edible

Member of Edible Communities

IOWA RIVER VALLEY ®

Summer 2009 Celebrating the Abundance of Iowa’s Local Foods, Season by Season Number 12

Ancient White Park Cattle - Iowa’s Wine Trails

Nordic Fest - Tortilleria el Norte - Home Ec
 Contents
edible
IOWA RIVER VALLEY Departments
4 Grist for the Mill
Summer 2009

EIRV at ree Years Old

All of us at Edible are proud to call these folks our
Partners. ey understand the importance of 6 Notable Edibles
supporting local farms, local food, and the local Tasty tidbits to savor around Iowa
economy. To join the growing list of Edible Partners, 16 Edible Imbibables
please contact sales manager Rachel Morey @ On the Trail of Great Iowa Wines—By Katie Roche
319.241.4442 or Rachel@EdibleIowa.com
21 The 99
Be sure to visit the Edible Partners listed here, and RAGBRAI’s Final Stop is Full of Flavors—By Anna Wilson
thank them for supporting sustainable food and and Criss Roberts
Edible Iowa River Valley
24 1,000 Words
Chiles at the Market
Augusta—pg. 27
Blackhawk Hotel—pg. 14 26 Behind Closed Doors
Blend—pg. 23 Starving Artist—By Rob Cline
Bread Garden—pg. 32
BrewNost—pg. 22 29 Subscription Form
Cafe Dodici—pg. 12 Get Edible delivered right to your home
Cafe del Sol Roasting—pg. 15 30 The Last Word
Cart by Cart—pg. 15 Deborah Madison’s What We Eat When We Eat Alone—
Design Ranch—pg. 28 By Kurt Michael Friese
Devotay—pg. 9
Edible Communities—pg. 31
Edible Communities Marketplace—pg. 25
e Englert eatre—pg. 5
Fireside Winery—pg. 23 Features
Hills Bank—pg. 15
Iowa City Farmers Market—pg. 15 7 A Festival of Flavors
Iowa Wine Trail—pg. 23 e 43rd Nordic Fest Keeps Tradition Alive in Decorah
Jasper Winery—pg. 28 — By Renee Brincks
John’s Grocery—pg. 20
10 Flat-Out Fresh
La Reyna—pg. 14 Tortilleria el Norte is a West Libery Original
Local Food Conference—pg. 22 — By Mike Brownlee
MidWestOne Bank—pg. 27
Motley Cow—pg. 28 12 Sewing Seeds of Community
Muddy Creek Wine—pg. 14 A Knitter’s Breakfast at Home Ec in Iowa City
New Pioneer Co-op—pg. 20 — By Brian Morelli
Oneota Community Co-op—pg. 28 18 Reviving an Ancient Breed
Robinson Family Wellness—pg. 5 Seed Savers Exchange Protects Animal Diversity Too
Scattergood—pg. 29 — By Kurt Michael Friese
Shmuggle Knits—pg. 23
Sutliff Cider—pg. 14 31 Edible Communities
Tassel Ridge Winery—pg. 2 Find Your Edibles Wherever You Go
UNI Museum—pg. 15
Wheatsfield Co-op—pg. 29
On the cover:
BB 372. Photo by Kurt Michael Friese

Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 3

grist
for the mill

Dear Eater,

We will go just about anywhere, do just about anything,

for the amazing flavors and savors of Iowa. We’ll even
ride our bikes across the entire state for a bite of hard-
wood-grilled Iowa sweet corn, so a big shout-out to all
our fellow RAGBRAI enthusiasts. You folks will be
dipping your front tires in the Mississippi River in
Burlington, so you’ll want to pay special attention to
this issue’s edition of “e 99,” our county-by-county
investigation of the great local foods of Iowa, in which
Criss Roberts and Anna Wilson regail you riders (and
Publishers Kurt & Kim Friese on RAGBRAI, 2008
everyone else!) with stories of all the good eats in Des Moines County.

ere’s much more in this issue as well. Our official refrigerator investigator Rob Cline commits his twelfth fridge raid on the immaculate -
yet nearly empty - icebox of Leslie Charipar, Artistic Director for eatre Cedar Rapids.

Meanwhile we welcome two new writers into the fold, both with a lot to say about flat round breads. Mike Brownlee goes behind the scenes
of Iowa’s first Tortilleria in West Liberty, while Renee Brincks has a lefse recipe and the scoop on the 43rd annual Nordic Fest in Decorah.

While you’re in Decorah, don’t miss visiting the Ancient White Park Cattle at Seed Savers exchange - that’s one of them on the cover - they’ve
just welcomed 50 new calves! Also that’s a good starting point for the Iowa Wine Trail, one of the five wine trails Katie Roche investigates in
our regular column, “Edible Imbibables.”

Back in Iowa City, a unique local business combines food and friends with fiber arts: Brian Morelli visits a Saturday morning “Knitter’s Break-
fast,” at Home Ec, an old-fashioned knitting circle complete with homemade treats from a genuine Sugar-Lovin’ Mama.

Now is the time when Iowa’s bounty can truly strut its stuff. e farmers markets are filling up with the world’s best sweet corn, heirloom
tomatoes and summer squashes. ere’s just no excuse for not eating locally in the summertime in Iowa. When these magnificent foods are
in season, they’re usually cheaper than at the grocery store, removing that last old chestnut some cling to as an excuse. So get out there and
get some of the good stuff, and let Edible be your guide.

As we complete our 3rd year of publication, we offer our heartfelt thanks to our clients and our writers, who make this edible dream a reality
by seeking out and supporting the best food and drink in the state. And a very special thanks to you, Dear Eater, for supporting Edible and
all the great foods and businesses you see in our pages. Your support of the businesses you see here is what makes this publication possible.
So be sure to visit them and thank them personally for supporting great local food and Edible Iowa River Valley

With Relish,
Kim & Kurt

4 www.EdibleIowa.com Summer 2009

 edible
IOWA RIVER VALLEY
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & PUBLISHER
Kurt Michael Friese

MANAGING EDITOR
Kim McWane Friese
WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Renee Brincks
Michael Brownlee
Rob Cline
Kurt Michael Friese
Brian Morelli
Criss Roberts
Katie Roche
Anna Wilson

DESIGNED BY
Kurt Michael Friese

ADVERTISING SALES
To become an Edible Partner, please contact sales manager
Rachel Morey @ 319.241.4442 or
Rachel@EdibleIowa.com

CONTACT US
Edible Iowa River Valley
22 Riverview Drive, NE
Iowa City, Iowa 52240-7973
Telephone: 319.321.7935
Fax: 888.704.1235
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Edible Iowa River Valley takes pride in providing its
subscribers with fast, friendly service.
Subscribe • Give a Gift • Buy an Ad
www.EdibleIowa.com — info@EdibleIowa.com
Edible Iowa River Valley is published quarterly by River Valley
Press, LLC. All rights reserved. Subscription rate is $28 annually.
No part of this publication may be used without written
permission from the publisher. ©2009.
Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions.
If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our
sincere apologies and notify us. Thank you.

Proudly printed in Iowa.

Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 5

 notable
edibles
Cochon 555
A big congratulations to Chef Matt Steigerwald of the Lincoln Café in Mt.
Vernon. He was the first prize winner of the Iowa Edition of Cochon 555 - a
cooking competition and fundraiser that pitted five of Iowa’s best chefs against
each other using five different heritage breed pigs and accompanied by five dif-
ferent wines.
All the food was fantastic, yet Chef Matt managed to beat out some of the
state’s other heavy hitters. Andrew Meek of Sage, Jamie Monaghan of the Em-
bassy Club, Tag Grandgeorge of Le Jardin and Bill Overdyke of Centro all laid
out some amazing pork dishes - even cookies and ice cream made with pork
fat.
Chef Matt will compete in the National Championship against nine other
chefs from all around the country - all to promote heritage breeds and to sup-
port the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society.

www.AmuseCochon.com

Nice Loins
Although he made his bones down on the bayou at the famous New Orleans eatery Bayona,
Chef Ben Haperin of Augusta in Oxford has shown he knows a thing or two about the fare up-
river as well.
e Iowa Pork Producers Association crowned his the “Best Pork Tenderloin in Iowa,” which is
of course to say the best in the world, since Iowa is the undisputed home of the tenderloin and
world heavyweight champion in this particular arena. You can sample this triumph for yourself
(if you’re hungry enough), as well as some good cajun cooking, next time your near Oxford and
looking for some good home cooking.
Augusta - 101 South Augusta, Oxford - www.AugustaRestaurant.net

Celebrating Beer

“is is grain, which any fool can eat,” Friar

Tuck said in the movie Robin Hood, Prince
of ieves, “But for which the Lord intended a higher purpose.” Two excellent op-
portunities to celebrate that divine wisdom are coming up, so mark your calendars.

On September 6th, Millstream Brewing will host 1200 of its closest friends at the
Annual Festival of Iowa Beers in Amana, a celebration of all the great craft beers in
the Hawkeye State, both professional and homebrewed.

en on October 16th, experience the wider world of beer as the annual BrewNost
(Czech for “Beer Night”) gets underway again in Cedar Rapids. It’s especially impor-
tant to support the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Librabry this year in
Photos by Kurt Michael Friese

light of last year’s devastating floods, but what a fun way to do it!

Details for both events are at their respective websites:

www.MillstreamBrewing.com and www.NCSML.org

6 www.EdibleIowa.com Summer 2009

 A Festival of Flavors
e 43rd Nordic Fest Keeps Tradition Alive in Decorah
By Renee Brincks
When Nordic Fest founders sat down in
the late 1960s to plan their annual event,
they pledged to celebrate Decorah’s com-
munity spirit as well as its Norwegian her-
itage. Since then, some 1.5 million visitors
have attended, and more will travel into
town for the 43rd Nordic Fest, this July
23-25.
Part street fair, part historical fête, the an-
nual Scandinavian celebration boasts cul-
tural displays, storytellers, street music
and sporting events. Hundreds of runners
and walkers wind along the Upper Iowa
River for the 5- and 15-kilometer
“Elvelopet” races. Participants heave hefty
stones during the rock throw. And, visi-
tors can’t help but dance during perform-
ances by the Foot-Notes, a local folk
group, and the Nordic Dancers, a troupe
featuring Decorah’s elementary and high
school students.
Often, however, it’s the food at Nordic
Fest that attracts the biggest crowds.
There is, of course, the infamous lutefisk-
eating contest, where dozens of partici-
pants line up to slurp down bowls of
gelatinous dried fish prepared with lye.
The winners of each heat compete for the
first-place prize: Nordic Fest merchandise Kransekake
and a year of unmatched bragging rights.
Guests can savor slightly less daring dishes at community dinners held
throughout the weekend. Those menus typically showcase foods such
as Norwegian meatballs, herring and ham, plus kringla (soft, doughy
twists), mandel-vannbakkel (almond puffs), rosettes (delicate, crispy
pastries) and other sweet treats.
Photo courstesy of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum
To find the true epicurean center of Nordic Fest, however, head to
Decorah’s Water Street. Each year, 20 red and white wooden booths
line several downtown blocks; from inside each, volunteers dish up fla-
vorful Scandinavian fare. Community members volunteer hundreds of
hours to roll out lefse, whisk milk and butter into rommegrot and
sprinkle sugar over rosettes, and proceeds from every food booth fund
local non-profits and school groups.
“What makes this work is the willingness of people to lend their time
and talent,” says Maureen Stockman, who heads up the Nordic Fest
food events. “It’s just amazing that this little town can put on this pro-
duction every year.”
Preparations for the festival’s culinary line-up begin the previous fall.
While many of the same groups host booths each year, new foods are
introduced from time to time. Stockman lists the recent additions of
kransekake, a cake made from ringed pastries, and lingonberry drinks.
Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com
“Occasionally we do have some new peo-
ple come in, which is great. As traditional
as Nordic Fest is, it’s nice to have some-
thing new to offer,” she says.
According to Stockman, food booths
often sell out on Sunday, the last day of
the event, particularly when good weather
inspires stronger-than-average attendance.
Regardless of numbers, servers consis-
tently run short on varme polse. Volun-
teers produce more of these lefse-wrapped
sausages every year – and every year the
dish is snapped up quickly.
Lefse itself is another big draw.
“You wouldn’t believe how excited people
get,” says Stockman. “They are almost lit-
erally licking their chops.”
Karla Erdman has coordinated Nordic
Fest lefse demonstrations for 12 years, or-
ganizing 70 volunteers who typically sell
about 7,000 rounds over 3 days. Dressed
in customary Norwegian attire, the
demonstrators roll out potato-based
dough and bake the traditional food as
visitors look on. When its time to sample
the thin potato pancakes, which look like
tortillas, people head to the toppings
table.
“We have white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter, and the
lefse comes out warm. That butter just melts, and people pour on all
the sugar and cinnamon,” says Erdman. “It’s fun to see how they dress
it up.”
How people then eat lefse is a matter of personal taste, as well. Some
fold their round into a triangle. Others roll it up before taking a bite.
Erdman has even seen friends stage contests, each starting on either
end of a lefse roll and chewing along to the middle.
When fellow Nordic Fest volunteer Barbara Willis and her family eat
lefse for the holidays, they top each round with sausage and soft-boiled
eggs before rolling and dipping the bundle in maple syrup.
Willis, who first volunteered as a lefse demonstrator in the mid-1970s,
says visitors often ask for the secret to perfect lefse. That, she replies, is
simple: a good recipe and the right ingredients.
“I’m sure they didn’t have Idaho potatoes back in Norway, but I always
use Idaho russets,” she says. “I also buy potatoes in netted bags because
they are a little drier than the ones in plastic bags. The drier the po-
tato, the better it rolls.”
7
 Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum,
Decorah
When You
Go...
43rd Annual Nordic Fest:
“Northern deLights”
July 23–25, 2009
800.382.FEST
www.NordicFest.com

Vesterheim
Norwegian-American
Museum
523 W. Water St., Decorah
563.382.9681
www.Vesterheim.org

“We all practice making lefse, and the

little ones do really, really well. It’s so
much fun to watch them,” Willis says.
It’s a tradition she hopes to continue.
“It means a lot. Our parents have
passed away and this just keeps the
family together... Everybody makes a
special effort to get there.”

That same sense of connection draws

Photo courstesy of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

Decorah residents and visitors alike to
Nordic Fest.

