fall 13 inspiredbook web
DESCRIPTION
Iron Leaf Press: Danielle Ameling / Business Plan Contest, WiscoPop!, Take the (art & farm) Tours, interview with artist Tonya Balik • Boxed (IN): Lake Pepin, Cheese!, Four Daughters Vineyard, Q&A with Curt Wollan, How to Make Paper Pumpkins!, Carbonation, & More!TRANSCRIPT
POSITIVE NEWS FROM THE DRIFTLESS REGION.
IRON LEAF PRESS: DANIELLE AMELING + BUSINESS PLAN CONTESTS • WISCO POP! TAKE THE (ARTY) TOURS • ARTIST TONYA BALIK • WISCONSIN GREAT RIVER ROAD • CHEESE! FOUR DAUGHTERS VINEYARD • RING OF FIRE Q&A • PAPER PUMPKINS! • CARBONATION
.
A contemporary boutique for women offering sizes XS-2X, plus children's apparel, gifts, and toys.
309 E. Water StreetDecorah, IA 52101
563-382-4424www.lillesoster.com
www.facebook.com/LillesosterButikken
Pilot
Ridgeline
Civic
Crosstour
CR-Z
Odyssey
CR-V
Fit
Accord
Insight
www.hondamotorwerks.comPhone: 877-751-0179Check us out! Downtown La Crosse, WI at 4th and Cameron Streets
Fuel Efficient. Environmentally Sensible. You’ll Love More Miles Per Dollar!
03
FALL 2013contents
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013
ON THE COVER:
Danielle Ameling of Iron Leaf Press printed this awesome Trust Your Crazy Ideas print - we saw it and knew immediately it was perfect for this issue. Check out more of Danielle’s work at ironleafpress.com/shop, and read about her on page 26!
...and more!
WISCO POP!
SCIenCe, YOu’re SuPer: CArBOnATIOn!
ArTIST TOnYA BAlIk
WhAT We’re lOvIng rIghT nOW
The TOur “ArTS” here!
IrOn leAF PreSS & DAnIelle AmelIng
PAPer PrOjeCT: PumPkIn FAvOr BOxeS!
rIng OF FIre q&A
hOlIDATeS!
FOur DAughTerS CheF erIk kleven
BOxeD (In): WISCOnSIn greAT rIver rOAD
mISSISSIPPI mIrTh: CheeSe
PrOBIT: nOrmA WAngSneSS
10
14
16
20
22
26
33
34
36
38
41
46
50
26
16
46
Center Stage Series 2013-14
Big Ideas, Big Names, Big Emotions World Class music, theatre, and dance ignite the stage in this year’s Center Stage Series.
2013–14 Center Stage SponsorsSchool Performances Sponsor
Luther CollegeDiversity Council
Media SupportersGrants D ecorah N ewspapers
The
D ecorah N ewspapers The
SaturDay, September 14Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cashtickets on sale august 26.
FriDay, September 27Weiss Kaplan Newman Trio tickets on sale Sept 5.
tueSDay, OCtOber 15Tango Fire tickets on sale Sept 26.
FriDay, NOvember 1Masters of the Fiddle: Natalie McMaster and Donnell Leahy tickets on sale October 10.
SaturDay, NOvember 16Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain tickets on sale October 17.
Get your tickets! www.boxoffice.luther.edu (563) 387-1357
I have always been one to trust my crazy ideas. If I didn’t, we may never have started this magazine, and now look where we are! Six years later
(Oct. 4 is our busiversary – totally a word), I have the privilege of writing to you all every quarter. I am a lucky gal!
It turns out, there are lots of people out there trusting their crazy ideas and jumping with both feet into new business ventures, new (old) places to call home, or just saying, “Yes!” when a friend shouts ROAD TRIP! This issue of Inspire(d) is dedicated to these people (that’s YOU!) who know an idea is only crazy if you make it so. And really: let’s define crazy anyway…
It was Ossian, Iowa, native Danielle Ameling who created the cover art that represents this theme. We love it. And we love everything else that Danielle is doing too. She just won Project Bright Idea in Lisbon, Iowa, and thus free rent for two years for her business Iron Leaf Press (learn more on page 26). Danielle not only made the awesome Trust Your Crazy Ideas print, she also guest-designed the paper project on page 33: Pumpkin Favor Boxes. They’re the cutest! Really. Even if you don’t ever say the word cute. (You can make a hundred of ‘em if you go to ironleafpress.com and download the template – I might!)
But I digress, as Jim McCaffrey is known to say. (Check out his Mississippi Mirth column all about CHEESE! Was there ever a better subject?) This issue, I had a ton of fun heading to Viroqua, Wisconsin to interview the folks from Wisco Pop! These soda makers are doing amazing work developing a product that isn’t just pop – it’s craft brewed soda. And it is DELICIOUS! (Can you tell I’m excited? I don’t think I’ve ever used so many caps – ever – in an editor’s letter!) All that soda tasting made us wonder about carbonation for the Science, You’re Super, too – learn more on page 14.
Benji and I were the ones shouting road trip when we put together this Boxed (IN). It takes you up the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River from Alma to Bay City on one of the most scenic drives in the country. Sometimes a little drive is all you need to right your day. If you don’t want to go that far, you could instead head up to check out Four Daughters Vineyard and Winery near Spring Valley, Minnesota. We interviewed their head chef, Erik Kleven, for this Chef on the Block.
