LAKE PARK, Minn. — Not since Sophia Loren tempted Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in “Grumpier Old Men” has the arrival of an authentic Italian dish created such a stir in an outstate Minnesota community.
Jim Hermann didn’t import an international sex symbol, but he and his team have introduced some irresistible Italian-American specialties to Swanie’s Resort, 10 miles south of Lake Park.
Hermann’s new restaurant, Sauce’d, opened on the shores of Middle Cormorant Lake June 1 and has quickly built a following with authentic Italian fare like house-made lasagna, pasta in bolognese sauce and Pasta Arrabiiata (Italian sausage and hot peppers in a spicy red sauce).
“To be successful, we had to be different from the pack,” says Hermann, a native New Yorker. “So I figured we can be the only Italian restaurant anywhere in this region.”
Chicken Parmigiana, a classic breaded cutlet served with melted mozzarella, Sauce’d red sauce and rigatoni pasta, is a favorite at Sauce’d Italian Eatery and Pub, a new restaurant at Swanie’s Resort, south of Lake Park, Minnesota.
David Samson / The Forum
It must be working. As word of this Little Italy-by-way-of-Middle Cormorant spreads, diners across the region have made special trips to check out the menu.
Herrmann proudly points out that residents of Dilworth have eaten there and given Sauce’d their stamp of approval.
He knows the city’s history: How many Italian families moved to Dilworth in the early 1900s to work on the railroad, which is how the city became known as
the “Little Italy of Minnesota.”
“As we’ve started getting rolling and the summer has kicked in, we’ve gotten a lot of great feedback,” says Tommy Rosante, Sauce’d’s chef. “People are getting excited.”
An East Coast guy with Minnesota roots
Herrmann may be from the East Coast, but he’s no stranger to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. His mother’s family emigrated from Norway in 1850 and settled in Battle Lake, Minn. Herrmann’s great grandfather, Edward Engerud, served on the North Dakota Supreme Court for several years in the early 1900s and later worked as a U.S. district attorney.
Herrmann’s mother met his father, a New Yorker, while serving in the military. While Herrmann grew up in New York, he and his family spent every summer at his grandfather’s cabin on Gosslee Beach at Pelican Lake.
More recently, Herrmann started staying in this area for eight or nine months a year. His family cabin isn’t winterized, so he rented a cabin at Swanie’s Resort. He got to know resort owner Brad Olek, and shared his idea for opening an Italian pub and eatery, featuring pasta, “hand-helds,” fresh ingredients, homemade recipes and daily/nightly specials.
Sauce’d Italian Eatery & Pub at Swanies on the Lake is set up so boaters can pull up to the dock and grab a table on the patio.
David Samson / The Forum
Fortunately, Olek liked the idea. The resort owner also had recently added a new, 2,500-square-foot restaurant/pub to the shoreline, with wood-paneled walls, a large patio and floor-to-ceiling glass doors which offer an expansive view of the lake.
“You can talk about this view,” Herrmann says. “It is spectacular.”
Herrmann never owned a restaurant before, although he’s run a successful insurance business for 40 years and has also owned bars and clubs in the past. He knew he needed people with back-of-house and front-of-house experience, so brought on friends Zee Arguson as manager and Tommy Rosante as chef.
The outdoor seating space at Sauce’d Italian Eatery & Pub on Middle Cormorant Lake, south of Lake Park, Minnesota.
Arguson is a personable guy of Hawaiian-Norwegian lineage (Herrmann jokes he’s either “Hawegian” or Norwaiian”) who has worked as a waiter, bartender and manager in eating/drinking establishments from Cape Cod to Florida. He’s also been an accountant, truck driver, bank teller and mason.
But one thing he has never been is a Minnesotan. Last winter, he was living in Cape Cod and helping out his mother when Herrmann reached out. “Jim called me and said, ‘Hey, I’m opening up a restaurant in Minnesota.’ I’m like, ‘Cool.’ Then I call him back: ‘Where’s Minnesota?’”