“It’s part of our identity, a nod to the

Making lefse is second nature for Willis now. She whips ten pounds of
potatoes into more than 50 rounds with each batch she bakes. How-
ever, her first few years behind the grill weren’t as successful. She says
her earliest attempts “came out like wallpaper paste,” even though
she’d grown up watching her grandmother in the kitchen.
“She made lefse when we were little kids, and we thought nothing of it
when she did it on a little gas stove in the basement. We ate it as fast as
she made it,” Willis says. “But when I moved to Decorah, I thought,
‘Oh, that’s a good place to learn to make lefse.’”
Just as it provides a link to the past, the cultural cuisine connects
Willis’ family today, as well. For the past four years, she and her imme-
diate family have gathered with her brothers and sisters and their chil-
dren for a post-Christmas lefse day.
heritage, and a chance for different generations to get together. This is
a reason to come home,” says Stockman. “It’s a good touchstone for
everybody that’s had anything to do with Decorah – whether that’s
growing up here, going to college here, or what have you.”
And, just as families get together for birthdays, anniversaries and other
annual celebrations, so do community members gather to dine during
Nordic Fest.
“You get excited because this is something you only get once a year. It
reminds you of different points in your life when you were younger
and things were simpler, so there’s that emotional thing,” Stockman
says. “And, this food just tastes good. There’s something about it that
just tastes better than fast food.”

8 www.EdibleIowa.com Summer 2009

Recipes From Nordic Fest
Lefse
Five Foods to Try
2 cups riced potatoes, packed (Russet or other starchy variety preferred)
1 tablespoon butter New to Nordic Fest? Don’t miss these five Scandinavian favorites:
1 tablespoon cream
1 scant cup flour
½ tablespoon sugar Sandbakkels. These crumbly, almond-infused cookies are baked in
1 ½ tablespoon salt fluted tins and sometimes dished up with fresh fruit and cream.

Boil peeled potatoes in salted water, drain, mash, then rice. Add butter
and the cream. Mix and cool.
Just before rolling, add flour, sugar, and salt. Mix by hand or with a
hand mixer.
Roll thin using a cloth covered pastry board and lefse rolling pin. Bake
on a dry hot griddle, turning once. Will make about 8 lefse.
Kransekake. This traditional Norwegian cake, often served for wed-
dings and special celebrations, consists of stacked, ring-shaped pastries
that are crisp on the outside and chewy within. Each layer is drizzled
with sweet icing.
Lefse. Lines form early for these thin, flat, hand-rolled rounds made of
riced potatoes, butter, cream and flour. Lefse is made with special
rolling pins, turning sticks and grills.

Rommegrot Varme Polse. Varme polse is a fitting festival food: The sausage
wrapped in lefse makes a convenient grab-and-go lunch for guests
2 sticks butter bouncing between Nordic Fest events.
1 cup flour
5 cups milk Rommegrot. Often sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, this thick,
¾ cup sugar buttery cream dish resembles porridge in texture and frequently turns
¼ teaspoon salt up on holiday menus.

Melt butter in heavy kettle. Add flour. Cook and stir until well
blended. Add milk. Cook until thick. Add sugar and salt. To serve,
sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 9

 Flat-Out Fresh
Tortilleria el Norte is a West Libery Original
By Mike Brownlee
West Liberty is a pint-sized town of 3,555 in eastern Iowa that is
home to an ever-burgeoning Latino population. As the immigrants
from long ago grow older and the new immigrants arrive, staying
connected to Latino roots can be challenging, especially when it
comes to food.
Gilberto and Marisela Erives moved to West Liberty from Denver in
October of 2004. They knew that despite the high number of Latino
immigrants in the town – predominantly drawn here by West Lib-
erty Foods, the local turkey-processing plant – there were no local
tortilla makers.
Nestled off of Columbus Street, the Tortilleria El Norte factory is a
factory in name only. The pequeña building looks like a house from
the outside, but inside the work being done is no less industrious
than the work at West Liberty Foods.
The “squeak, squeak, squeak” of gears and conveyor belts rings out,
providing the bass-line of each day. Gobs of tortilla dough is com-
pressed into small circles of Latino tradition, while Gilberto con-
stantly darts around the room, interacting with his two employees,
making sure the machines are operating properly and that the tor-
tillas are bagged and stored.
What the Erives strive for is a taste of home. In the villages and
towns of Mexico and other countries of Latin America families make
their tortillas from scratch, cooking up a pile for that night’s dinner.
Fresh tortillas only keep a few days, if that, but taste so much better.
The tortillas made at the factory are simple. For flour tortillas: flour,
lard, a smidgen of salt, and a “secret ingredient” Marisela guards like
a lady guards her age. Despite some prodding, it became clear that
she wasn’t going to reveal the secret ingredient.
Marisela admits that the tortillas have a modicum of preservatives –
“We have to, otherwise the stores wouldn’t buy them because they’d
go bad too quickly,” she says. Customers haven’t seemed to mind the
faint amount of preservatives, however. As the saying goes, the proof
is in the floury, doughy mush. Tortilleria El Norte’s tortillas are best
sellers in West Liberty and elsewhere.
“[Immigrants] want to eat like back home; they want fresh tortillas,”
said 45-year-old Antonio Sosa, the owner of New York Dollar Store,
a Mexican grocery in town. “People want a soft tortilla. The others
dry up earlier.” Sosa says the Tortilleria El Norte tortillas are the
most popular that he sells.
The Erives’ factory has two tortilla-pressing machines, one for flour
and one for corn. Tortilleria El Norte pumps out about 75 bags
(about 50 pounds) of both flour and corn tortillas per day. When
asked how many individual tortillas they produce for a day, Marisela
balks.
10 www.EdibleIowa.com
“Oh my God, I don’t have any idea… Over 1,000 per day.”
In addition to the tortilla factory, in August of 2008 the Erives
opened up a restaurant – Gorditas La Pasadita – next door, serving
up authentic Mexican dishes.
The tortilla factory and restaurant are a family operation, Gilberto
and two sons, work along with one other employee. They make
tortillas from 6 a.m. until around 8 or 9 p.m., five days a week
Marisela helps out in the morning, at night and periodically
throughout the day, but most of her time is spent running the
restaurant.
Jazmine, their 10-year-old daughter, sometimes helps out Mom in
the restaurant after school.
Gilberto stands 5-foot-9, and is wearing a green T-shirt (dusty
from the flour) and a sweat-and-dirt-worn Iowa Hawkeyes hat as
he works on the day’s load of tortillas. He said he is passing a work
ethic and tradition to his children that he learned as a young boy.
He learned how to make tortillas when he was eight years old and
said he has worked in some capacity ever since.
“My parents told me I need to make everything,” the 38-year-old
said. “If you want to make money, you have to learn how to make
everything.”
Tortillas, day-in and day-out. Do they ever get tired of them?
“Yes,” Marisela said. “Even my dreams are sometimes about tor-
tillas. I see tortillas everywhere.”
Given the saturation of tortilla exposure, one might guess that for
their meals at home, the family would just grab a few tortillas on
their way out the factory door after work. Nope. Before leaving for
the restaurant and factory each morning, Marisela usually makes a
pile of tortillas from scratch, to be used for that night’s dinner.
The Erives are both from Mexico. Gilberto hails from the north-
ern city of Chihuahua, while Marisela grew up in Durango, in the
middle of the country. From Durango, Marisela moved to Musca-
tine with her family, while Gilberto eventually ended up in Den-
ver with his family.
“I only planned to stay in U.S. 8 or 9 years,” Gilberto said. “But
my family didn’t want to go back to Mexico.”
Gilberto eventually moved to Muscatine to find work and met
Marisela while there. They moved to Denver, where Gilberto laid
carpet for 11 years. When asked how long the two have been mar-
ried, Marisela paused, having apparently forgotten for a moment.
She laughed and turned to her husband to ask him, in Spanish.
Gilberto thought a moment before responding.
Summer 2009
 “Diecisèis años,” he said. Sixteen years.