Looking for an even closer yet roadtrip? Head out on the first-ever Farm Crawl between Waukon and Decorah – map on page 37. Or take in one of the many artists’ studio tours in the region – you can check out the work of our featured artist, Tonya Balik, while you’re out!
Nope, it’s never a crazy idea to discover inspiring and interesting people and things in the Driftless Region. It’s the best idea we’ve ever had.
Happy fall, friends.
Looking forward,
Aryn Henning Nichols
From the Editor
05
Inspiremagazine
Co-founders:Aryn Henning Nichols / editor & designer
Benji Nichols / writer & advertising sales(& husband, support team, dinner-maker)
We couldn’t do it without:Kristine Kopperud Jepsen/ contributor
Sara Friedl-Putnam/ contributor
Danielle Ameling / cover art + paper project
Jim McCaffrey/ Mississippi Mirth
Inspire(d) Magazine is published quarterly by Inspire(d)
Media, LLC, 412 Oak Street, Decorah, Iowa, 52101. This is-
sue is dated Fall 2013, issue 35, volume 6, Copyright 2013 by
Inspire(d) Magazine.
Although Inspire(d) is free on the newsstands, you can have it sent to your door for only $25/year. Email
[email protected] for a membership or visit
theinspiremedia.com for more info.
Want to make a comment about something you read in
the magazine?Email
Interested in advertising? Contact Benji at
[email protected] call 563-379-6315.
Write inspire(d)
support inspire(d)
Visit our website:theinspiredmedia.com
“Like” Inspire(d) Media on Facebook!
Who are we?
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com06
CLASSES EVENTS &
WORKSHOPSinspire & create
508 W. Water St. Decorah, 563.382.5440www.arthausdecorah.org
Fun for everyone!
-from silly to frilly-
FANCY PANTS
411 W. Water St. | Decorah | fancypantsonwater.com
FALL 2013 NEW ARRIVALS
421 W. WATER ST.DECORAH, IA
Homemade goodness.
Yum.
MON - THURS: 11- 9 • FRI - SAT 11-10 • SUN: 11-8
563.382.6208 facebook.com /OldArmoryBBQ
dine in • carry out • catering
www.decorahholistichealth.com
To be well, you have to
Discover Decorah area holistic health services & events on one easy-to-use site.
1. Sept. 6: ArtHaus First Friday: The Roe Family Singers in the ArtHaus Studio Courtyard, $8/$6 students, no reservations needed, BYOB. Gate opens 7:30, show at 8.
2. Sept. 7: On The Water w/Foot-Notes Water Street Music Series 7pm, dance instruction @ 6:30 Trout Run Trailhead (west end of Main St) Decorah
3. Sept. 14: Holistic Mom’s Network Decorah Chapter reviews Car Seat Safety Checks & Requirements with Trish Johnson, Stop by Discover Happy (222 E. Water St) and get yours checked! 10 am. [email protected]
4. Sept. 21: Pumpkin Patch Opening Weekend at Pinter’s Gardens and Pumpkins. Fri & Sat 9 - 5, Sun 9 - 4 through Oct. 27th. Fun activities including corn maze, jumping pillow and wagon rides! www.pintersgardensandpumpkins.com/
5. Sept. 21: Support 17 Fantastic Local Non-Profit Agencies by buying fabulous and super inexpensive used books! 8 am-12 pm Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 701 Iowa Ave, Decorah.
6. Sept. 26: Taste the Local Harvest at the Oneota Co-op. Meet local producers and sample their local products from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. www.oneotacoop.com
7. Sept. 27: ArtHaus Poetry Slam at the Elks Lodge, $5/$3. Call to sign up to perform or just come to enjoy! Doors at 7:30, show at 8. www.arthausdecorah.org
8. Sept. 29: Rock out to popular and classical music from 1973, performed by Absolute Hoot and Luther music faculty. 4 pm at Luther College.
9. Sept. 26-29: Boats and Bluegrass Festival! Three days of music, camping, canoeing, and festival fun on Prairie Island in Winona. Family friendly, fantastic line up! More at www.boatsandbluegrass.com
10. Oct. 4: ArtHaus First Friday: Artist’s Reception and New Work by Preston Lawing. Sponsored by Oneota Co-op who will offer wine tasting. 7-9pm, Free! ArtHaus & ArtHaus Studio.
11. Oct. 5: Rusty Olde Crows Craft & Junk Show. A craft show the way a craft show should be. Quality crafts, antiques, & junk. Central Park, Charles City
12. Oct. 11: Bach, Beethoven, and Beer Water Street Music Series 7:30pm, doors open at 6:30pm T-bocks 2nd Floor Decorah wsmsdecorah.org, facebook.com/WaterStreetMusicSeries
13. Oct. 11-13: The New Albin Public Library is sponsoring a quilt show October 11-13. Over 200 quilted items, vendors, raffles and refreshments. Call Lisa 563-544-4325 for more information.
Check out these fantastic fall activities! In chronological order, each event’s number coincides with its number on the calendar!
Looking for more details about events on the calendars?
