Angry Trout Cafe releases new cookbook featuring local artist
Over 20 years after the release of the original Angry Trout Cafe cookbook, the crew at the long-running Grand Marais restaurant is launching an updated version featuring the illustrations of an artist with local connections.
Jessy Goble, who co-owns Angry Trout Cafe along with Elliot Noyce, told WTIP that when she and Noyce bought the restaurant they started exploring the idea of putting out a cookbook pretty quickly. Previous owners Barb LaVigne and George Wilkes released Angry Trout Cafe Notebook: Friends, Recipes, and the Culture of Sustainability in 2004. They had a limited printing of the book, and Goble said, “It was pretty clear early on that people were missing the opportunity to buy the book and have recipes, because the run had been bought out.”
On May 2, 2025, The Angry Trout Cafe Cookbook, hits the shelves at several locations around Grand Marais, starting with a launch event at Angry Trout Cafe. The event, which begins at 5 p.m., will also include art prints from the book for sale. The book was illustrated by Cook County native Corrie Steckelberg. Goble said that between Steckelberg’s roots in Cook County and her history with Angry Trout Cafe, she was a natural choice. “It just felt like a perfect partnership,” said Goble.
Steckelberg is known for bold illustrations often featuring animals, and while a cookbook is a departure from her usual work, she said she still brought animals into the images she created. She told WTIP that she tried to reimagine the restaurant as though it was located in the woods. “As if the forest animals were in your kitchen with you,” she said, “it’s pretty it’s very cute and whimsical.”
Alongside the artwork, the new book includes a few other notable changes from the first. Goble said it does not include the same local history that the original did, and that the recipes have been updated. While the original restaurant cookbook was printed in a limited run, Goble said they plan to keep this version in print for some time.
WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke to Jessy Goble and Corrie Steckelberg. Audio of that interview is below.
Kirsten Wisniewski May 2, 2025