It doesn’t take much to make a flour tortilla at home. Marisela

said she uses the same ingredients as they do at the factory, in-
cluding that secret ingredient (is it love?). Mix it all up in a bowl
until it takes on a doughy consistency and let sit five minutes.
The hard part is over.

Next, form small chunks of the dough into balls, lay them out
on your flat surface of choice and roll them into that circle
you’re used to seeing. Heat on a skillet for about a minute or less
on each side and enjoy.

“I remember the first time, I burned my hands,” Marisela said.

She learned how to make tortillas from her mother when she was
10 years old. Marisela was just a little taller than the grill her
mother and she were making them on.

“I was falling and I put my hands out to catch myself,” Marisela

remembered, “right onto the grill.”

Marisela said Tortilleria El Norte tries to give consumers a taste

of what her family gets each day at home, minus any hand burn-
ing.

“I try to do it like the original,” she said. “We want to be differ-

ent.”

In addition to the factory, Tortilleria El Norte tortillas are sold

throughout Eastern Iowa, including grocery stores in Iowa City,
Coralville, Cedar Rapids, Muscatine, Davenport and Columbus
Junction, along with Moline, Ill.

Roxana Ochoa of Iowa City says Tortilleria El Norte tortillas are

all she buys – “Solo compro.” The Honduras native buys them at
El Paso and La Reyna, two tiendas in Iowa City. She says they’re
better than the other options in her grocer’s tortilla section.

Jim Peterson, 56, of West Liberty goes directly to the source to

buy his tortillas, pulling his work-worn white truck into the fac-
tory’s gravel parking lot.

“They taste wonderful. Close to town, fresh,” Peterson said. “It’s

important that they’re a local business.”

For the college set, 20 minutes down the highway in Iowa City,
the tortillas are superior to most rivals when it comes to a staple
of the collegiate diet – a microwaved tortilla-with-cheese. While
most tortillas harden and become about as easy to fold as
origami, Tortilleria El Norte tortillas remain soft and flexible.

Sitting in the restaurant – a quick respite before the lunch crowd – Marisela is wearing a flo-
ral-patterned blouse and tan pants, covered by an apron. Three packages of flour tortillas lay
before her: Azteca, Mi Mama’s and her own, Tortelleria El Norte. When You Go...
“The others have a lot of preservatives, you can see in the colors,” Marisela said. “Too white.”

She explains that the preservatives make them last longer than her tortillas. But those preserv- Tortilleria el Norte &
atives also make the tortillas more chewy, stale and bland. Gorditas La Pasadita
Gilberto & Marisela Erives, Owners
“Those can stay out of the fridge for two-to-three weeks.”
Photos by Kurt Michael Friese

1100 North Columbus Street

The more preservatives, the longer the tortillas stay good and the longer they’ll last outside of West Liberty
refrigeration. That’s why at the grocery store there are mounds of tortillas in non-refrigerated 319.627.2617
aisles, with just a few brands near the cheese and deli meat. The Tortilleria El Norte tortillas
are browner, thinner, moister. Marisela examines her own, then looks at the competitors.

“They look nice, but…”

Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 11

 Sewing Seeds of Community
A Knitter’s Breakfast at Home Ec in Iowa City
By Brian Morelli
Tucked in the north side of Iowa City's downtown is a shop offering
something a little different. It's a little bit crafts. It's a little bit sweets.
It's a little bit of a social scene; and, it's a lot of heart and soul. At its
root, Home Ec Workshop is a boutique where people make things
from scratch.
Co-owner Alisa Weinstein can describe it best.
"Home Ec is a natural fiber fabric, yarn and craft supply boutique with
an espresso bar and Sugar Lovin' Mama's homemade baked goods. We
feature a workshop space for sewing projects and it is a gathering spot
for people interested in making things with their hands," she said.
Stop in on Saturday mornings to feel the pulse of the business, Wein-
stein said. that is when Home Ec hosts its Knitters' Breakfast. Fifteen
or so regulars and a mix of newcomers help ensure a vibrant scene
week after week. ey mingle in the heart of the shop made cozy with
a red couch encircled by wooden chairs and stools lining a service
counter filled with quiche, blueberry coffee cake and cookies. Here,
young and old gather to create. ey knit, inspire one another, chat,
sip on coffee and nosh on goodies.
12 www.EdibleIowa.com
"A lot of people come in to knit and hangout and wind up getting
something to eat," Heidi Anderson said.
Anderson, who operates as a separate entity called Sugar Lovin'
Mama's, has baked for Home Ec since it opened in 2008. e spread
she prepares is not countless. Rather, Anderson prepares a few high
quality items a day. Cookies are always on the menu, and a second
item changes at her whim.
She makes everything there, behind the counter, wafting friendly aro-
mas through the store while knitters knit and seamstresses sew. e set
up is pretty basic. She has a small red convection oven, a stand blender
and a little bit of counter space to whip up her edibles.
Her cupcakes every Friday seem to be gaining a following, she said.
"e cup cakes are a big deal. People call and want to know what's the
cup cake [of the day]." Anderson said.
Most items she makes have fresh, local flavors. When available, Ander-
son sources the eggs for her quiche from an Amish family in Kalona.
Her children picked a freezer full of blueberries that make appearances
in cakes and muffins, and she put the kids to work last fall picking ap-
ples from Wilson's Orchard that became the filling for apple turnovers.
Local produce is not always an option, but everything Anderson serves
is made fresh, from scratch and by hand, she said. Oh, and the serv-
ability barometer; her three kids -- 8-year-old twins and a three year
old -- often get the first crack at a new recipe. ey give the thumbs up
or down.
"I want it to be something your grandmother would make. Home-style
baking" e home-style feel extends beyond the baked goods. Every-
thing about Home Ec screams, "from scratch."
"People do spend a lot of time here, and the food is a good way to
recharge," Weinstein said.
Skeins of yarn decorate displays with heather grays, cornflower blues
and burgundies in one room. Rolls of catchy fabrics ranging from vin-
tage to modern adorn another section of the store. Knit sweaters,
shawls, scarves and aprons are draped on furniture and hung on walls
throughout for inspiration. Advanced knitters and seamstresses often
provide advice or suggestions for novices. Locally-made hand-spun
yarns also supplement the stocks.
"We carry the kinds of materials that inspire you to want to make
something with them, and material that when you make it are worth
your time," Weinstein said. On consignment, they sell products from
Lone Tree Wools, Bluest Girl of Iowa City, Lamb Lane of Fort Madi-
son, among others.
An ice cream cone person made by Jody Stoffer 32, of Iowa City, sits
on the local shelf. Stoffer knit that at Home Ec, and put in on display.
She works at a downtown law office and stops in daily. Typically visit-
ing on her lunch break, she also attends most of the Knitters' Break-
fasts on Saturdays. Building crafts into her routine ensures she keeps at
it, and being surrounded by other creative minds helps with trou-
bleshooting and new ideas for projects.
Summer 2009
 "It has become my hangout," Stoffer said. "I came to check it out and Whenever you come, Weinstein said, you will find a positive, friendly
kept coming back because it has great product, great food and great environment filled with creative, artistic, do-it-yourselfers.
classes."
"People always come in and say how inspired they feel when they walk
Some patrons simply drop in to pick up something; others come in and into the store. I think it is positive and colorful. It is open and friendly
stay for a few hours. Either way is OK, Weinstein said. On most Sun- to people of all ages. It has a really nice vibe," Weinstein smiled. "A lot
days from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., a group called the Knit Wits meets at of people make friends here."
Home Ec e group is open to anyone, Weinstein said.
Home Ec offers a variety of classes each month, ranging from sewing,
quilting, and toy making to screen printing. ey cost on average $35, When You Go...
Weinstein said.
Photos by Kurt Michael Friese

