edible

Member of Edible Communities

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IOWA RIVER VALLEY
Winter 2009 Celebrating the Abundance of Local Foods, Season by Season Number 10

Local Heroes - MaidRites - Michael Ruhlman

Cedar Ridge - NAIS & COOL
 Contents
Winter 2009

7
Departments
4 Grist for the Mill
Change

7 Notable Edibles
Tasty tidbits to savor

17 Behind Closed Doors

With Czech & Sloval Museum director
Jason Wright
By Rob Cline

26 Edible Imbibables
Cedar Ridge Lemoncella
By Katie Roche
24 10
24 Incredible Edibles Features
CR’s flooded restaurants rebuild
By Brian Morelli 22 NAIS/COOL
Are bureaucrats deciding what you eat? — Kristine Kopperud Jepsen
30 Advertiser Directory
Support those who support local food 8 An Iowa Icon
MaidRites in their 9th decade— By Riki Saltzman
31 Subscription Form
Get Edible delivered right to your home 10 Edible Nation
Your local grocer can save the world— By Mark Ruhlman

20 Local Heroes
On the cover: Edible Iowa’s readers have spoken
La Quercia Prosciutto, one of this year’s Local 28 Edible Communities
Heroes. Photo by Kurt Michael Friese
Edibles around the country

Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 3

grist
for the mill

Dear Eater,

It is with high hopes but a heay heart that we bid farewell to founding
publisher Wendy Wasserman, who is doing the greener-pastures thing
in our nation’s capitol. Wendy nurtured the nascent Edible Iowa River
Valley from crazy idea through harebrained scheme and straight-on to
raging success. Her eye for detail will be sorely missed, as will her en-
thusiasm for great local food and her fascination with Mississippi
River.

us the “we” referred to here is now the pair you see pictured at
right. Having worked together on many other endeavors (including
marriage, though that’s hardly work) for more than two decades, we
feel ready and able to take up the mantle and attempt to fill the copi-
ous void left by Wendy’s departure. Good luck and say hello to the
new President for us Wendy.

is 10th edition of Edible Iowa brings a collection of stories with a

slight European bent, as well as a downhome favorite and a dash of
politics. Returning from a maternal leave (welcome to the world, lit-
tle Ms. Stella) is our own Katie Roche with the story of the marvelous
Lemoncella being made by Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery, en
Rob Cline returns with his ongoing series of fridge raids: this time he’s
nosing around in Knedlicky-filled freezer of Jason Wright, the director
of the National Czech and Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids.

Meanwhile Brian Morelli brings us up to speed on flood recovery

efforts in Downtown CR, and Iowa Arts Council folklorist Riki Publishers Kurt & Kim Friese
Saltzman looks into the eight-decade history of the original Maid-Rite (with the considerable help of her daughter Eva.

With a view from elsewhere in the Heartland we welcome Mark Ruhlman to the Edible Iowa family. e author of e Reach of Chef and
several more books writes from Cleveland, Ohio and shows us how local grocers just might save the world. And it may well need saving from
the food regulations (and/or lack thereof ) that Kristine Kopperud Jepsen has to tell us about.

Perhaps our most exciting news is that you readers spoke up when we asked your to and voted for your choices in our annual Local Heroes
Awards, and winners from Des Moines to Iowa City are raking in the laurels. All this and some tasty “Notables,” too. Dig in

With Relish,
Kurt & Kim

4 www.EdibleIowa.com Winter 2009

 edible
iowa river
valley
PUBLISHERS
Kurt Michael Friese
Kim McWane Friese

WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

Rob Cline
Kurt Michael Friese
Kristine Kopperud Jepsen
Brian Morelli
Katie Roche
Riki Saltzman
Mallory Smith

SPECIAL GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Michael Ruhlman

DESIGNED BY
Kurt Michael Friese

CONTACT US
Edible Iowa River Valley
22 Riverview Drive NE
Iowa City, Iowa 52240-7973
Telephone: 319.321.7935
www.EdibleIowa.com — info@EdibleIowa.com

CUSTOMER SERVICE
Edible Iowa River Valley takes pride in providing its
subscribers with fast, friendly service.
Subscribe • Give a Gift • Buy an Ad
319.321.7935 - info@EdibleIowa.com

Edible Iowa River Valley is published quarterly by River Valley

Press, LLC. All rights reserved. Subscription rate is $28 annually.
Call 319.321.7935 to inquire about advertising rates and dead-
lines, or email at info@EdibleIowa.com. No part of this publica-
tion may be used without written permission by the publisher.
©2008. 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.

Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 5

6 www.EdibleIowa.com Winter 2009
 notable edibles
Animal Welfare Approved

Notable Edibles is proud to acknowledge that two of the three Iowa recipi-
ents of the “Good Husbandry” grants from the Animal Welfare Institute are
farms we’ve profiled in these pages. ese grants are provided “to support
farmers and processors by funding innovative projects with the greatest po-
tential impact for improving the welfare of farm animals.” B&B Farms of
East Grinnell - Barney and his piglet pictured right - was in Brian Morelli’s
profile in issue five (with the goat on the cover), and Becker Lane Organic
Farm in Dyersville was the focus of Michael Knock’s piece in issue six (that
cover has icy vines).

Message to third grant recipient Howe Farms in urman: Edible Iowa is

headed your way.

www.AnimalWelfareApproved.org

Boetje’s is Best

Congratulations to Quad City stalwart Boetje’s Mustard, who won the coarse-grained mustard cate-
gory at the 2008 World Mustard Festival in Napa Valley California. It’s no surprise to Notables
though. Boetjes has been doing the local food thing since 1889 when Fred Boetje concocted the first
batch in his Rock Island garage. Today Boetje’s mustard even outsells the big boys like French’s and
Plochman’s in Iowa and Illinois by seven-to-one. No doubt it’s thanks to sticking to the basics, like
Fred’s original recipe.

www.BoetjesMustard.com

Nonna Rose’s Pizza

Very likely the finest frozen piza ever concocted, Nonna Rose’s Pizza is a
Photos by Kurt Michael Friese

“small but growing concern of Pie-in-the-Sky Enterprises” of Bettendorf.

Deep-dish afficianados will marvel at the crust and the oh-so-traditonal
sauce.

Pictured here is the three-cheese and spinach, and though it’s only eight
inches across, one pizza is plenty for two people. We bought three for three
people and made the glorious discovery that it may even be better once re-
heated on a pizza stone.

Nonna Rose’s is so old-school they don’t even have a website for us to send
you to, but you can get the goods at New Pioneer Co-op in Iowa City.

Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 7

 An Iowa Icon
Generations of the Taylor family keep the Maid-Rite tradition alive in Marshalltown
By Riki Salzman
ere are certain foods that are simply synonymous with Iowa—
corn, pork tenderloins, and, of course, the Maid-Rite. A favorite
food of Iowans and exiles who’ve returned to visit, this quintessential
comfort food is composed of steamed, seasoned ground beef served
loose (not in a patty) on a bun, usually with a side of fries or onion
rings. Locals usually top their overflowing sandwich with (dill) pick-
les and mustard for an extra savory taste experience. My 10-year-old
daughter prefers hers with ketchup as well as mustard and without
pickles.
Fancy food? Not a bit. But an Iowa icon? You bet.
Maid-rites are part of a family of dishes that include loose-meat
sandwiches, sloppy joes, and Sioux City’s “tavern” (browned ground
beef with sautéed onions and sometimes pickles and mustard). ey
are also related to Nebraska’s Runza, a now-trademarked version of a
classic German-Russian dish made of ground beef cooked with cab-
bage and onions and baked in a bread pocket. e Cornish pasties
found in Wisconsin and Minnesota are related too. But the distin-
guishing feature of a Maid-Rite is the steamed and fragrantly-spiced
ground beef overflowing its bun; a spoon is issued with each sand-
wich to ensure that not one mouthful will be wasted.
Maid-Rite is one of the oldest American chain restaurants, and was
Iowa’s first. It featured a walk-up and later a drive-up window (the
latter was rapidly copied by the other franchises). According to com-
pany history, Muscatine butcher Fred Angell made the first sandwich
for a customer in 1926. e customer pronounced the sandwich
“made right” and a legend was born. Angell changed the spelling to
“maid-rite” and franchised the treat. Restaurants in Newton and
Marshalltown opened in 1927 and 1928, respectively.
While Maid-Rite has encountered various challenges over the years,
including competing franchise owners and failed attempts to stan-
dardize business practices, the brand has been amazingly successful,
thanks to a loyal customer base. Now owned by Bradley Burt, a Des
Moines-based investor group, and the city’s Gillotti family, Maid-
Rite has franchises in over 70 towns throughout Iowa, Nebraska,
Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio. While the standard menu
also includes another Iowa icon, Blue Bunny ice cream, the loose-
meat sandwich remains the key offering. Customers can also feast
on a Cheese-Rite or a BBQ-Rite as well as other menu choices.
8 www.EdibleIowa.com
But Maid-Rite is not just a corporation. According to various posters
on www.Roadfood.com there are still many individually owned
Maid-Rite restaurants throughout the Midwest. As original franchise
holders, they were not required to comply with Burt’s standardiza-
tion efforts. e result is a unique anomoly in American restaurant
chains.
Privately-owned restaurant maid-rites, as well as their homemade
counterparts, vary according to local tastes with regard to spices,
sauce, cooking method, and toppings. Cliff Taylor’s contract pre-
dated the requirement that Maid-Rite franchise owners add the spe-
cial seasoning that Angell developed, and the Marshalltown
restaurant has never used it. Taylor’s Maid-Rite is served with only
onions, pickles, and mustard. Rationing during World War II led
other restaurants to stop using the seasoning; their customers got
used to the taste, and the owners never went back to the patented
flavoring. Individuals and restaurants have also developed their own
recipes. Some use more or less salt and pepper, others add in cream
of mushroom soup or ketchup, some brown the meat and then
steam it, some steam it with beer or beef broth, some add cola syrup,
and still others violate purist standards by putting a slice of cheese
on top.
Unique even among Maid-Rite restaurants, Taylor’s Maid-Rite has
been run continuously by members of the same family since 1928.
Cliff Taylor, who started the original shop, sold his wife’s home-
baked pies, pickles from Marshall Vinegar Works and buns from
Strand’s Bakery, according to Taylor’s website. Cliff’s son, Don, who
took over along with his mother, Polly, built a new restaurant in
1958, just across the street from his father’s original shop. Polly Tay-
lor continued to oversee the operation until 1985, when her grand-
son, Don Short, took the reins. Recently Don’s mother Sandra, and
father Don Sr., came out of retirement to run this 80-year-old fam-
ily business.
Sandra Taylor Short explains that there is no secret to their Maid-
Rite. ey just “buy good beef, grind it fresh every day, and add salt
as we make them.” If customers ask for “everything,” they get mus-
tard, onions (fresh-ground every day), and pickles.
Winter 2009
 For the most part, Taylor’s is run the way it has always been. Unlike
corporate Maid-Rites, explains Sandy, they serve only “one sand-
wich, really good malts, ice cream, pie, coffee, chips, that’s it. We
didn’t have ketchup until two years ago.” is last innovation was in
response to a customer vote (around 2,000 took part), which went
in favor of mustard only but only just. With such close results, Tay-
lor’s decided to offer ketchup. About six months ago, the restaurant
starting offering a cheese-topped option; it hasn’t gone over very
well, says Sandy, because “there’s so much meat on the sandwich,
you can’t taste the cheese.”
Besides the famous sandwich, Taylor’s is also known for its home-
made pies. Five years ago, Taylor’s was lucky enough to get local
baker, Laurie Wadle of Marshalltown’s Morning Glory Bakery, to
make them. Wadle uses the Taylor family’s recipe for the banana
cream and chocolate cream confections, and also makes strawberry,
rhubarb, pecan, blueberry, apple, peach, cherry, French silk, and the
newest, Key lime, as well as homemade muffins and kolaches.
If you’re just about anywhere in the Midwest, Maid-Rite restaurants
are ubiquitous in shopping and strip malls as well as highway rest
Photo by Riki Saltzman
stops. But it’s also worth stopping in at some of the non-corporate
shops for a taste of local fare. And if you’re in Marshalltown, check
out Taylor’s Maid-Rite. After eight decades, they know their Maid-
Rites are made right.
Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com
Rachelle H. (Riki) Saltzman, Ph.D., whose daughter Eva is pictured
above, has been the Folklife Coordinator for the Iowa Arts Council/De-
partment of Cultural Affairs since 1995. She has been the recipient of
grants from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture to study
place-based food in Iowa and has developed a website that puts a public
face to the research. Her most recent work is Iowa Folklife 2. In collab-
oration with Iowa Public Radio, Saltzman produces “Iowa Roots,” a
radio series and website that explore cultures and traditions (all avail-
able at www.iowaarts.council.org). She is the author of numerous pub-
lic folklore publications as well as peer-reviewed articles in the Journal
of American Folklore, Anthropological Quarterly, Journal of Folklore
Research, New York Folklore, Southern Folklore, Southern Exposure,
and edited collections.
Taylor’s Maid-Rite
106 S 3rd Ave, Marshalltown
641.753.9684
www.MaidRite.com
Devotees can find more information about and recipes for
maid-rites at www.RoadFood.com
9
 Edible Nation
The View from Afar
Your local grocer can save the world.
By michael ruhlman
Cleveland, OH - As I sat down to write this story, John Zagara called,
responding to a request I’d made for Berkshire pork. Zagara runs his
family’s grocery store, a large popular supermarket in an eastern sub-
urb of Cleveland where I live. “There’s a company in Minnesota that
grows and packages it,” he said. “I’m trying to work something out
where they’d drop some off in Cleveland on their way to New York.”
Hallelujah. I’ve studied hogs, pork, pork cookery and charcuterie, and
for years now have been longing for a decent source of pork—not the
debased, lean, flavorless muscle, cut from horrifically raised animals
that’s the only choice available to me and most Americans in grocery
stores. I want no part of that meat or a company producing it, but I
do want to cook and eat pork; from a culinary standpoint, the hog is
the most versatile and extraordinary animal walking the earth.
Though I can buy good pork (local, humanely raised and high qual-
ity) at our growers’ market, it’s sold frozen and is not always available.
I’d like a source of good, fresh pork year-round. Now, if the price points
work for Mr. Zagara, the opportunity to get Berkshire pork, the Her-
mès of the pig world, at my local grocery store is near at hand.
This is big news, not just for my household, but for what it represents:
a new dynamic in the way Americans can shop for food with the po-
tential to change the way America produces and sells food. I’d be un-
likely to get Kroger’s to hunt down Berkshire pork for me (or artisanal
cheese, duck or local vegetables) the chain stores are too big, they’ve got
no real mechanism for addressing such a specific request from a single
customer. But the independent can and will—they could change food
production in this country if we, the consumers, demand it. Cilantro,
shallots and shiitakes did not always exist in our local stores. Now they
are ubiquitous. The same thing can happen with Berkshire pork, hu-
manely raised, grassfed beef and as many quality local ingredients as are
available in the consumer’s particular state.
We spent about $478 billion at the grocery store last year, according
Progressive Grocer, a publication that tracks the industry. Four compa-
nies account for more than half of these sales: Walmart, Kroger, Al-
bertsons, and Safeway. But independent grocers, defined as having ten
or fewer branches, did nearly $46 billion combined. So their potential
to effect change is considerable.
The importance of eating locally grown or produced food, without an-
tibiotics and chemicals, food that’s raised according to its nature—an-
imals in a pasture, fruit and vegetables in soil and sunlight, grains that
are minimally processed, food that doesn’t require extraordinary quan-
tities of fossil fuels to reach its destination—is known and being em-
10 www.EdibleIowa.com
braced by a growing number of people. Farmers markets are thriving
throughout the country. Small farmers are increasingly finding niche
markets to which to sell their products.
Still, such specialized food is unavailable to most Americans on a daily
basis. Moreover, this food is expensive and harder to get, so it’s not
going to be the choice of most families. It’s too complicated, given the
practical reality of our busy lives. And we’re spoiled. We want tomatoes
...A new middle ground—somewhere be-