25W/$25B
1 89
1
01
21
31
4
15
16
17
11
19
20
21
22
23
24
18
26
27
28
29
30
25
Mon
day
Tues
day
Sun
day
Wed
nesd
ayTh
ursd
ayFr
iday
Sat
urda
y
Sep
tem
ber
fun stuff to do
34
5
67
8
10
11
12
13
14
15
9
17
18
19
20
21
22
16
24
25
26
27
28
29
23
Mon
day
Tues
day
Sun
day
Wed
nesd
ayTh
ursd
ayFr
iday
Sat
urda
y
12
30
31
Oct
ober
fun stuff to do
3
4 5
67
8
21
11
12
13
10
23
4
67
5A
rtH
aus
Firs
t Fr
iday
, R
oe F
amily
S
inge
rs7
:30
pm
WS
M ‘O
n Th
e W
ater
’ w
/
Foot
-Not
es,
Trou
t R
un
Trai
lhea
d,
Dec
orah
, 6
:30
pm
Dec
orah
H
olis
tic
Mom
’s C
ar
Sea
t C
heck
, D
isco
ver
Hap
py, 1
0am
Pin
ter’
s P
umpk
in
Pat
ch O
peni
ng
Wee
kend
! 9am
-5pm
Uni
ted
Way
Use
d B
ook
Sal
e! G
ood
Shep
herd
Lut
hera
n,
Dec
orah
8am
-12
pm
Sep
t 2
6-2
9: B
oats
and
Blu
egra
ss F
esti
val!
Pra
irie
Isla
nd C
ampg
roun
d, W
inon
a
Tast
e th
e Lo
cal
Har
vest
, O
neot
a C
oop,
D
ecor
ah 4
:30
-6
:30
pm
Art
Hau
s P
oetr
y S
lam
, El
k’s
Lodg
e,
Dec
orah
, 7
:30
pm
‘19
73
’ pe
rfor
man
ce
wit
h A
bsol
ute
Hoo
t &
Lut
her
Facu
lty,
Lut
her
Col
lege
, 4pm
Art
Hau
s Fi
rst
Frid
ay,
New
wor
k by
Pre
ston
La
win
g,
Dec
orah
, 7
-9pm
Rus
ty O
lde
Cro
ws
Cra
ft
& J
unk
Sho
w,
Cha
rles
City
Aut
hor
and
Illus
trat
or
Jan
Bre
tt,
Ves
terh
eim
, D
ecor
ah,
10
am
Oct
. 11
-13
: New
Alb
in P
ublic
Lib
rary
Qui
lt S
how
WS
M B
ach,
B
eeth
oven
, &
Bee
r! T
-Boc
k’s
2nd
Flo
or,
7:3
0pm
H
olis
tic
Mom
’s N
etw
ork,
B
irth
ing
Opt
ions
, D
isco
ver
Hap
py,
10
am
Cou
nt T
his
Pen
ny,
Art
Hau
s, 8
pm
NE
IA
Mon
tess
ori’s
A
roun
d th
e W
orld
in F
ive
Pla
tes,
Ste
yer
Ope
ra H
ouse
9
16
14
17
Dow
ntow
n S
ound
Mus
ic
Fest
ival
, La
Cro
sse
Sep
t. 1
: La
nesb
oro
Live
!, St
. M
ane,
7pm
Will
iam
K
ent
Kru
eger
, D
rago
nfly
B
ooks
, D
ecor
ah,
7pm
John
Sco
field
U
berj
am B
and,
En
gler
t, Io
wa
City
Free
Fir
st
Thur
sday
, V
este
rhei
m,
Dec
orah
Sep
t. 6
-8:
Ste
am
Engi
ne D
ays,
M
abel
MN
Ope
ning
re
cept
ion
“Fou
r Fr
om
Nor
th”,
V
este
rhei
m
Will
S
hort
z,
Engl
ert,
Iow
a C
ity
Ove
r Th
e B
ack
Fenc
e ra
dio
show
, St
. Man
e Th
eatr
e,
Lane
sbor
o, 7
:30
pm
Kic
kapo
o V
alle
y R
eser
ve
Ast
rono
my
nigh
t! 7
-9pm
, La
Far
ge, W
IS
EPTE
MB
ER 1
4:
: R
ing
of F
ire:
The
Mus
ic o
f Joh
nny
Cas
h, L
uthe
r, 7
:30
pm T
hank
ful D
irt,
Hay
mar
ket,
Dec
orah
“Ta
ste
of t
he T
rail”
, Wha
lan,
Pre
ston
, and
Lan
esbo
ro M
N 1
0am
-3pm
La C
ross
e C
hild
ren’
s M
useu
m T
ri-
Que
st R
un
Bik
e G
olf
fund
rais
er
Cor
pse
Rev
iver
w/
C
harl
ie P
arr,
C
edar
C
ultu
ral
Cen
ter,
M
inne
apol
is
The
Fab
Four
, En
gler
t, Io
wa
City
Ben
jam
in P
ercy
, D
rago
nfly
Boo
ks,
Dec
orah
, 7pm
Sep
t. 2
0
– O
ct. 3
: Fr
iday
Film
s,
“Ene
rgy”
, St.