In back is the workshop, lined with sewing machines and a large craft
table. People pay by the hour to use that space, and Weinstein and co- Hours:
owner Codi Josephson provide advice on projects. Home Ec Workshop Mon-ur, 10am -7pm
207 N. Linn St., Iowa City Friday, 10am – 6pm
Stoffer has taken a sewing class and one on cake decorating. She also 319.337.4775 Saturday, 10am – 5pm
offers a class with her husband on making sock dolls. HomeEcWorkshop.com Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 13

 edible
iowa river valley
Opportunities are available for upcoming issues.
Contact sales manager Rachel Morey @
319.241.4442 or Rachel@EdibleIowa.com

14 www.EdibleIowa.com Summer 2009

Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 15
 Edible Imbibables
By Katie Roche
On the Trail of Great Iowa Wines
California produces 90 percent of the wine made in America, but
you don't have to go all the way to Sonoma to taste good wines. A
great variety is made right here in Iowa. With the development of
cold tolerant wine grape hybrids created by the University of Min-
nesota and Cornell University in New York, Iowa was ready with
plentiful soil and strong agricultural roots to lay a bedrock for a vi-
able wine industry.
Perhaps as important to this growth was the role of various support-
ive institutions, such as the Des Moines Area Community College,
which has strategically positioned its programs to provide training
and certification for everyone from growers to sommeliers. In Cedar
Rapids, Kirkwood Community College now has a vineyard and a
vineyard management program. Meanwhile the Iowa Wine Growers
Association, which formed in 2000, brought Iowa State University,
Community Colleges, the Iowa Departments of Agriculture and
Economic Development and legislators on board to help grow this
industry.
With just over 40 grape varieties in the mix, Iowa has gone from
vine to bottle in less than a decade and in bigger numbers than any
of its neighbors. Iowa is rated 14th in number of wineries and 23rd
16 www.EdibleIowa.com
in wine production. Helping to make sure this industry sticks
around is as easy as buying Iowa wine. Not only do you support it
directly, but every time you buy Iowa wine the tax you pay helps to
fund the agencies that support the wine industry. Since most winer-
ies don’t turn much of a profit in their first decade, it’s just this sort
of encouragement that these mostly family-run businesses need to
help them handle the minimum $250,000 start-up costs. Iowa’s
wine excise tax is the 3rd highest in the nation (at $1.75/gallon) to
help guarantee that our grapes are here to stay.
e Midwest has been producing so much wine that the 3-year-old
Mid-American Wine Competition has expanded to include 16
states. With a combined 640 entries, the umbrella title of the “Mid-
west” is stretched outside of the usual boundaries to include states
like Kentucky and Tennessee.
Photo by Kurt Michael Friese
Now that you have something to brag about, jump in your car, des-
ignate a driver who will sample grape jelly instead of grape drink
and explore the wine trails of Iowa. You might be surprised by how
the Iowa countryside can be even more gorgeous when groomed for
growing grapes.
Summer 2009
Amana Colonies Wine Trail
If you’ve never been to the Amana Colonies, this idyllic community
will charm your socks off. It's a great place to bring visitors to learn
about the European settling of the Midwest. Little has changed in
their food, architecture, wine and liqueur varieties.
e Ackerman Winery is a 3rd generation facility with 54 years of
fruit wine experience and 300 awards including 86 gold medals.
Sampling here is tons of fun because of the sheer variety on hand.
Close by is the Village Winery with 15 varieties of fruit and berry
wines, including favorites like cranberry, apricot, blackberry and
raspberry. Just a few minutes away is Little Amana Winery, which
encourages the sampling of their fruit/dessert wines and six table
wines. is trail is short and sweet and could take you just an after-
noon, but I would hit one winery before lunch, grab a bite at one of
the fabulous Amana farm kitchen restaurants, and finish out the af-
ternoon with some lazy sampling.
Heart of Iowa Wine Trail
e “Heart of Iowa” wine trail covers approximately the central one
third of the state from north to south. From the party room at the
Eagle City Winery in Iowa Falls (between Webster City and Cedar
Falls) to the live entertainment and beautiful grounds at the South-
ern Hills Winery in Osceola, the Heart of Iowa Wine Trail is expan-
sive. With 15 wineries in all, you might need a long weekend to
conquer this one. Try to go when one of the many wineries that
offer entertainment are putting up a show. Imagine sipping wine
surrounded by rolling hills of grapevines and listening to some great
music. Not bad at all.
Most of the wineries included in the Heart of Iowa Wine Trail have
sampling rooms on location at the vineyards and some even have
food on hand. It’s fun pairing food and wines with the people that
know the wine best, but if you plan to spend an afternoon and food
is not provided on location, most wineries will allow you to bring in
a picnic. You might think to call in advance and get recommenda-
tions for food pairings, to get the most out of your picnic. Plan on
taking a tour to learn more about the stewardship of the land in-
volved in growing grapes. Visit the sterling facilities of Tassel Ridge
near Oskaloosa and try their bubbly Osky Fizzante. Or, think about
planning a party or reception at one of the vineyards, such as La
Vida Loca in Indianola.
Iowa Wine Trail
ere is something about the upper Mississippi Valley wine region
that reminds me of Tuscany. e low valleys tend to fill with fog in
Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com
early morning and the rolling hills catch the vibrant sunset, espe-
cially in the fall. e landscape will make you feel like you have es-
caped to another part of the world.
Bankston’s Park Farm Winery is a family run operation, which fea-
tures an Italian style villa with long views of the valley from a vast
terra cotta tiled sampling room. If you ever wanted to throw a really
memorable party, this is the place to do it. e wine is excellent,
with interesting labels making them great for gift giving.
roughout the Iowa Wine Trail there are quite a few gems to be-
hold. e oak fermented Sutliff Cider in Lisbon is a refreshing alter-
native to wine. Venturing from the wineries towards the Mississippi
brings you into little river villages where you can pop a bottle and
sample some local food. Ask for restaurant recommendations at the
wineries.
Western Iowa Wine Trail
Mark your calendars for «Holiday Entertaining with the Western
Iowa Wine Trail,» November 8th and 9th this year. Or get there
while the weather's still warm and meander through the Loess Hills
sampling the wares of the seven wineries on Iowa's newest wine trail.
ey feature both traditional grape and assorted fruit varieties, all lo-
cally grown in the unusual soil of the region.
Tastes are always free, and most offer wine by the glass in addition to
bottles to take home. Some have tasty food as well.
Scenic Rivers Wine Trail
is is the biggest trail of them all with 13 vineyards and 15 winer-
ies. It stretches into three states, and Iowa has almost half of the
wineries. On this journey you'll find the Christian Herschler Dis-