tween the farmers market and ultra-local
product and the agribusiness-supplied super-
market—territory where the consumer teams
up with his independent grocer to change the
way we eat.
all year-round. I want to buy bananas for my kids in Cleveland. There
are not a lot of hog farmers in the Pacific Northwest, but people who
live there want to have a pork chop every now and then.
My point in highlighting John Zagara, and his effort to find pork for
me, is that it represents a new middle ground—somewhere between
the farmers market and ultra-local product and the agribusiness-sup-
plied supermarket—territory where the consumer teams up with the
independent grocer to change the way we eat and how food is pro-
duced.
Restaurant chefs brought on the first wave of change when they began
to source quality products from small farmers and producers. What I’d
done was the same thing. I turned my grocer into my personal pur-
veyor. Could John also find me pasture-raised beef, beef that carries
the certified humane label? He’ll look into it for me.
But wait, another local family chain, run by Tom and Jeff Heinen, al-
ready has that. I can go there right now and get it. They’ve struck up
a deal with Meyer Natural Angus in Montana, a company that raises
Red Angus cattle that is certified to have been humanely raised and
slaughtered. This meat will be a little more expensive, but, as we’re see-
ing, we pay a high price for cheap pork and beef in healthcare and en-
vironmental costs. I’m willing to spend the same amount but eat less,
so that I can eat a better quality piece of meat: one with omega 3s, one
that’s been humanely raised and slaughtered, or one of the organic free-
range chickens that Jeff Heinen sourced in Michigan, grown by Les
Winter 2009
 Dale and his two-year-old company, Nature’s Premier Organic.
The other day, I spotted a fresh magret duck breast in the Heinen’s
meat case. This is the breast of a duck raised for foie gras, a duck breast
of extraordinary flavor and richness—cooked rare over open flames, it’s
richer and juicier than a strip steak. This product came with a D’Artag-
nan label, the New Jersey purveyor of duck and game products, and
was likely grown in upstate New York. Now I could have bought that
breast from D’Artagnan directly for $8, but I would have paid an extra
$25 shipping charge. I bought it from Heinen’s for $11, a very rea-
sonable price, given its quality and richness (in addition to the poten-
tial savings in fossil fuels).
Tom and Jeff Heinen are acting like specialty purveyors. “As an inde-
pendent grocer, you can’t really be the cheapest,” said Tom Heinen.
“We distinguish ourselves by quality of service and product—the
breadth and depth we go to to get the product. We may only get
enough of a certain product to send to 6 of our 16 stores, but Giant
Eagle can’t do that.” Giant Eagle, the Pittsburgh-based chain com-
prising hundreds of retail stores that do $5.5 billion in sales each year,
bought out five family grocery stores in my city in 1999 on their roll
through Ohio.
During the summer, Heinen estimated that 70 percent of their pro-
duce is locally grown and is marked as such. Independents are more
likely to go to the effort of buying regional food than the giants; this
Photograph: Courtesy of Schiavoni family
is reason enough to choose their stores over the big chains. Moreover,
in off-peak months, their buyers at the Terminal Market in downtown
Cleveland (the conduit through which all the produce flows) can at
least inspect and accept or reject the product as they see it, ensuring the
best possible product available and not simply whatever the Giant
Eagle truck arrives with at each location. John Za-
gara sends his department managers to food shows. This is where Za-
gara deli manager Debra Gierlach found a small local cheese producer,
Buckeye Grove Farm, which makes a range of cheeses from a few
Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com
dozen Jersey cows—Penn Brick, Gouda, a hand-washed French
Muenster. This is the perfect example of what an independent grocer
can do. Find a local producer of an excellent product, and offer it to a
large number of shoppers who might otherwise go to a more conven-
ient Giant Eagle for a mass-produced Gouda.
Except for one problem. Geirlach had to discontinue Buckeye Grove
cheese. “I want to push it and do a good job of it for her,” Geirlach
said, discouraged. But the cheese wouldn’t sell. The Heinen’s certified
humane beef? It’s mixed in with other beef that’s not certified humane
and sold under a generic Heinen’s label.
Nevertheless, the potential benefits are genuine and growing. The next
phase in the evolving relationship between the shopper and the grocery
store is good communication. How does a grocery store, which carries
the reputation of being a generic food supplier, sell specialty goods like
that Columbus cheese, or the unique Huntington mustards made by
a woman in her house a few blocks from the store?
The three ways this will happen are: 1) marketing by the store aimed
specifically at those who care about eating as locally as possible and
otherwise eating naturally and sustainably raised food; 2) word of
mouth by the people who use these stores, telling others what they’ve
found and where; and most importantly; 3) by consumers playing an
active role in deciding what’s available at their local grocery stores.
By developing increasingly close relationships with the people who buy
and sell us all of our food, we can change that food for the better. slate."
Michael Ruhlman is the author of seven books, most recently, The Reach
of a Chef, and the co-author of four cookbooks, including Charcuterie:
The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing. See ruhlman.com for more
information.
11
12 www.EdibleIowa.com Winter 2009
 Incredible Edibles
By Brian Morelli
Cedar Rapids Recovery
Restaurants are reopening after a long, tough fight
CEDAR RAPIDS --- Choosing whether to start from scratch on
once bustling restaurants or move on has proved a daunting choice
for many business owners here. After all, no one can guarantee
floodwater will not flow through their doors and destroy their liveli-
hoods as it did in June.
Mike Monnahan debated just that several months ago in the weeks
after he first saw the remains of his Blue Strawberry Coffee Co., a
downtown shop he started five years ago. e record flood in June,
which levied an estimated $5 billion in damages here, left 41 inches
of water in his cafe.
"It was a tough decision," Monnahan said. "To have to go in and
start over completely and take on that risk again was a difficult deci-
sion."
So why did Monnahan give it a go? Confidence that he could re-
build his business, that his customers would return and, perhaps
more so, that downtown Cedar Rapids will eventually recover and
regain its footing as an emerging destination. Many share similar op-
timism as the business district revives, but recovery will take time - a
long time.
Monnahan understands that, and he is pulling for his fellow busi-
ness owners to join in the challenge.
"I think every time a new location opens it is a positive step," Mon-
nahan said. "I want to get it back to where it was before the flood.
Can it be as successful? Yes, but it will take some time." Monnahan
reopened a few days before Christmas and was pleased to find steady
business. On a bitterly cold and windy Saturday afternoon in Janu-
ary, while outside foot and vehicle traffic was non-existent, patrons
packed in for a strong lunch crowd, to his pleasant surprise.
e water has long since receded from city streets, but for most the
memory of the 2008 flood is far from forgotten. Water from the
Cedar River spilled far into the city. According to a six-month
progress report from the Recovery and Reinvestment Coordinating
Team, floodwater affected 10 square miles of the city and 1,049
commercial parcels, many of those downtown. It could take 15 years
to get back to where the city was, according to the report.
e report estimated that 75 percent of businesses had returned
downtown. Still, reminders and affects of the flood are prevalent.
Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com
Walking along the sidewalk on Second Street past Teeghan's Ice Bar,
Lucky's Bar and Grill, Legends and Dickey's BBQ - side-by-side -
through the murky windows you can see the insides are bare, save a
step ladder or broom. Several street-level storefronts are just like this
- stripped to the studs - without an indication of where they have
gone or when they might resurrect. Others bear signs saying closed
due to the flood. Some messages offer signals of hope. Simply Di-
vine Chocolatier, Gifts and Candy Shoppe, also on Second Street,
displays a phone number for catering orders (319.981.2025) but it's
date for reopening came and went. "We'll be back at this location
early fall," the sign in the window reads.
"Everybody has a unique situation," Quinn Pettifer, marketing and
community relations director for the Cedar Rapids Downtown Dis-
trict, said of business owners. "ey want to come back. e key
words are intend to rebuild."
Up until the flood, downtown Cedar Rapids had been emerging as
an entertainment destination. e district boasted 450 business, in-
cluding 35 restaurants, bars and night clubs plus two theaters pre-
flood. Many of them were new. About half the restaurants have
returned so far, Pettifer said, and a few more return every week. e
restaurant revival has been a welcome addition to reviving the vi-
brancy downtown, she said. It is starting to show in growing night
and weekend crowds.
"We have a really great eclectic mix of all sorts of palates and menus.
e local flair is something we are very proud of," Pettifer said, not-
ing only two chain restaurants figured into the 35 downtown. "e
vibe is we are very excited to see businesses return, our restaurants
our nightlife. ey are so essential in a number of ways: conven-
ience, entertainment. Having visitors, we want to show them
around. We want to show them our flavors of downtown."
e return of businesses and getting people in Eastern Iowa to begin
thinking again about downtown Cedar Rapids as a destination will
be a key to supporting the rebound. So far, the community has been
very supportive as businesses reopen, Pettifer said.
"It's so good to see the response of people. ey are spreading out
where they are visiting. Normally people have regular hangouts. We
see them traveling to all the places that have reopened. I think that is
what it is going to take to get back to the destination we were," she
said.
13
"We had the restaurant If You Go...
Blend
221 2nd Ave SE
gutted, cleaned up and Cedar Rapids
319.366.3364
www.BlendCR.com
ready to rebuild in six Blue Strawberry Coffee Co.
118 2nd Street SE
days..." Cedar Rapids
319.247.2583
www.Blue-Strawberry.com

