusting Alex to do the job and do it well is where she shines. Her and her team executed it brilliantly, and then she also became a friend. What more could you ask for?
Alicia Gonzales and Russell Reeves
NTK has catered events I’ve worked on or attended, offered cooking classes, and generally partnered on many food events.
Northwoods Test Kitchen is a pleasure to work with. They are talented, reliable, communicative, and dedicated to offering better food in our community and beyond. They don’t just serve local food when possible, they understand local food systems, which isn’t just farm to fork. NTK makes composting, not landfills, the norm for their any waste from their business. And of course, their food is delicious!
Sarah Monte, Outreach Director for the MQT Food Co-op