Man
e Th
eatr
e,
Lane
sbor
o,
7:3
0pm
Sep
t. 1
9-2
1: T
rem
tobe
rfes
t, T
rem
peal
eau
Hot
el
Sep
t. 2
1-2
2: N
E Io
wa
Ant
ique
Sho
w &
Fle
a M
arke
t, W
inn.
Co
Fair
grou
nds,
Dec
orah
SEP
T. 2
1:
• Con
tra
danc
e w
ith
Wes
tern
Hom
e S
trin
g B
and,
Hig
hlan
dville
, IA
7
:30
pm• T
revo
r M
cSpa
dden
, H
aym
arke
t, D
ecor
ahS
ept.
24
-28
: Lan
dfal
l Fe
stiv
al o
f Wor
ld M
usic
, C
SPS,
Ced
ar R
apid
s
Sep
t. 2
7:
Wei
ss K
apla
n N
ewm
an T
rio,
Lu
ther
CSS
, 7
:30
pm
Loop
de
Loo
p H
alf
mar
atho
n an
d 5
k, T
rout
R
un T
rail,
D
ecor
ah
Ann
e La
mot
t, L
uthe
r C
olle
ge D
istin
guis
hed
Lect
ure,
CFL
, 7:3
0pm
Sep
t. 2
8-2
9: F
t. A
tkin
son
Ren
dezv
ous
Day
s
Sep
t. 2
9:
T-B
ock’
s O
pen
Sta
ge
Nig
ht w
/
Mon
soor
, D
ecor
ah
Oct
ober
14
– J
anua
ry 5
, 2
01
4 “
The
Wor
ld o
f Jan
B
rett
” V
este
rhei
mD
awes
, En
gler
t, Io
wa
City
Oct
. 4-6
: Fr
esh
Art
To
ur, P
ierc
e an
d P
epin
(W
I) C
ount
ies
Oct
. 5-6
, 1
2-1
3:
McG
rego
r A
rts
&
Cra
fts
Fest
ival
OC
T. 5
:• P
aul B
rokk
en r
ecep
tion
, La
nesb
oro
Art
s C
ente
r, 6
-8pm
• Gyp
sy L
umbe
rjac
ks, H
aym
arke
t, • D
am C
halle
nge
Tria
thlo
n, K
icka
-po
o V
alle
y R
eser
ve, L
a Fa
rge,
WI
Pol
ish
App
le D
ay,
Pol
ish
Mus
eum
, W
inon
a
Mar
y C
hapi
n C
arpe
nter
&
Sha
wn
Col
vin,
En
gler
t
Gen
eral
B
& T
he W
iz,
Ed’s
, Win
ona
Todd
Sni
der,
En
gler
tW
inne
shie
k C
o.
Cel
ebra
tion
of
Life
, Dec
orah
El
k’s
Lodg
e,
5-8
pm
Tang
o Fi
re,
Luth
er C
en-
ter
Stag
e Se
ries
7
:30
pm
Oct
. 15
-20
: B
ig M
uddy
R
iver
R
ende
zvou
s,
Pra
irie
Isla
nd
Cam
pgro
und,
W
inon
a
Oct
. 17
-20
: Fl
yway
Film
Fe
stiv
al,
Stoc
khol
m &
P
epin
, WI
The
Bit
terr
oot
Ban
d,
T-B
ock’
s U
p-st
airs
, 8pm
Oct
. 25
-26
: La
Cro
sse
Chi
ldre
n’s
Mus
eum
Boo
-Seu
m P
arty
!
Die
t Fo
lk,
Hay
-m
arke
t, D
ecor
ah
Oct
. 27
:• T
he D
elta
Rou
tine
, To
pplin
g G
olia
th, 4
-8pm
• T-B
ock’
s O
pen
Sta
ge
Nig
ht w
/ M
iche
lle L
ynn,
D
ecor
ah
Lore
tta
Lynn
, P
aram
ount
Th
eatr
e, C
e-da
r R
apid
s
HA
PP
Y H
ALL
OW
EEN
!
Mac
klem
ore
& L
ewis
, Ta
lib K
wel
i, Lu
ther
C
olle
ge,
Dec
orah
Oct
. 4-5
: Fes
tiva
l of Q
uilt
s, S
prin
g G
rove
, MN
Oct
. 3-5
: Pro
of, L
uthe
r C
olle
ge
Thea
tre
and
Dan
ce, C
FA
Oct
. 11
:• G
ener
al B
and
The
Wiz
, H
aym
arke
t, D
ecor
ah• N
ight
(out
) at
The
La C
ross
e C
hild
ren’
s M
useu
m! 5
:30
-8pm
Oct
. 11
-13
: NE
Iow
a A
rtis
ts’
Stu
dio
Tour
, 10
am-5
pm
Oct
. 12
-13
: Voi
ces
from
th
e P
ast
Cem
eter
y W
alk,
W
oodl
awn
Cem
eter
y,
Win
ona
Sep
t. 2
8: S
eed
Sav
ers
Squ
ash
Fest
ival
, Dec
orah
See
d S
aver
s D
inne
r &
Le
ctur
e w
ith
Win
ona
LaD
uke,
D
ecor
ah
15
2
34
5
78
9
10
11
12
6
14
15
16
17
18
19
13
21
22
23
24
25
26
20
29
Mon
day
Tues
day
Sun
day
Wed
nesd
ayTh
ursd
ayFr
iday
Sat
urda
y
27
28
Nov
emb
erfun stuff to do
25 W
ord
s/$2
5 Bu
cks
Cal
enda
r ti
me
is a
lway
s an
exc
itin
g ti
me
at In
spir
e(d)
Hea
dqua
rter
s. “
Just
how
muc
h ca
n w
e fit
on
ther
e th
is m
onth
?!?”