Pettifer said only five businesses have indicated that they don't plan Reviving Downtown
to return. Still, finding financing and construction crews are major Here’s a list of the Cedar Rapids food related businesses that
have reopened or remained open since the flood, as of press
issues and causing tough choices and delays for some. Monnahan
time. For an up-to-the-minute list check out
had hoped to reopen the Blue Strawberry in November, but labor www.FloodList.com.
was not available.
Benz Beverage Depot
"Once we made the decision to reopen, it was pretty straight for- Blend
ward," Monnahan said. "But, after that, there were not enough Brewed Awakenings
bodies to go around. at was the biggest frustration, waiting for Brick's Bar & Grill
the subcontractor." Chappy's Safari Lounge
Coffee Emporium
Blend was one of the restaurants among those that suffered substan- Daniel Arthurs
tial loss to reopen early. e 25 or so employees and owners did Deb's Ice Cream & Deli
much of the gutting and reconstruction work, and virtually the en- Flying Wienie
tire staff returned to their jobs when the restaurant opened for the Gringo's Mexican Restaurant
Little King Deli
second time in three years at the end of October. In reconstruction,
Longbranch Hotel/Coopers Mill Brewery
they redesigned the restaurant creating a large lobby area and a Maid-Rite West
patio for the warmer days. Moose McDuffy's
Mr. B's Tavern
"We had the restaurant gutted, cleaned up and ready to rebuild in Ovation Networks
six days," Blend chef and owner Andy Deutmeyer said, noting Phong Lan Vietnemese
about 70 people helped. Prairie Soup Company
Sam's Pizza & Deli
Most of the costs were out-of-pocket as the damages did not qualify Sub City
for insurance. Blend and many others have looked to grants and Tycoon
loans to help offset the costs, such as the federal Small Business Ad-
ministration loan. Still, the $70,000 Blend received was just a sliver
of the $275,000 in damages the restaurant sustained.

e past year has been tragic and frustrating for many here, but
some like Deutmeyer and Pettifer still see a silver lining. e com-
munity has an opportunity to reinvent their city and make it the
best possible, they say.

"People are just ready to get back downtown," Deutmeyer said. "I
think people feel optimistic. Everybody is peeking in windows,"
Deutmeyer said. "Cedar Rapids as far as downtown is sitting on a
great opportunity. If it is done right we can make it better than its
ever been. It's a blank slate."

Brian Morelli is a journalist who covers university news for the Iowa
City Press-Citizen. A recent University of Iowa graduate, Morelli has a
major in journalism and minor in political science. Prior to writing,
Morelli traveled for several years primarily in the U.S. and Canada,
and he cooked professionally at several restaurants across the country. He
currently resides in Iowa City with his wife and two children.

