Uff Da Eatery open in Uptown Aberdeen food court

Uptown Aberdeen has a new addition in the food court. Amber Moen opened Uff Da Eatery opened in December.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, although she is closed this Saturday.

The restaurant features a selection of salads, wraps and sandwiches as well as a rotating menu with different features daily. Those daily features include homemade soups -- tortilla on Tuesday and Chicken Knoephla on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Her daily features also include homemade entrees that include chicken enchiladas on Tuesday; beef stroganoff on Wednesday; tator tot hotdish on Thursday and barbecue meatballs and cheesy potatoes on Friday.

"I plan to get more Norwegian foods on the menu," she said.

Her goal, she said, is to have something for everybody.

Moen, who went to school to study business and culinary, came to Aberdeen with her boyfriend who is a student and athlete at Presentation College.

Opening a business is something she's wanted to do, she said, and when her employer at Chivilla Bay at Uptown Aberdeen, found she was also selling baked goods on the side, Moen was encouraged to start doing more food preparation and was eventually offered the space in the food court.

Her goal, she said, is to provide homemade options for her customers. Originally from Minnesota, Moen was raised on a farm and homemade meals were a regular feature.

Moen said she opened in December as a trial run to see how it would be received, and the response was better than expected.

Eventually she hopes to add an oven so she can expand with a selection of baked goods like caramel rolls and cookies. She also hopes to one day covert her business to a food truck.

News and notes

• Northern State University assistant professor of communication studies Nuurrianti Jalli has published a policy paper with The Brookings Institution, a world-renowned public policy organization. The paper, called "Disinformation and Democracy in Malaysia" was part of the Foreign Policy Democracy in Asia project. This was a collaborative effort by Jalli and fellow policy experts from around the world.

• Northeast South Dakota Community Action Program, doing business as GROW South Dakota, received a $100,000 comprehensive community development grant from NeighborWorks America to help people experience better outcomes to advance communities through housing or economic development.

• The South Dakota Arts Council is now accepting sponsor applications for its Artists in Schools and Communities program. Applications are due March 10 at www.artscouncil.sd.gov/aisc. Contact rebecca.cruse@state.sd.us with questions.

• Marshall Hansen, of Salem, has received the Farmers National Company President's Circle Award for his outstanding efforts in real estate sales. He received the top award for real estate sales in 2022 and began working with Farmers National Company in 2018.

• The outdoor rinks at Lincoln and Manor parks are now open for the season. Skate rentals are $1 and hot chocolate is 50 cents. Normal hours are 4-9 p.m. during the week and 1-9 p.m. on the weekends. For more information call the Aberdeen Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department at 605-626-7015.

• Dr. Shawn Bartel has joined Sanford Aberdeen Clinic as an internal medicine and pediatric provider. Bartel is a graduate of the University of South Dakota and the University of South Dakota School of Medicine and an intern at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is certified through the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Board of Internal Medicine.

• A Northern State University team received honorable mention at the 2022 Four Points Film Project with their short film, "The Final Thread." Northern's team won honorable mentions in best use of genre and best supporting actor in Kane Anderson's performance as Bernie. Anderson is NSU assistant professor of theatre.

• Taylor Hanson has been promoted to vice president of business development at Aberdeen Development Corp., according to a news release. Her primary duties will be to work with business, industry, government, education and others in identifying business retention and expansion needs in Aberdeen, Brown County and northeastern South Dakota.

• Brooke Stiehl has been hired as chief of staff at the Aberdeen Development Corp. She will plan and manage operational activities for the ADC, act in an advisory role for important decisions and oversee strategic business initiatives from development through successful execution.

• Kendra Hinz has been hired as director of marketing and special projects for the Aberdeen Development Corp. She will plan, organize and coordinate activities with the innovation Center at Northern State University and enhance the marketing of economic development for Aberdeen Development Corp. initiatives.

• Katie Washnok has been hired as director of governmental affairs adn public policy at the Aberdeen Development Corp. She will establish a strong presence within political and governmental levels to advocate for a friendly business climate and growth in the area.

• Four Northern State University faculty have been awarded the third annual Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Pedagogy grants. Recipients are Kane Anderson, assistant professor of acting and directing; Nicole Shutter, teacher education department chairwoman and assistant professor; and the team of Jason Knowles, assistant professor of art, and Kristen Brown, assistant professor of English. Anderson is beginning a three-year teaching certification program with the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium teaching educators acting techniques. Schutter is purchasing smart Swivl robots to track and record teacher and principal candidates during field experiences. Knowles and Brown are developing a podcast booth in Dacotah Hall so students can collaborate, record and edit podcasts.

• Dacotah Bank has graduated its third class from The Academy, a program that was developed to prepare individuals for future leadership roles in conjunction with succession planning. Participants completed their journey through individual development, leadership skill-building, teamwork and the development of Action Learning Projects. Graduates from Aberdeen include: Alex Grieben, Alex King, Bryan Phillips, Curry Kuehl, Elliot Gall, Kim Bowman, Kristie Martin, Lloyd Sanderson, Teddi Dalton, Rachel Deutsch, MeChelle Lang and Tyler Wenbourne. Graduates from area offices include Brandon Spanier from Faulkton and Chad Jager of Mobridge.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Uff Da Eatery opens in Uptown Aberdeen food court