trict Winery and Stagecoach Stop, (mentioned in the last issue of
Edible), as well as the Lindon Winery (discussed in this issue on
page 22).
Each winery on the trail is small and family owned, and each wine-
maker is eager to share methods and discuss the mysteries of the
grape. Like the others they plan numerous events both individually
and as a group.
When You Go...
For maps, lists of wineries and details on the on all of the Iowa
Wine Trails go to: www.IowaWineAndBeer.com.
17
 Reviving an Ancient Breed
Seed Savers Exchange Protects Animal Diversity Too
By Kurt Michael Friese
We could hear the bellowing long before we could see the bovine per-
petrator, a new mother cow who had somehow managed to get on the
wrong side of the barbed wire fence from the herd – and therefore her
calf. She was not pleased.
While I opened one gate (and hid behind it), Aaron Whealey, vice
president and chief cowboy of Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah,
opened the other and encouraged the wayward mom to pass through
both gates and rejoin the herd and her calf. With one last bellow at me
as she passed, the family was reunited. The erstwhile orphan was one
of 50 new calves expected this season from the Seed Savers Exchange
herd of Ancient White Park Cattle. A tiny number in a state that regu-
larly sees herds of thousands in their feedlots, but this is no ordinary
herd, nor ordinary cow.
The Ancient White Park, also sometimes called “White Forest,”
“White Horned,” “Wild White,” or simply “Park,” has a recorded his-
tory that goes back more than 800 years. Their first literary mention
comes from a 13th century Irish epic called Táin Bó Cúalnge or The
Cattle Raid of Cooley:
It was at that time that the Morrígan daughter of Ernmas
from the fairy-mounds came to destroy Cú Chulainn, for she
had vowed on the Foray of Regamain that she would come
and destroy Cú Chulainn when he was fighting with a
mighty warrior on the Foray of Cúailnge. So the Morrígan
came there in the guise of a white, red-eared heifer accompa-
nied by fifty heifers, each pair linked together with a chain of
white bronze.
The author’s name is lost to history, and this noble breed nearly was
too. In fact even today the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
lists the White Park as “critical,” a term that means that there are
“Fewer than 200 annual registrations in the United States and esti-
mated global population less than 2,000.” So the pair we had just
helped reunite were important indeed. The 50 new calves at Seed
Savers could be counted among the 500 expected at ranches in Vir-
ginia, Nebraska, and Montana. If they all get registered, they just
might help the White Park move up a notch on the ALBC list of pa-
18 www.EdibleIowa.com
rameters from critical to the not-exactly-reassuring “threatened.” But
nothing is sure when it comes to farming.
These noble cattle, with their distinctive white coats, reddish ears and
long, imposing horns first came to North America as a single breeding
pair sent to the Toronto Zoo from England in 1939 to protect the
breed due to fears of Nazi invasion. From there they went to the
Bronx Zoo, and later to a ranch in Texas. The small herd, descended
from that pair, was brought to Iowa in 1981 by the Moeckly Farm of
Polk City. A couple of the heifer calves were then bought by Seed
Savers just before the rest of the herd was bought by B Bar Ranch in
Emigrant, Montana, where today 80 percent of this year’s calves are ex-
pected.
Now I am a city boy born-and-bred and know precious little about
how to care for these creatures before they reach my kitchen. With
each heifer averaging three-quarters-of-a-ton it took some encourage-
ment to get me to enter the pasture to snap a few photos. These are
not the docile, de-horned creatures of Old MacDonald’s Farm, but
rather a social herd of very protective mothers, some with horns longer
than my arm. I cautiously entered, and the bellowing began again –
“moo” does not describe it.
This behavior is part of the reason some ranchers are starting to
awaken to the benefits of the breed. They calve easily and on their
own (Aaron says he’s never pulled a calf from a Park), are fiercely pro-
tective of their young, live and grow quite happily on pasture, and de-
liver exceptional quality meat. None of Seed Savers’ herd has ever seen
a veterinarian.
Happily the herd’s behavior was more wary than aggressive. They did
Photos by Kurt Michael Friese
not, as I had feared, smell my urban upbringing and thus realize that
they had the upper hoof. Or maybe they just wanted to lull me into
getting just a little too close and then hook the strap of my Nikon with
what appeared to be needle-sharp horns. Whether I was reading too
much into the situation or not, all this from what turned out to be the
smaller of the two herds kept on Seed Savers’ rolling acreage.
Whealey and his counterparts on the B Bar Ranch in Montana, in ad-
Summer 2009
Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 19
dition to Alec Bradford in Virginia and Lance Kuck in Nebraska, who
Thai Beef Salad
each keep smaller herds, are keeping separate groups on their lands to 2 pounds beef flank steak (or substitute skirt)
strengthen the genetic variety within the breed. Scrupulous attention
to which calf came from which heifer and which bull prevents in- For the Marinade:
breeding and thus reinforces the herd. This is important not only to
the genetic code, but also to the marketability of the cattle. In this 2 teaspoon soy sauce
eat-it-to-save-it model, encouraging more ranchers to take on the 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
breed is vital. A strong herd makes that more likely. 1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 lime, juiced
Nature is not monolithic. It can only thrive with diversity, so protect- 2 cloves garlic, minced
ing a wide variety of breeds strengthens each species. In order to en- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
courage that to happen in the modern world, one effective method is 1/2 each red onion, minced
to create markets for the product. Recent successes in this model have 1/3 cup peanut oil
been seen with the American Bison, and with the four formerly en- 1/2 teaspoon tuong ot toi (a Vietnamese chili paste, available in
dangered breeds of turkeys that Slow Food USA’s Ark project brought most Asian markets)
back from the brink – The American Bronze, the Bourbon Red, the
Jersey Buff and the Narragansett. Now not only is Seed Savers helping For the Dressing:
to rescue the Ancient White Park, but it has begun working with sev-
eral heritage breeds of poultry as well. 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
As I gingerly approach a calf, it seems curious at first, but one stern 1 tablespoon ginger
warning from its nearby mother sends the youngster scurrying behind 1 clove garlic
her for protection. I think I’m gaining ground, getting some decent 1 teaspoon tuong ot toi
images. Just then Whealey points out to me that while I’ve been fo- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
cusing on what was in front of me, the herd was not retreating – it was 1/2 cup peanut oil
surrounding. Best to retreat myself before they realized I’d be prepar- 1 sweet red bell pepper, julienned
ing one of their kin for dinner. 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Marinate the beef in the next 9 ingredients 1 hour to overnight.