14 www.EdibleIowa.com Winter 2009

Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 15
16 www.EdibleIowa.com Winter 2009
 Behind Closed Doors
By rob Cline
Czeching the Fridge
Inside the refrigerator of National Czech & Slovak Museum director Jason Wright
Jason Wright has excellent stories to tell.
Ask him about seeing a shocking amount of Mel Torme without
even a wisp of velvet fog to obscure his view. Ask him about Judy
Collins’ taste in water glasses. Ask him about hanging around with
Chip Davis in the summer. If you’re feeling brave, ask him about the
musical Rent. If you’re feeling hungry, ask him about what’s in his
refrigerator.
Before we delve deeply into his icebox, however, here’s the back
story on how I know Jason. A few years back, Jason—then the exec-
utive director of the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra—was the
president of the Cedar Rapids Area Cultural Alliance at the same
time that I was the vice president of the Johnson County Cultural
Alliance. When the alliances merged to become the Iowa Cultural
Photo by Rob Cline
Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com
Corridor Alliance, I became the president of the new organization
while he served as the vice president. We’ve been fast friends ever
since.
at said, he may have pulled a fast one on me when he cajoled me
into becoming the grants manager for the flooded but still vibrant
National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML), where
he has been the vice president for development for better than a
year. It’s been extremely satisfying to serve in this capacity for such
a wonderful organization and I’m deeply grateful for the experi-
ence, but it’s arguable that I hardly needed one more thing on my
plate—and that this particular gig is nothing if not one heaping
serving.
Which, it turns out, reminds me of our original destination:
Jason’s refrigerator. e contents thereof—
like his career move to the NCSML—reflect
his pride in his heritage. e Czech influences
are clear and plentiful.
Jason readily credits his mother for his inter-
est in and facility for much traditional Czech
cooking. Interestingly, he didn’t get the ma-
jority of his lessons until he left home.
“I was learning from my mother mostly long
distance when I got my first bachelor apart-
ment,” he says.
ese days, he’s no bachelor. His fridge serves
his wife Leslie—the director of community
impact for the United Way of East Central
Iowa and chair of the Linn Area Long Term
Recovery Coalition—as well as 17-year-old
daughter Casey (who wasn’t home when I vis-
ited) and 7-year-old son Grant (who most
certainly was—in fact, he requested the op-
portunity to speak with me alone to give me
his view of the fridge and its contents; a
parental veto quickly followed).
On the Monday evening I stopped by, dinner
had been pork chops with mushroom gravy,
17
white rice, and beets. e leftovers were in the fridge awaiting
Casey’s return. e meal, Jason, says is emblematic of much of what
this busy family eats.

“We’re crock-potters,” he says. “e crock pot is our friend.”

But the leftovers from the day before hinted at the Czech influences.
Bohemian Roast Chicken had been the Sunday meal—a “groan
meal” as Jason puts it, “the kind of meal where you eat so much you
just groan afterward.” e meal featured Jason’s grandmother’s nádi-
vka (stuffing) recipe.

To make the stuffing, Jason grinds up saltines in a blender and adds

a little milk, an egg, and a little garlic.

“You’re goal is something with a sort of oatmeal consistency.”

It sets up in the fridge and then goes in the bird. e result is both
loaf-like and, Jason attests, exceptionally tasty.

In the freezer, Jason has a bag of knedlíky (dumplings), the kind fans
of Zendrick’s in Czech Village enjoyed before the flood. e impres-
sive lumps—which have to rise four times—are particularly good
with sauerkraut, Jason reports. “Making them is a long process, but
very much worth it,” he says.

But Czech delights aren’t the only things occupying real estate in the
Wright refrigerator. ere’s pizza from Tomaso’s in the freezer—“We
always get some extra”—along with individually wrapped slices of
bacon for those times when Grant desires a single slice. ere are
pears for Casey and Scorned Woman Hot Sauce which Jason claims
he is too old to consume any longer. ere’s Fresca and cranberry
juice, the two ingredients in what he calls his “cocktail” and there’s
Clausthaler, the best non-alcoholic beer he has ever encountered.
ere are several dropper bottles of Echinacea for fending off the
worst symptoms of colds and a teeny-tiny container of bacon grease.

e bacon grease container is dated: 8-8-04. Why has Jason kept the
grease for over four years? Blame Food Network’s Alton Brown.

“On his show, he told me to save the bacon grease. He promised I’d
thank him later. He still hasn’t told me what to use it for,” Jason ex-
plains.

Maybe a call home to his mother is in order to see if that “white

gold” might be essential to any traditional Czech dishes.

Rob Cline is the marketing director for The University of Iowa’s Hancher
Auditorium. He is also the founding president of the Iowa Cultural Corri-
dor Alliance and an active freelance writer. He lives in Cedar Rapids with
his wife Jenny and his children, Bryan, Jessica and Emily.