Up
unti
l 20
12
, wha
t w
e’ve
cho
sen
for
thes
e lo
vely
pa
ges
has
been
ent
irel
y ed
itor
ial a
nd s
ubje
ctiv
e. W
e fig
ure,
hey
, you
like
our
mag
azin
e, s
o yo
u’ll
prob
ably
like
the
fun
stuf
f to
do t
hat
we
pick
out
from
aro
und
our
regi
on. B
ut w
e’re
ru
nnin
g ou
t of
spa
ce a
nd w
ant
you,
our
love
ly r
eade
rs, f
rien
ds, a
nd fe
llow
eve
nt p
lann
ers,
to
be
able
to
tell
us a
litt
le m
ore
abou
t yo
ur fu
n.
We
know
it’s
a t
ough
rac
ket
to p
ut o
n liv
e m
usic
, act
ivit
ies,
and
spe
cial
eve
nts,
so
we
wan
t to
giv
e yo
u a
chan
ce t
o ge
t th
e w
ord
out
wit
hout
bre
akin
g th
e ba
nk.
Thus
we’
ve im
plem
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maz
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wor
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n th
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ca
lend
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nt w
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list
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a n
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can
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arty
! 7-1
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nspi
re(d
) inv
ites
you
to
the
grea
test
par
ty e
ver!
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ll ha
ve
amaz
ing
amou
nts
of fu
n! S
ee y
ou t
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w.w
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18
19
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20
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Hau
s Fi
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ay,
Talk
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. 7: G
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Peo
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Con
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Man
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:30
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Giv
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anks
thi
s m
onth
!
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013 09
It’s like coming home......for a quick homemade lunch or breakfast, long coffee, you can even host your parties here – during business or after hours!
400 W. Water St., Decorah • www.javajohnscoffeehouse.com563-382-5690 • See website for hours and daily specials
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Mon - Fri 9-5 Thursday 9-8Saturday 9-5
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blueheronknittery.com
Yarn, Knitting & Fiber Art Supplies, Classes, & More!
Special Orders Available • Try us at the Oneota Food Co-op!
Jo Iverson | [email protected]
Decorah, Iowa
14. Oct. 12: Holistic Mom’s Network Decorah Chapter discusses Birthing Options, What you’ll want to know! @ Discover Happy with guest speaker. Expecting/parents and grandparents welcome. 10 am.
15. Oct. 14: Join Winneshiek County Celebration of Life (WCCOL) at the 15th Annual Fundraiser and Thank You Event from 5-8 pm at Elks Lodge in Decorah. www.facebook.com/WinneshiekCoutyCOL
16. Oct. 25: ArtHaus and KWLC present Count This Penny, $10/$6, Reservations recommended for this fantastic “Appalachian Pop” duo at ArtHaus. Doors 7:30, Show at 8. Call 563-382-5440.
17. Oct. 27: Around the World in 5 Plates: Northeast Iowa Montessori School celebrates United Nations Day! International cuisine, spirits, live entertainment, Steyer Opera House $50/$85-couple 516-672-7306
18. Nov. 1: ArtHaus First Friday: TalkStory Decorah. 8pm at ArtHaus. Come to tell your story inspired by this month’s theme, “Travel” - or just listen! BYOB. $5/$3
19. Nov. 2: Shakespeare in Song and Sound Water Street Music Series 7:30pm Congregational Church (209 W Broadway) Decorah www.wsmsdecorah.org facebook.com/WaterStreetMusicSeries
20. Nov. 2: Lanesboro (MN) Arts Center’s SWINGSATION Benefit Gala, 6pm. Live music, fine food & drink, silent & live auctions, dancing. Supports Arts programming. www.lanesboroarts.org
21. Nov. 7: Taste of the Holidays - food pantry fundraiser at the Oneota Co-op. Register for your meal by calling 563-382-4666. $20 suggested donation per person. www.oneotacoop.com
22. Nov. 10: Harmony Empty Bowls – A Project To Fight Hunger. $20 donation includes a unique bowl to keep, delicious soups, & bread. 11am to 1:30pm. Harmony Community Center, 225 3rd Ave S.W.
23. Nov. 15: ArtHaus Poetry Slam at the Elks Lodge, $5/$3. Call to sign up to perform or just come to enjoy! Doors at 7:30, show at 8. www.arthausdecorah.org
24. Nov. 22-23: Deck the Tables Open House! Beautifully decorated tables, raffle, door prizes, treats, & business showcase. At the Hotel Winneshiek. Friday 5-9 & Saturday 9-2, $10.
25. Nov. 30: Small Business Saturday Open House! 9-5. Come start your Holiday shopping at Marti & Co. Refreshments, Specials, Free Gift Wrap, & Sparkle! 930 Division St, Cresco
25W/$25B
Check out these fantastic fall activities! In chronological order, each event’s number coincides with its number on the calendar!
