A column last month about our family’s annual summer fishing vacations to far north Orr, Minnesota, captured reader interest and netted some questions too. As many readers pointed out, I failed to mention the type of fish that Pelican Lake is so famed for as the delicious eating opportunities after a visit to the north at Richardson’s Shangri-La Resort. Northern pike, bass, bluegill, perch, catfish, crappie, walleye and sunfish are among the favorite fin and gill finds scooped out of Pelican Lake from yesteryear and still today. Last weekend, my older sister Pam drove down to the farm and hosted a Friday night fish fry supper along with oldest brother Tom at his home for our parents. We had hand-breaded fillets of walleye which had been caught and fresh-frozen by our longtime small-town friends Ray and Diane Ledvina and their son Ron and fellow farm friend neighbor Randy Smolek. During our summer short visit stop-over at Shangri-La, the Ledvina Family, carrying on a long-standing annual tradition, were booked in the neighboring cabin. We gathered a birthday party and “cabin cocktail happy hour” for Ray and family, hosted along with Shangri-La resort owners Tom and Cathy Richardson for Ray’s 84th birthday on Saturday, Aug. 24. Ray ranks as one of the longest returning guests at Shangri-La Resort since he’s been vacationing there since boyhood treks with own parents. Wife Diane, who spent more than two decades working in our tiny San Pierre post office, and husband Ray celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last Saturday, Oct. 26. Married in 1964, the couple celebrated a belated honeymoon the following May in the cabins at Shangri-La Resort when they drove Tom’s grandpa Ralph Richardson, the founder of the resort, from his family home in San Pierre up to the resort to prepare for the new vacation season. At the time the resort first launched in 1949, it was a three-day travel odyssey before arriving on the property. My first visit to the resort was when I was just a year old in 1971 when it was a 10-hour drive from our family farm in San Pierre, Mom and Dad in the front, and always at least three of us five kids in the backseat. We all always eagerly awaited the glorious sight of the familiar signature large red arrows for the logo of Shangri-La Resort to guide the way to the private, winding gravel driveway leading to nine lakefront cabins nestled on the 80 acres of wilderness. Philip Potempa, age 3, and older sister Pam, age 7, smile for a vacation photo along the pier of Shangri-La Resort in Orr, Minnesota, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2024. (Peggy Potempa/provided) Another debate from vacationers who have previously stayed at the resort after reading last month’s column was about the names of the cabins, which seemed to change from some recollections. As mentioned previously, the summer of 2024 marked the big 75th-year celebration for the resort, which is still completely family-owned. The family’s website provides details, a virtual tour of the cabins and a thorough history timeline at www.rs-l.com. But for the written record, here’s the Shangri-La cabin roster of names and in order of first to last to be built: Ralph’s Cabin, Lakeside Cabin, Ishnala (formerly named Flattop), Micha Cabin, Boo Shoo Cabin, Bayview Cabin, Bay Haven Cabin, Waukigen Cabin and the Main Cabin. In last month’s column, Tom and Cathy Richardson provided a recipe for a hearty chili that included Minnesota wild rice as a key ingredient. Reader Laura Kurella, originally from Whiting and now living in Wellston, Michigan, contacted me after she spotted the Minnesota wild rice history with the Native Americans and original settlers of Minnesota. Kurella was a finalist in the “Get Wild with Wild Rice Recipe Contest” earlier this year and she has won the People’s Choice Award for the third year in a row. This time, it was her recipe for Wild Cherry Chicken with Wild Rice that earned her honors from the Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council. “The full name of the recipe is Argentine Wild Cherry Chicken Platter, and it’s a delicious, slightly savory, slightly sweet creation that pairs perfectly with the smoky flavor of wild rice,” Kurella said. “Wild rice is such a unique ingredient, and I love experimenting with it in new ways. I was thrilled to create a recipe that uses both wild rice and Midwestern-grown cherries as they complement each other so well and elevate the entire recipe.” Laura Kurella’s recipe for Argentine Wild Cherry Chicken Platter with Wild Rice won the People’s Choice award honor in the “Get Wild with Wild Rice Recipe Contest” sponsored by the Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council. (Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council/provided) Seasoned chicken thighs on a bed of wild rice covered in a flavorful chimichurri sauce best describes Kurella’s recipe creation. Commonly used in South American cuisine,  she said the chimichurri sauce in her Argentine Wild Cherry Chicken Platter “has an unmistakably fresh and tangy flavor that pairs oh-so-well with the savory wild rice of Minnesota.” Columnist Philip Potempa has published four cookbooks and is the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. He can be reached at pmpotempa @comhs.org or mail your questions: From the Farm, PO Box 68, San Pierre, Ind. 46374. Argentine Wild Cherry Chicken Platter with Wild Rice Makes 4 servings Entrée: 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed Salt and pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons canola oil 2 cups cooked wild rice Fresh lime wedges and cilantro, garnish Chimichurri sauce: 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1 small shallot, peeled 2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1/2 cup pitted fresh cherries (tart or dark) 8 sprigs fresh cilantro 4 sprigs fresh parsley 4 fresh mint leaves 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes 1 tsp pink sea salt 1/2 cup canola oil Directions: 1.            To make chicken entrée, in a medium skillet, brown chicken with salt and pepper in oil. Stir in wild rice; heat through. 2.            To make sauce, blend all ingredients in food processor and chill at least one hour. 3.            Drizzle the chimichurri sauce over the chicken and rice and garnish.