18 www.EdibleIowa.com Winter 2009

Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 19
 Local Heroes
Edible Iowa’s readers vote for the very best in local food & drink
Just like last year, we have asked you, our loyal readers, to go online
and vote for the people you think are doing the best work to support
your community and the local and sustainable food in it. Hundreds
chimed in, Across the country, all the other members of Edible
Communities did the same thing. You can see their heroes at
www.EdibleCommunities.com.
Here are your 2008 Edible Iowa River Valley Local Heroes:
Best Farm/Farmer
Shelley Squier and Mike Donnelly
Squier Squash & Donnelly Farms, Hinkletown
Last Year’s Hero: Bob Braverman, Friendly Farms, Iowa City
Shelley Squier and Mike Donnelly have operated their 51-acre
certified organic farm since 1999. Located in the community of
Hinkletown, between the two forks of the English River, they grow
vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. Specialty items include many
varieties of garlic, shallots, fingerling potatoes, heirloom tomatoes,
peppers, eggplants, basil, and gourmet greens. Chestnuts are the
latest addition in the diversification of the farm. For weed control,
Mike and Shelley get help from their four pygmy goats. But pro-
duce is just the beginning.
ey also raise pastured laying hens, guineas and runner ducks, who
all get to live happy bird lives scratching and pecking and dust-
bathing just like nature intended.
You can enjoy their produce and eggs every Wednesday and Satur-
day throughout the season at the Iowa City Farmers Market in the
Cauncey Swan Parking ramp, on the corner of Washington and Van
Buren.
SquierSquash@netins.net
Best Chef/Restaurant
Steve Logsdon
Basil Prosperi’s Lucca, Des Moines
Last Year’s Hero: Enosh Kelley, Bistro Montage, Des Moines
Named for chef/owner Steve Logsdon’s grandfather, most regulars at
this East Village hotspot dispense with Sr. Prosperi’s full name and
refer to it by his Tuscan hometown, Lucca. Open since 2005, Lucca
features the flavors of Tuscany prepared in classic style and served in
fixed-price menus; two courses on week nights, three on weekends.
e menu changes frequently, but can always be seen on their web-
site. One lunch you could enjoy a sandwich of brie and seasonal
vegetables, and then come back for a dinner to enjoy traditional
risotto followed by halibut with artichokes.
20 www.EdibleIowa.com
e wine list is a 2008 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner,
and their wine cellar (which really is in the cellar) is overseen by a
professional wine steward.
Lucca Restaurant & Bar
420 East Locust Street, Des Moines
515.243.1115
www.LuccaRestaurant.net
Best Food Artisans
Herb & Kathy Eckhouse
La Quercia Prosciutto, Norwalk
Last Year’s Hero: Simone Delaty, Simone’s Plain & Simple, Wellman
A Shining example of a true Iowa success story, Herb and Kathy
Eckhouse have built an internationally-renowned traditional pro-
sciuttificio in the heart if Iowa. Opened in 2005, La Quercia (their
website says its “pronounced La Kwair-cha with a slight roll of the r
if you can do it”) offers not only top-flight prosciutto, but also other
classic Italian-style cured meats like pancetta, speck, and guanciale.
Herb and Kathy have been delegates to Slow Food’s Terra Madre
World Gathering of Food Communities in Turin, Italy, and their
prosciutto was featured at a pairing with artisanal hard ciders at Slow
Food Nation (hosted by Edible Iowa’s own publisher, Kurt Michael
Friese, by the way).
ey’ve earned accolades from just about everyone who comments
on food, from Bruce Aidells, author of e Complete Book of Pork,
(“this is the best coppa I’ve ever had!”) to Mark Bittman of the New
York Times (“a joy to taste.”). Seems their original idea, that Italian
methods and Iowa pork would work well together, was divine
inspiration.
La Quercia
400 Hakes Drive, Norwalk
515.981.1625
www.LaQuercia.us
Best Beverage Artisans
Photo by Kurt Michael Friese
Jean, Paul, & Mason Groben
Jasper Winery, Des Moines
Last Year’s Hero: Fireside Winery, Marengo
Jean and Paul Groben describe Jasper Winery as “A hobby that went
astray.” Iowans are glad it did. From planting their first vines just
nine short years ago, the Grobens have already outgrown their first
winery, in Newton, and moved into their new, expanded location in
Des Moines in 2008.
Winter 2009
 La Quercia Prosciutto, made this year’s Edible Iowa River Valley “Best Food Artisans” Herb and Kathy Eckhouse of Norwalk.
Winemaker Mason Groben, a graduate of the Viticulture and Enol-
ogy program and the University of California at Davis, created
wines exclusively from Iowa-grown grapes. is can be a challenge,
especially considering Iowa’s fierce winters and incredibly fertile soil;
grapes grow best when stressed in rocky soils. “One must under-
stand the style of wine for which each grape is suited,” he says.
Among the wines Edible Iowa’s readers singled out were their Seyval
Blanc (parent grape of the popular hybrid Chardonelle) and the big,
hearty red Chancellor. ey also make some lighter, more playful
blended wines, like “All-Night White” and “Bed Head Red”
Ranging in price from just $10 to $20, these wines are as affordable
as they are approachable. Be sure to stop by their new tasting room
when you’re in Des Moines, and tell’em Edible Iowa sent you.
2400 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines
515.282.9463
www.JasperWinery.com
Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com
Best Non-Profit
Reclaiming Roots, Iowa City
Last Year’s Hero: Local Foods Connection, Iowa City
Started by three local guys who just wanted to clean up their neigh-
borhood a little bit, Reclaiming Roots has blossomed into a major
volunteer effort improving schools and helping with flood relief.
Chris Grebner, Luke Prottsman and Stan Laverman seem to have a
gift for recruiting volunteers. eir first project out of the gate, an
effort to clean up a ravine at Iowa City’s Roosevelt Elementary, drew
52 volunteers. e second, an effort to build a computer lab and a
tool-lending shed for the Grant Wood neighborhood drew not only
60 volunteers, but also the financial support of the City of Iowa
City and the Association of Realtors.
Now working closely with two other great local volunteer organiza-
tions, 10,000 Hours and e James Gang, Reclaiming Roots is
looking for more projects and more help. Edible Iowa hopes that
they are soon able to turn their attention to the garden that Slow
Food Iowa City helped build at Elizabeth Tate High School.
www.ReclaimingRoots.org
21
 NAIS & COOL
Federal regulations and the law of unintended consequences
By Kristine Kopperud Jepsen
Perhaps you've seen it: a small tag stating, "Product of United States
and Mexico," stuck in the plastic parsley dividing one cut of fresh
beef from the next at your neighborhood meat counter.
And perhaps you thought what I thought, realizing that I might
know more precisely where my toothpaste comes from (Maine):
"anks. at sure clears it up."
It's hard to point fingers, though. Our food system is, in a word,
centralized, and federal regulation--particularly of meat--is not only
necessary but prudent. e problem, of course, is that one rule does-
n't fit all, and current proposals, namely Country of Origin Labeling
(COOL) and the National Animal Identification System (NAIS),
seem to be ballooning toward ineffectiveness, small-ag proponents
say. Here's how they're proposed to work, and how they could be
made better for consumers and food producers both large-scale and
small.
Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)
Country of origin labeling made its debut in the 2002 Farm Bill and
was intended to offer consumers a little peace of mind and Ameri-
can farmers a selling point. But the idea didn't appear in grocery
stores until 2005--and then only in the fish department. "e meat
industry didn't like what labeling would cost in terms of time and
money, and though they weren't able to kill it, they were able to
delay until late September 2008," says Patty Lovera, assistant direc-
tor of Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit headquartered in Washing-
ton D.C. e one exception--seafood--was made out of sheer
political force, she adds. Representatives of Alaska lobbied hard for
labeling "wild-caught" and "farm-raised" fish and won.
In October 2008, when country of origin tags appeared on other
meats at the counter, a few loopholes blew the debate wide open.
"As written, the law states that we must label fresh meats [along
with fresh fruits, vegetables, peanuts and certain nuts], but then it
says that processed versions of those foods are exempt," Lovera ex-
plains. And, "processed" has been defined by the USDA as broadly
as possible, going so far as to include smoking, curing (think ham
and bacon), roasting, and adding one other covered ingredient. "If
you mix the proverbial peas and carrots, they're exempt, even if they
were imported from other countries."
22 www.EdibleIowa.com
Also exempt are establishments that buy less than $230,000 in prod-
ucts per year, a designation that includes most meat and fish markets
(where the goods are typically produced, not purchased).
e third troubling facet is labeling that states meats "might be
from" multiple countries, typically the United States, Canada, and
Mexico. is generalization covers animals raised in one country but
butchered in another, or meats combined during processing to make
ground products. "We thought we had agreement on the rule that
animals born, raised, and slaughtered here would be identifiable and
labeled accordingly," Lovera explains. "Letting the industry call
everything a product of multiple coun-
tries out of convenience takes away
"Consumers American producers' price benefit and
also need to leaves the consumer in the dark."
ask, 'Am I e good news is that COOL guide-
willing to lines have not been finalized. Lovera
pay more for hopes that the rule's six-month trial pe-
riod (slated to end in June 2009) will
items that are give processors and grocers time to label
from the efficiently and allow consumers oppor-
U.S.?'" tunity to take lawmakers to task.
"Everybody who values food should be
telling their congressmen, 'I've been waiting for this labeling, and
the USDA is screwing it up. Get involved,'" Lovera says. "Talk to
your supermarket managers--they can require precise labeling of
suppliers even without a law." Obviously, such requirements pro-
mote customer loyalty to stores. "Consumers also need to ask, 'Am I
willing to pay more for items that are from the U.S.?'"
National Animal Identification System (NAIS)
In the field, another unwieldy proposal seems to be muddling its
good intentions. Established to help the government trace outbreaks
Photo by Kurt Michael Friese
of food-borne illnesses to the animals and farms on which they
began, NAIS aims to a) identify farms (premises); b) identify the
livestock and poultry produced on those farms; and c) track the
transport of tagged animals when they leave their registered prem-
ises.
Winter 2009
Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 23
Species affected include cattle; bison; goats; poultry; cervids (deer
and elk); swine; equines (horses, mules, donkeys, and burros);
sheep; and camelids (llamas and alpacas).