Remove the beef from the marinade, scrape off excess. Grill or
broil on high heat just a couple minutes on each side, to medium
rare.

Slice the beef thin and on a bias, as if for fajitas, and toss with the
remaining ingredients. Chill thoroughly before serving.

Serves 4 as an entrée. 8 as a salad. Keeps refrigerated for 2-3 days.

20 www.EdibleIowa.com Summer 2009

 The 99
By Anna Wilson and Criss Roberts

RAGBRAI’s Final Stop is Full of Flavors

Back when Iowa was a twinkle in the eye of the United States, Burlington was a capital
city. Before Iowa City, long before Des Moines, this town on the banks of the Missis-
sippi River was where legislators from the Wisconsin Terroritory came to tame the
wilderness.
Des Moines County – and the city that now serves as Iowa’s capitol – are named after
the river. Once the home of Sac and Fox tribes of Indians and a branch of the American
Fur Company, this area where the Des Moines meets the Mississippi lost the legislature
but grew as steamboats plied the waters and farmers tilled the land. Burlington, the
county seat, welcomed German and Irish immigrants who built homes on the city’s
North, South and West hills. In 1887 it became the birthplace of Aldo Leopold, the fa-
mous naturalist and author for whom the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at
Iowa State University is named.
Burlington is the hub of the local food movement with a thriving farmers market and
several restaurants serving up something interesting (and more rumored to come.) at
cultural past has melded together, coming full circle as several community restaurants
pledge their support to the local, sustainable food movement.
e only thing missing from La Tavola, a gem-like Italian eatery, are the checked table-
cloths and candle-holding Chianti bottles. at, and empty tables, since La Tavola fills
up fast and frequently. Reservations are highly recommended. is trattoria is a new-
comer to the food scene – opening in November 2007. Sicilian Carlo Falcone came to
Burlington, leaving his brothers to run the family’s three New Jersery pizzerias, at the
suggestion of his sister-in-law. His wife Carla is a Kansas native, but her sister Cathy
works at the local community college and saw opportunity. e Falcones have a tidy
menu of southern Italian classics ranging from generous portions of chicken parmigiana
to linguine in clam sauce.
When area native Danielle Munson moved back to Burlington from Boca Raton,
Florida, she missed some of the boutiques and the trendy restaurants. So she opened her
own version in the Bazaar Boutique.
Tucked in the back of the classy shop is the funky little wine bar, with a varying selec-
tion and weekly specials. Open since May 1, the Bazaar Bar is a work in progress with
limited hours and a casual elegance.
If you are more of a beer person, Mister Moto’s Café is a coffee shop and restaurant by
day with fantastic coffee and breakfast fare, and a bar by night, with an extensive beer
list and a vegetarian pizza menu. ursday features local musicians in a quasi open mike
night. e pizzas – and let’s repeat: Vegetarian – are great. e baked goods are mouth-
watering. Lunches center on paninis and salads. More ambitious lunch items are on
hold until Nathalie Girod, who partners with designer Kevin Bangert, in the enterprise,
returns from Paris. is bodes well. Mister Moto’s is worth a visit simply to view
Bangert’s artistic efforts, from the tile skeletons on the floor to the funky restrooms in
the former factory building.
e Drake offers a fine, though limited, view of the Mighty Mississippi, and it main-
tains a deep commitment to local foods. e wide-ranging menu includes locally pro-
duced elk and duck and chef Mike Clem makes an effort to visit local farmers for
produce. Situated in a refurbished hardware store and renovated with artifacts from
Burlington’s past, owner Sam Jennison takes a personal interest in expanding the restau-
rant’s already fine wine collection. e outside courtyard regularly rocks with regional
bands on weekends.

Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 21

 Aussie Dr. Philip Eves moved to Burlington with wife Mary, a native,
and opened Digger’s Rest Coffeehouse. His specialties are tasty little
sandwiches (the bread’s from New Pioneer Co-op in Iowa City), in-
house roasted coffee and Wednesday ai food lunches cooked by
Nonia Workman, a former ailand tourism official who followed
her husband, a local firefighter, to Iowa.
e Burlington Farmers Market is held at the scenic and historic
Port of Burlington, right below the towering Great River Bridge
every ursday and Saturday throughout the season (though on Sep-
tember 17 it moves to the band shell in Crapo Park). is is rapidly
becoming one of the best and best-attended markets in the state, fea-
turing everything Iowans have come to expect in our fabulous mar-
kets, and more. You can even find soap made from local goats milk,
made by Doreen Roy of the Wholesome Basket.
For a little taste of wine, visit the Lindon Winery – only be careful,
it’s easy to fly right by their hidden driveway and tiny little sign as
you cruise up Highway 61. But if you do spot it, treat yourself to
their magnificent Sherry – a fortified wine made with grapes grown
literally right next to the winery. Lindon is a member of the Scenic
Rivers Wine Trail, mentioned on page 17.
With too many delicious finds to fit in these pages, you’re sure to
have plenty to taste, smell and see on a visit to Des Moines County.

When You Go....

La Tavola Italian Restaurant & Pizza
316 N. Fourth St., Burlington
319.768.5600

Bazaar Bar
212 Jefferson St., Burlington
319.754.4800
www.Bazaar-Boutique.net

Mister Moto’s Café

122 North 4th St., Burlington
319.754.1965

e Drake
106 Washington St., Burlington
319.754.1036
www.eDrakeRestaurant.com

Digger’s Rest Coffeehouse

314 Jefferson St., Burlington
319.758.6067
Photo by Kurt Michael Friese

Lindon Wines
12646 Highway 61, Burlington
319.753.1072

e Wholesome Basket
1719 South St., Burlington
319.754.7891
www.eWholesomeBasket.com

22 www.EdibleIowa.com Summer 2009

Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 23
 1,000
Words
Chiles at the Market

Photo by Kurt Michael Friese

24 www.EdibleIowa.com Summer 2009

Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 25
 Behind Closed Doors
By Rob Cline

Starving Artist
The term “starving artist” is inescapable when Leslie Charipar opens
her refrigerator. Of the many fridges I have intrepidly investigated,
Leslie’s was easily the emptiest. Emptiest, but certainly not empty.
We’ll get to its limited contents in just a moment.
First, the lowdown on Leslie: She’s the artistic director for Theatre
Cedar Rapids, a non-professional theatre company celebrating its 75th
season. I’ve known Leslie since we served together on the board of the
Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance. She’s passionately committed to the
area’s cultural scene in general and to TCR in particular.
day morning coffee. That’s not just brew it and run to work.”
Negative space
The bottom shelf and produce drawers of Leslie’s fridge were com-
pletely devoid of content on the day I visited.
“That whole lower shelf is reserved for Diet Coke,” said Leslie, point-
ing out that for the time being she had been reduced to purchasing a
two-liter of her favorite beverage.