Looking for more details about events on the calendars?
All photos by Ray Pfeiffer – Komifoto
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013 11
Lis
te
n. B
et
te
r.
FM
10
0.5
. k
de
cr
ad
io.n
et Mumford and Sons
Vampire Weekend
Daft Punk
First Aid Kit
My Morning Jacket
Phoenix
Avett Brothers
Brandi Carlile
Atlas Genius
Alabama Shakes
Amos Lee
Kings of Leon
Bastille
Patti Griffin
Josh Ritter
Dinosaur Jr.
Walk the Moon
Florence & the Machine
Mayer Hawthorne
The Lumineers
Turn it up!
315 5th Ave. S • La Crosse
It’s no big surprise that it was a bit of a treasure hunt to find great soda with all-natural ingredients.
“If you think you’re in the wrong place, you’re probably in the right place,” says Hallie Ashley, one of the three founders
of Wisco Pop!, Wisconsin’s Holy Grail of soda.Wisco Pop kitchen headquarters can be found in a non-descript,
former cash register factory on the north side of Viroqua, Wisconsin. From the outside, it appears that there’s very little happening there... but things are really – and literally – cooking inside.
The Vernon Economic Development Association (VEDA) has turned this 100,000 square foot building – with the help of a $2 million grant – into a Food Enterprise Center. It’s an incubator for businesses that are involved in local food production, processing, marketing, and distribution, and the just-added element: exercise and movement.
Keewaydin Farms, Just Local Foods, LuSa Organics, Fifth Season Cooperative, Sole Expressions Dance Studio Cooperative, Kickapoo Coffee, and – of course – Wisco Pop! all currently or will soon utilize the space in one way or another.
The day Inspire(d) made the trip to Viroqua, Wisco Pop’s Austin Ashley (married to Hallie) and Zac Mathes were in the center’s commercial kitchen cooking up a 60-gallon steam kettle of ginger for their popular ginger soda. Bits of ginger peel and spent lemons, juiced one-at-a-time, marked the start of their 125-gallon Monday production. The two self-proclaimed “cosmic brothers” obviously work well together, as conversation easily flows from the Food Enterprise Center to Viroqua to the Driftless Region and even pizza farms. A reporter could easily get off track!
“Let me get out my list of questions so I don’t forget anything,” I say, pulling my notebook out of my bag just as Hallie arrives.
“That’s funny,” Austin says. “We have a list of questions for you too! Is your first one, ‘Why are we so good looking?’ ‘Cause we just can’t explain it.”
Jokes aside (even though they are a dapper crew), what they can explain is their quest for really delicious soda.
It all started with Austin. He was making ginger beer and kombucha at home, and thinking there should be more options for natural or even local and organic sodas.
keepin’ it realBy Aryn Henning Nichols
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com12
Large living space
Two bedrooms
Downtown Decorah
Full kitchen
Plus 2 car garage • Laundry • Internet • TV • 2 night minimum
www.decorahloft.com563.265.1955
“I was sitting on the idea for a long time,” he says. “Hallie kept saying to me, ‘Just start it. Just do it.’”
And so they did. Wisco Pop! launched just over a year ago at the Kickapoo Country Fair in Viroqua. The response has been amazing, and rightly so.
“People at first are all, ‘Craft brewed soda?’,” Austin says. “But then they taste it and are like, ‘Oh! We get it now! Craft brewed soda!’”
“This is what soda is supposed to be. It’s the way it used to be,” Zac continues. “No chemicals, just good ingredients.”
They stand by their motto: “Keepin’ it real. No processed corn, no artificial flavors. Just fresh fruit juice, pure honey, genuine spices and herbs for a real brew.”
Take their Cherry Bomb soda, for example. They whisked me across the kitchen to get a whiff of the kettle brewing for this batch.
“You really have to get your face in there,” Austin says as I lean in for a sniff. “Can you guess what’s in it?”
“Hmmm…something I cook with,” I muse.“You’re on the right track,” sings Hallie.“I can’t quite place it…”“It’s probably the vanilla.” Zac interjects.“No, that’s not it…”“Cinnamon?”“Yes!”Each flavor – they currently have three: ginger, cherry bomb, and
root beer – is filled with complex flavors that keep you guessing,
“What’s in there?”“Comparing it to craft beer is a good analogy,” Zac says. “We
spend a lot of time making sure it’s just right.”The root beer was recently released and is Austin’s Sistine
Chapel, although like an artist, he’s his own biggest critic.“Ask Austin how long it took him to ‘perfect’ the root beer,” Zac
says with a smile.“A while,” Austin replies. “I don’t know if it will ever be perfect.”
It’s pretty darn delicious though. Not too sweet, with hints of maple syrup – local – that will keep the root beer subtly different with each batch. If the syrup’s different, so’s the soda. Same goes for the local honey in the oh-so-delicious ginger brew. Following that ever-changing notion, in the future Wisco Pop hopes to release special seasonal brews that will highlight special flavors or fruits
From left: Zac Mathes, Austin Ashley, and Hallie Ashley. Photos by Ray Pfeiffer – Komifoto
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013 13
• amazing food • signature cocktails • connoisseur selection of beers
a journey to the maghreb in the heartland
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such as cranberry or maybe even apple. Even though they’re obviously a happy little Wisco Pop family,
they’re happy business partners as well. Austin is the head crafter and develops those new brews – they’re working on a cola recipe now! – then Zac and Austin head up production together. Zac follows through on details such as ordering supplies and “building useful things” like shelves for their kegs. “He’s our mathematician,” Austin jokes. And Hallie is the manager, bookkeeper, and customer contact person. All three work together on sales.