But (and there's always a catch where small-scale producers are in-
volved) the system requires animals with access to pasture to have
individual electronic tags or chips, while animals "raised and moved
through the production chain as one group" (in confinement) may
be identified by a single identification number. e costs of tagging
and tracking animal transfer lie with the producer, an obvious stum-
bling block to the small-scale farmer who moves a herd to several
pastures during each growing season.

Wisconsin and Michigan currently lead the nation in requiring

components of NAIS. Premise registration is required in both states,
for example, and state agencies are leaning hard on producers to
begin identifying animals electronically, withholding dairy licenses
and other means of livelihood, in some cases. In other states, includ-
ing Iowa, participation in NAIS is voluntary (and therefore rare).

Opponents of NAIS point out that most livestock are already iden- What You Can Do
tified through private-industry, disease-control, and theft-prevention Contact your Senators and Represntatives and let them know how you
programs, including processes for organic certification. While it's feel about food-related legislation like Country of Origin Labeling and
true that established programs aren't easily consolidated, inventing a the National Animal Identification System.
new one seems extravagant, Lovera concludes on behalf of hundreds
Senator Charles Grassley
of farmers interviewed by Food & Water Watch. 135 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
And then there's the Big-Brother-ness of the idea, even as NAIS co- 202.224.3744
ordinators promise that "federal law protects individuals’ private in- www.Grassley.Senate.gov
formation and confidential business information from disclosure"
Senator Tom Harkin
and that the "USDA maintains only limited premises registration 731 Hart Senate Office Building
information and will not have direct access to animal identification Washington, DC 20510
or movement records." 202.224.3254
www.Harkin.Senate.gov
Creating a "modern, streamlined" national database seems to flout
Congressman Leonard Boswell (3rd District))
the wisdom of and widespread interest in diversifying and localizing 1427 Longworth House Office Building
America's food resources. And besides, producers add with a Washington, DC 20515
chuckle, that's just asking for cow-tapping. 202.225.3806
www.Boswell.House.gov
So, what to do? Contact your state representatives and start talking
Congressman Bruce Braley (1st District)
to your neighbors, Lovera urges. "Looking at NAIS from a practical 1019 Longworth HOB
standpoint, if we really want to talk about animal health issues, we Washington, D.C. 20515
all need to talk about how we're raising animals." 202.225.2911
www.Braley.House.gov
And in the meantime, here's hoping a little goodwill may help our Coingressman Steve King (5th District)
food travel safely from farm to family table, plastic parsley and all. 1609 Longworth Office Building
Washington D.C. 20515
A handy guide to COOL exemptions is available at: 202.225.4426
www.House.gov/SteveKing
www.ConsumersUnion.org/pdf/CU-Cool-Tool.pdf.
Congressman David Loebsack (2nd District)
Photos by Kurt Michael Friese

1221 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515
Kristine Kopperud Jepsen writes from the field -- literally -- as half www.Loebsack.House.gov
of Grass Run Farm and a local foods advocate near Dorchester, Iowa.
Congressman Tom Latham (4th District)
Inspired to tell the story of various curiosities and challenges, Kristine 2217 Rayburn HOB
has contributed to several community-based journals on land and the Washington, DC 20515
web. 202.225.5476
www.TomLatham.House.gov

24 www.EdibleIowa.com Winter 2009

Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 25
 Edible Imbibables
By Katie Roche
When Life hands you Lemons
Cedar Ridge Distillery’s award-winning Lemoncella
Back in 2001, when Cedar Ridge Vineyards first planted their
now prospering ten acres of grapes, they hadn’t planned on be-
coming Iowa’s first legal distillery since prohibition. Faced with
the pumice, skins and other organic bi-products of wine mak-
ing, Cedar Ridge Vineyards created their first Cedar Ridge Dis-
tillery product: Cedar Ridge Grappa. Grappa, an Italian
digestive usually drank after a heavy meal, is said to have come
about when dumpster diving peasants first figured out how to
distill wine making leftovers into something more merry mak-
ing. Considered peasant drink, most Italian towns with a win-
ery bottle their own distinct Grappa which varies greatly by
grape selection, region and skill.
Cedar Ridge first came onto my radar because a friend of mine
had said that she really loved this “new Grappa made in Iowa.”
Two things perked my curiosity with that statement. One,
Grappa made in Iowa? And more importantly, I had never heard
someone say that they love Grappa. Italians like to pour you a
glass to see you squirm and my memories of drinking Grappa in
Italy involved the distinct feeling that my nose hairs were burn-
ing. Cedar Ridge Grappa is decidedly a more delicate version
than the homespun drink I sampled in the hills of southern
Italy.
When I saw Cedar Ridge had a Lemoncella on the market, I had
to try it. Made the traditional way, their Lemoncella is sweet,
syrupy and not at all bitter like most home brew attempts.
Made in small 80 gallon batches there is, to the best of their
knowledge, the only all natural Lemoncella on the market in the
U.S.
“We let the Lemoncella be the color of the lemon zest.” says
Adam Smith, general manager of Cedar Ridge Wines. “We’re
proud that there are no artificial colors or flavors added.”
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition awarded Cedar
Ridge Lemoncella an International Silver Medal within the Cor-
dials & Liqueurs category, which means they “likely defeated
many Italian competitors in what has traditionally been their
category”. Though an innovation, the Lemoncella is a true to
form Lemoncella combining California lemons, sugar and their
very own award winning Clearheart Vodka.
26 www.EdibleIowa.com
“The one thing we haven’t done a good job of is getting recipes
to people.”, adds Adam Smith, “The only person I know that
can drink it straight is my mother-in-law.”
It’s true that it’s a tough sell to drink straight, but traditionally
that’s not how a quality Lemoncella is meant to be consumed.
You can put in the freezer and then drizzle it on some ice
cream, which for the record is exquisite over some mango sor-
bet, but avoid pairing it with anything that is too sweet. Cedar
Ridge recommends something light,
neutral and absorbent like pound or
sponge cake.
“e only
person I Naturally there are also some great
mixed drinks that can be enhanced
know that with the Lemoncella. For a more
subtle and refined Lemon Drop
can drink it Martini take one part Lemoncella
straight is and shake it on ice with two parts
Clear Heart Vodka. Let it sit, rim a
my mother- martini glass with raw sugar and
in-law.” then pour it, filtering out the ice,
into the glass.
Another great combo recommended by the brewery is to mix
their single oak barrel distilled Cedar Ridge Apple Brandy half-
and-half with Lemoncella, creating a winter warmer with a dis-
tinctively summer feel. Over ice or just chilled, this is a great
substitute for your standard winter party punch and you can
get creative adding other mixers if you like. It’s also great for
spiking spiced cider. Try the spice pack from Wilson’s Orchard
in Iowa City for a completely Iowa-centric drink.
Cedar Ridge does admit that their Lemoncella doesn’t sell as
well in winter, but it does bring a little summer into even the
coldest Iowa day. In the winter, another fruit liqueur, Cedar
Ridge Lamponcella (lampon meaning raspberry) has a warm
rouge color that seems more attractive to the bundled-up
Iowan. Lamponcella can be used in the same ways as the
Lemoncella, and may be more successful in enhancing desserts
because it loves chocolate
Winter 2009
Instead of chilling the Lamponcella, I tried it at
room temperature over some flourless chocolate cake
and found it to be just the right kind of decadent.
Just to make sure that it was indeed as delicious as I
thought, I was forced to try it over chocolate cheese-
cake and a homemade cheese Danish. I can’t wait to
try the Cedar Ridge Mangocella set to come out this
summer. I’m thinking parfait. Cue drool.