Zee Arguson talks about his work experiences in the restaurant business at Sauce’d Italian Eatery and Pub at Swanies on the Lake, south of Lake Park, Minnesota.
David Samson / The Forum
Yet once Arguson moved here, he liked it. “It’s beautiful here,” he says. “And the people here are really nice.”
Home of the half-pound meatball
Herrmann’s chef is a Long Island native who has worked in professional kitchens around Southampton, N.Y. He grew up in a family where everyone from his grandmother to uncles and aunts had their favorite dishes and their opinions on the best way to make them.
Chef Tommy Rosante talks about his menu at Sauce’d Italian Eatery & Pub at Swanies on the Lake, south of Lake Park, Minnesota. Rosante says his favorite food to cook is “something I’ve never cooked before.”
David Samson / The Forum
Rosante learned to take his favorite parts from all these dishes to create something uniquely his own. He was also influenced by working with a chef from Naples, Italy, who had a zeal for his craft not unlike the driven main character, Carmy, from “ The Bear.” “I worked with him for about 11 years and he was a very passionate guy,” Rosante says. “And I just fell right into his niche. Like I ‘got’ him and I learned a lot of stuff from him.”
Rosante used to host dinner parties, which is how he met Herrmann. The future Sauce’d owner knew the young chef had what it took to create a memorable menu.
Now Rosante has worked hard to provide Sauce’d with a pleasing mix of Italian favorites, popular sandwiches and pub-friendly selections.
“Things that people like the most are the Chicken Parmigiana, the lasagna on Thursday or Friday nights, the pan-fried walleye, the Pasta Bolognese with the Bolognese meat sauce,” Herrmann says.
Another signature is the Sauce’d Meatball, a hulking half-pound of ground beef mixed with ricotta cheese to keep it tender. Served with house-made red sauce and melted mozzarella, it costs just $8 as an appetizer.
The 8-ounce Italian Meatball is a specialty at Sauce’d Italian Eatery and Pub at Swanies on the Lake, south of Lake Park, Minnesota.
David Samson / The Forum
The lasagna is another popular choice. Its production takes several hours, as there are bechamel and bolognese sauces to prepare from scratch and multiple ingredients to season, slice, layer and bake.
“If we had that every night, it would probably be the only thing we sold,” Rosante says. “It’s definitely a favorite, but that’s very labor intensive.”
Also, don’t try to sneak any Midwestern shortcuts into the dish. “People ask me if I add cottage cheese to my lasagna and I say no,” Rosante says, looking baffled by the suggestion.
He feels the same way about Alfredo sauce, which is more American than Italian. Even so, they offer Alfredo on the menu, if only to keep people happy.
The menu is peppered with some supper club standards too, like spicy crab cakes, pan-fried walleye or ribeye steak.
Those on a budget can check out pub-centric fare like the Philly cheesesteak ($16.95), a smash burger ($14.95) and cheese curds ($9.95).
Sauce’d Italian Eatery & Pub at Swanies on the Lake is located inside this 2,500-square-foot building, which was completed in 2024.
David Samson / The Forum
These three men work long hours here, often stepping in to help each other when the occasion calls for it. Arguson has always held front-of-the-house jobs, but has found himself turning into Rosante’s fry cook in a pinch.
No job is too big or too small. Herrmann jokes that he’s the “maître d’, host and busboy, filling up ice buckets.”
As Sauce’d plans to operate yearround, the three men will probably grow even busier as their servers and staff return to school.
But they get it. “We do whatever it takes,” Arguson says. “In the restaurant industry, you have to.”
Adds Herrmann: “The three of us are a team.”
Sauce’d is located at 12668 County Highway 5, Lake Park. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., although there will be limited afternoon hours during the week. Check Sauce’d Italian Eatery & Pub at Swanies on the Lake on
for updates.
Dining and Cooking