On top of that, Hallie works at Kickapoo Coffee and Zac runs Heartbeet Family Farm – along with a brick-oven-on-wheels pizza business called Homegrown Pizza – with his wife, Sara, and three-year-old daughter, Noa. Austin holds down the Wisco Pop and
daddy front – he and Hallie have two kids: 10-year-old Alden and 17-month-old Fern.
It’s this combination of family, business, community and good taste that brings it all together. In a time when soda gets a bad rap, Wisco Pop is out to bring back the charm and integrity of what was once a very real craft. As they like to say: “Wisco Pop makes it okay to drink soda again. So welcome back old friend, welcome to...craft brewed soda.”
Aryn Henning Nichols is amazed she failed to use any bubble puns in this story! Sigh. She’d love to be a member of the Wisco Pop! family ‘cause they’re so fun, and also because she’d like to have a lifetime supply of ginger soda. That’s gotta be part of the family agreement, right? Yum.
luckily, Wisco Pop! is making the great soda search a whole lot easier for the rest of us. You can find it in the Driftless region here:
Driftless CafeOrganic ValleyRooted SpoonRoot Note (La Crosse)Viroqua Food Co-op Plus multiple locations in Madison and Milwaukee. See www.wiscopopsoda.com or like Wisco Pop! on Facebook for details.
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com14
wagon rides topumpkin patch
corn maze • corn box
haunted attractions
big slides • tetherball
farm animals
goat walk
giant jumping pillow
pedal carts with track
pumpkin blaster
Your path toFall Family
Fun!
563-382-0010 • 2475 State Hwy 9 PintersGardensAndPumpkins.com
for seasonal hours
Sept 21 - Oct. 27Fri & Sat 9-5 Sun 9-4
serving dailylunches 11-2 plushomemade fudge, cupcakes and seasonal treats
TheBakery
4.5 miles west of Decorah, IA
Science,You're super!
CArBOnATIOn!
Photo by Aryn Henning Nichols
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013 15
Patagonia • Buff • Marmot Smart Wool • Exofficio
Darn Tough • prAna • Vasque
Gear up. Be active.
‘Quality Chick’ T-SHIRTHomeof the
406 West Water St Downtown Decorah 563-382-4103 • www.decorahhatchery.com
WORLD FAMOUS GEAR – SMALL TOWN CHARM
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M-W & F 9AM-7PMTHURSDAY 9AM-6PMSAT 10AM-2PM
Quality BicyclesKNOWLEDGEABLE
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Fizz – it’s the stuff of magic. Just think about where our refreshments would be without all those bubbles! Whether it’s a craft brewed soda, sparkling water, refreshing beer, or even champagne, carbonation is something we
probably take for granted. Maybe that’s because man-made forced carbonation, as we know it, has been around for about 250 years. In 1767, British chemist (and theologian/inventor) Joseph Priestly was credited with discovering a method of pressurizing water with carbon dioxide. By suspending a bowl of water above a brewery vat of beer, the offshoot ‘fixed air’ (full of CO2) infused the water with carbon dioxide bubbles. Of course, naturally fermenting substances have been fizzing since well before written records – giving off their own carbon dioxide as yeasts metabolize sugars, and if kept under pressure, naturally producing carbonation as well.
But most sparkling beverages that we are familiar with in today’s world are supplemented with man-made carbonation. Gasses can dissolve in liquid, and carbonation is created when carbon dioxide (CO2) does just that. The process of dissolving carbon dioxide in water is done under pressure, in which the CO2 gas will dissolve until the amount of CO2 in the air and in the water are equal. Excess CO2 can be added when under pressure – which is why when we open a canned or bottled beverage we hear a small ‘whoosh’ of pressurized CO2 exiting the vessel. As long as the container is sealed again, the CO2 will not entirely leave the liquid, but as everyone knows, if you leave a carbonated beverage sitting out for too long, it goes flat. (Sad panda…) Large industrial bottlers have the ability to add much more pressure in the process, thus providing an even more intensely carbonated beverage than say an ‘at-home’ carbonation kit or soda fountain, but technology and commercialization have made even small scale counter top units quite inexpensive.
So why do we like the bubbles? First, the bubbles are pressurized bits of carbon dioxide surrounded by water molecules – and when the pressure of a bottle or can is released, the bubbles seek to create an equal force between the liquid and the air that is around it – thus, rising to the surface in beautiful little pearls and fizz! It has also been found that CO2 bubbles actually hit the ‘sour’ sensory area of the human tongue, making them have some sense of ‘taste’ that we generally enjoy. If you’ve ever taken a drink of flat soda water or similar, then you know that the taste is not particularly pleasant. There are different types and sizes of CO2 bubble as well, and the taste and mouth feel of something that is naturally carbonated (fermented), versus that of something that is pressurized can be noticeable. For instance, some sparkling wine and champagnes have extremely fine bubbles that continue rising to the surface for some time, while soda generally has larger bubbles that don’t last as long. Another amazing figure is that a glass of soda basically holds roughly one glass of water and what would equate to 5 glasses of CO2 as bubbles! Any way you experience it, carbonation adds a joy to beverages that is truly delightful – and a little magical! Cheers!