If you want a more intimate experience with Cedar

Ridge “imbibables” then visit their new facilities this
summer. Presently their tasting room store front
with the good folks at Benz Beverage Depot in
Cedar Rapids, but this summer Cedar Ridge will be
relocating to a new facility adjacent to the winery.
“(Our new location) will be an important addition
to Iowa tourism,” says Adam Smith, “plus it will be
fun and educational, and delicious.”

Katie Roche is excited to be back to the imbibable beat

after being allowed no imbibables for the last 9 months.
You guessed it! Beautiful little Stella Roux was born at
home on the auspicious day of 11-11 and no, Stella’s
middle name is not a reference to the sauce! Loving her
new gig as a mommy, Katie continues to sing and play
music with her bands Awful Purdies and We Funk,
while working as a television producer and on-air per-
sonality in Iowa City.

If You Go Cedar Ridge Winery & Distillery (opens this summer)

1421 Marak Road
Cedar Ridge Winery will soon host tours, tastings and parties in Swisher
their large party room and adjoining deck overlooking operations. 319.362.2778
www.CRWine.com
At the new location you’ll not only be able to see how Cedar Ridge
wine is made, but will get to see the fruit liqueurs, vodka and rum Wilson’s Orchard (for that cider spice!)
being distilled. Until then, visit them at Benz Beverage Depot! 2924 Orchard Ln NE
Iowa City
Benz Beverage Depot 319.354.5651
501 7th Avenue SE.
Cedar Rapids And Katie Says...
319.365.2556
www.BenzBeverageDepot.com “Want to try your hand at making your own Lemoncella using
Cedar Ridge Clearheart Vodka? Check out my Italian mother-in-
law’s recipe at www.EdibleIowa.com.”

Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 27

28 www.EdibleIowa.com Winter 2009
Winter 2009 www.EdibleIowa.com 29
 Advertiser Directory
AMES DECORAH Iowa City Farmers Market MARQUETTE
Wheatsfield Cooperative Winnishiek Wildberry Winery Lower Level Eagle’s Landing Winery
413 Douglas Avenue 1966 337th Street Chauncey Swan Parking Ramp 127 North Street
515.232.4094 563.735.5809 319.356.5210 563.873.2509
Local.Wheatsfield.coop WWWinery.com EaglesLandingWinery.com
John’s Grocery
Chocolatier Stam DESMOINES 401 E. Market Street OXFORD
230 Main St. Iowa Wine and Beer 319.337.2183 Augusta Restaurant
515.232.0656 IowaWineandBeer.com JohnsGrocery.com 101 S. Augusta Avenue
StamChocolate.com 319.828.2252
Jasper Winery Lammers’ Construction AugustaRestaurant.com
ANAMOSA 2400 George Flagg Parkway 35 Imperial Court
Daly Creek Winery 515.282.9463 319.354.5905 WEST BRANCH
106 North Ford Street JasperWinery.com LammersConstruction.com Scattergood Friends School
319.462.2525 1951 Delta Avenue
DalyCreekWinery.com FAIRFIELD MidWestOne Bank 319.643.7600
Fairfield Convention and 325 S. Clinton St. Scattergood.org
BALDWIN Visitors Bureau 319-356-5800
Tabor Homes Vineyard 200 N. Main Street MidWestOne.com Wallace Winery
3570 67th Street 641.472.2828 5305 Herbert Hoover Hwy, NE
563.673.3131 TravelFairfieldIowa.com Motley Cow Café 319.643.3000
TaborWines.com 160 North Linn Street WallaceWinery.com
HILLS 319.688.9177
BANKSTON Hills Bank WASHINGTON
Park Farm Winery 131 Main Street New Pioneer Food Co-op Café Dodici
15159 ielen Road 800.HILLSBK 22 South Van Buren Street 122 S. Iowa Ave
563.557.3727 HillsBank.com 319.338.9441 CafeDodici.com
ParkFarmWinery.com NewPi.com
IOWA CITY
CEDAR FALLS Bread Garden Market LEIGHTON
Blackhawk Hotel 225 S. Linn St. Tassel Ridge Vineyard
115 Main Street 319.354.4246 1681 220th Street Edible Iowa River Valley is
800.488.4295 641.672.9463 brought to you by these
BlackHawk-Hotel.com Cart By Cart TasselRidge.com advertising partners. ey
319-331-9432 support Iowa’s best local and
CORALVILLE CartByCart.com LISBON artisanal foods and carry
Café Del Sol Sutliff Cider Company the magazine.
CafeDelSolRoasting.com Devotay 382 Sutliff Road
117 North Linn Street 319.455.4093
Please make a point of visiting
Iowa City Coralville Convention and 319.354.1001 SutliffCider.com
these great Iowa businesses, and
Visitors Bureau Devotay.net
be sure to say “thanks!” for
900 1st Avenue MARENGO
supporting Edible and the great
319.337.6592 Design Ranch Fireside Winery
local foods of Iowa.
IowaCityCoralville.org 701 E. Davenport Avenue 1755 P Avenue (V. 77) Shopping locally not only
319.354.2623 319.662.4222 brings you fresher foods from
New Pioneer Food Co-op www.DesignRanch.com FiresideWinery.com your friends and neighbors, but
1101 2nd Street it also helps keep Iowa dollars in
319. 358.5513 e Englert eater Iowa.
NewPi.com 221 East Washington Street
319.688.2653 ank you!
Englert.org

30 www.EdibleIowa.com Winter 2009

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