Every now and again, I have the opportunity to get crosswise of Leslie (Permanently) Frozen foods
in my role as a theatre reviewer, but she is unfailingly gracious—de-
spite being one of the sharpest wits one is likely to encounter. And Leslie’s freezer is full of foods that come with stories. Take, for exam-
truth to tell, TCR consistently offers audiences and critics much more ple, her bag of VIP Quality Plus Soybeans. “This was something I
to like than to dislike. was going to eat, but then I sprained my ankle and it became some-
thing to take the swelling down.” In-
As for Leslie’s fridge, however, its meager contents include both things deed, the bag has been refrozen in
she likes and, oddly enough, things she dislikes. “This is my such a way that one could imagine it
curved around Leslie’s ankle.
Of cheese and coffee I’m-wait- The Mr. Dell’s Original Potato Casse-
“This is my I’m-waiting-for-my-paycheck-to-buy-groceries fridge,”
Leslie explained as we gazed over the sparsely populated icebox land-
ing-for-my- role lost out to a box of donuts during
a blue afternoon shared with a friend.
scape.
paycheck- Trouble is, the friend brought over the
casserole. “I can’t throw them away be-
The first thing I noticed in the refrigerator was a meager collection of cause at some point she’s going to say,
bottled beer, a beverage Leslie doesn’t imbibe. “I always have left over
beers from parties because I don’t buy it, but this way I can offer
to-buy- ‘Hey, what about those potatoes?’”

someone a beer,” she said. The food-from-parties refrain was just be-
ginning.
groceries Prominently displayed in the freezer’s
door, however, is the piece de résistance:

But Leslie pointed out two other items as the fridge door swung open. fridge,” A Deli Express Mega Muffaletta.

Returning from a conference in Ab-

“This is pretty indicative of me, really—cheese and coffee.”
There was, indeed, cheese. Provolone for sandwiches, for example.
But there was also an unopened package of Swiss cheese. This item
had two things in common with the beer: it was leftover from a party
and Leslie is unlikely to eat it.
“I don’t have the heart to throw it away,” she said, “because it’s good
food. But apparently nobody else at the party liked Swiss either be-
cause that’s all that was left.”
erdeen, Texas in 2005, Leslie and company stopped at a convenience
store. Leslie assured her comrades that she didn’t need anything, but
one of her peers was so moved by the combination of spicy ham,
pepperoni, and provolone cheese on offer in the Mega Muffaletta
that he purchased one for her.
“I said I would keep it forever,” Leslie said. “This is sort of its exhibi-
tion spot.”
Unlikely to be eaten

A large red container of Folgers coffee occupies a prominent spot on The Mega Muffaletta is not the only item in the icebox unlikely to be
the top shelf. Like many people, Leslie has heard that keeping coffee consumed. There is a bottle of squeeze grape jelly—another gift from
in the refrigerator keeps it fresher, but that’s not the only reason it’s in a cast member—that has remained unopened though its original ac-
there. companiments of peanut butter and bread have long been consumed.

“Frankly, it’s just a good place to keep it.”
This isn’t any old Folgers, by the way. “It’s Black Silk,” Leslie said
wryly. “That’s their darkest blend. It’s ‘bold, yet smooth.’”
A member of the cast of TCR’s recent production of Hair who works
at Starbucks provided Leslie with some (expired) beans. “That’s a Sun-
There’s the unopened bottle of sweet relish left over from a cookout:
“I didn’t want them to go to waste so I put them in my fridge—
where they’ll go to waste.”
There’s the frozen package of Alexia Oven Reds: “Those expired this
year, but I’m never going to eat them.”

26 www.EdibleIowa.com Summer 2009

 Finally, the flour

Leslie also had a couple of bags of flour on the top shelf of her fridge,
for much the same reason the coffee is in there—because she’s been
told that it keeps it fresh. She seems intent on testing that proposi-
tion, however.

“I’m going to guess that flour has been in there for a good two or
three years,” she said, taking it out to take a look at the dates which
suggest that she’s quite right. “But honestly, how does flour go bad?
See? I’m putting it back in.”
Photos by Kurt Michael Friese

Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 27

28 www.EdibleIowa.com Summer 2009
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Summer 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 29

 The Last Word
By Kurt Michael Friese

What We Eat When We Eat Alone

So much of our daily meal plan- As a companion to the book,

ning centers on how many peo- she’s put a video up on YouTube
ple we are feeding. In most with a few vignettes. ere the
cases it’s two, or four, or more examples truly run the gamut:
people for each meal. When
holidays and other festivities roll “A spelt tortilla, with olive oil,
around, it’s even more. We and gomasio, and wakame, and
must consider the tastes and di- you could put anything rolled up
etary restrictions of everyone at in that”
the table in order to provide a
meal that is at once healthy, “My favorite vegetable is bacon”
tasty, and interesting,
“I do things like open up a can of
But what happens when we eat tuna and mix it with some cot-
alone? tage cheese. at’s about as cre-
ative as I can get”
is is among the most private,
personal, and intimate of acts. “I like to do a pork tenderloin,
We are free to express our inner- and I do it slow over the grill,
most cravings; secret desires that with jerk sauce.”
we dare not share with others
for fear of judgment or ridicule. Not only does this book bring us
the secret voyeuristic thrill of
e gourmet chef might treat peeking into our neighbors’ pri-
himself to a can of Hormel chili vate preferences, it supplies us
his mother served when he was a child. A kid might eat sour cream with simple to execute yet incredibly delicious meals scaled especially
sprinkled with brown sugar. e “NASCAR dad” may have a slice of for one person to enjoy on their own. Sure you could double the
quiche when his friends aren’t looking, aware as he is that it was in- recipe for a guest, but that’s spoiling the secret.
vented not as a test of masculinity but rather to use up leftovers. As
for me, more often than not it’s chips and salsa. In one recipe, for a guacamole, Madison offers simple advice and in-
vents my new favorite word, “salady.”
James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Deborah Madison set
out to encourage people to reveal these intimate moments in her latest “Given that this, along with some blue corn chips or a warm tortilla,
book, What We Eat When We Eat Alone. is slim yet quite entertain- might be your dinner, this guacamole has a bit more tomato than
ing volume contains both stories and a full 100 recipes from people of normal, making it a bit more salady.”
nearly every walk of life. From kids to senior citizens, farmers to city Guacamole for One
slickers, nearly everyone has something secret they love to eat. Many
have funny or even heartwarming reasons why they eat it. 1 tablespoon finely diced white onion
Take for example Madison’s friend, peach farmer and writer David 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Mas Masumoto, explaining why he almost always turns to leftovers
when eating by himself: 1 teaspoon finely diced jalapeño chile
“I immediately miss my wife, and leftovers are a way of reliving a ¼ teaspoon salt
meal. I have often wondered how someone eats after a spouse or part-
ner dies. Reliving a meal can be both sad and yet memorable. Besides, 1 avocado
Illustration by Patrick McFarlin

leftovers are usually not that bad.”

Madison’s husband Patrick McFarlin, an artist who illustrated not
only this latest work but also Local Flavors, the one that garnered her
that James Beard Award, tells in that same chapter of making a deli-
cious - if somewhat messy - version of fried cornmeal mush by
browning leftover polenta in a pan in his studio and topping it with
fresh mozzarella.
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon lime juice, or to taste
Chop the onion, cilantro, and the chile with ¼ teaspoon salt to make
a rough paste. Peel and mash the avocado with a fork, keeping it
chunky. Add the onion mixture and tomatoes, season with half the
lime juice, then taste and add more, if needed.

30 www.EdibleIowa.com Summer 2009