Sources:1. mattson.creighton.edu/SodaWater/SodaWater.html2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonation3. www.grit.com/food/kitchen/carbonation-science.aspx
By Benji Nichols
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com16
2013-14 season details at www.luther.edu/theatreTheatre & Dance
2013-14 season
TICKETS @ LUTHER COLLEGE BOX OFFICE 563.387.1357 & 1 HOUR BEFORE SHOWS • $10. ADULT / $5. CHILDREN UNDER 12 JEWEL THEATRE, CENTER FOR THE ARTS • DECORAH, IOWA
Proof by David Auburn, directed by Jeff DintamanOctober 3 & 4 @ 7:30 • Oct 5 @ 1:30 and 7:30
Cabaret, directed by Bobby Vrtis & Jane Hawley music by John Kander & lyrics by Fred EbbNovember 15, 21, & 22 @ 7:30 • Nov 16 @ 9:30 • Nov 23 @ 1:30 & 7:30
La Dispute by Marivaux, Adapted by Bobby Vrtis and studentsMarch 12 & 13 @ 7:30 • March 14 @ 9:30 • March 15 @ 1:30 & 7:30
Highway 57, An original dance work by Blake NellisMay 2, 3, 8, & 9 @ 7:30 • May 10 @ 1:30
Fall
1FA
LL 2
spri
ng 1
spri
ng 2
Photos by Kristine Kopperud Jepsen and Aryn Henning Nichols
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013 17
211 West Water StreetDecorah, Iowa
M.T.W.Fr.Sat 9-5 Thurs. 9-8
563.382.8940
HEADQUARTERS FOR
Swee
t
Chic
Trend
y
Stepping into Tonya Balik’s newly claimed art studio at 403 West Dayspring Street in Decorah (that short, little street south of the post office, behind Java John’s), feels a little like what must happen when a non-believer stumbles into Santa’s mystical workshop – a certain crazy craftiness hangs in the air – but the artisans
are nowhere to be seen. Poof! Vanished, before the paint even dried.There’s a desk in the corner, every inch scattered with bits of material, screen-printed
images, wood scraps, tape, markers, glue. On the floor lay several paper doilies and stencils on a sheet of scrap wood, all recently spritzed with Crayola-bright spray paint, their patterns layering upon layer into intricate designs. At a workbench, several pieces of reclaimed wood lie half-built into wooden frames.
Where did all this come from? There’s an expectant hush.And then....
Home revISITeDBy Kristine Kopperud Jepsen
An InTervIeW WITh nOrTheAST IOWA ArTIST TOnYA BAlIk
Around a corner, Tonya Balik peeks, a little flustered by the attention, it seems. As an artistic moonlighter – she works at Decorah’s Opportunity Homes during the day – she’s still learning the self-promotion part of ‘being an artist’, she says, adjusting her thick black-framed glasses and waiting patiently for the next question.
Part of her hesitation is plain ol’ Scandi-Midwestern reserve. A Decorah native and photographer from the age of eight, Tonya spent 20 years in Minneapolis working in various parts of the photography industry, while eventually earning an MFA from the University of Minnesota.
Her thesis exhibition was an installation of more than a year’s full-time work of crochet – literally tens of thousands of stitches – that represented a period of intense introspection.
“I literally needed those zillions of hours of mindless, repetitive action – with single crochet, you don’t even have to look down – to get at a different perspective, with everything going through my mind, compressing, decompressing, reflecting on where I’ve been and where I want to be.” As stated in her artist statement, “The making of these forms [became] meditative: the physical rhythm and repetition of crocheting is way to both collect and release secrets, thoughts and fears.”
With supportive family and a chance to focus more on time in the studio, Tonya decided in 2011 to come back home, starting first with access to a woodworking shop, then her larger space on West Dayspring. She hosts other artists’ work for public art sales there, too, as during Decorah’s Nordic Fest.
A short tour of Tonya’s current collection – abstract oil paintings, colorized scenic snapshots taken with her iPhone, and
multimedia collage, including silkscreened prints and fabric – reveals her preferred process: multi-tasking.
“I’m really good at starting things and not so good at finishing them right away,” she says, “but I think going back and forth and incorporating techniques and styles from one piece to another gets me closer to what I intended with each one.”
Many pieces – displayed in hand-built frames made from reclaimed cupboards, furniture or siding – feature prints of knitting (she’ll knit
something, scan it, then screen print), laser etchings of vintage clothing patterns, and floral designs stenciled from paper doilies. Several incorporate stripes – the visual representation of following a linear pattern or example – all of it hinting at handicraft Tonya cherished in her childhood, learning from her grandmothers and
It’s a touch of the big city in a rural Iowa town.
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theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013 19
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Visit vesterheim.org for more class info and the complete fall 2013 schedule.
Make Holiday Traditions in Vesterheim classes!
Register today!
November 1-3 Holiday Food Traditions: Remembering, Writing,
Tasting, SharingKathleen Ernst and
Darlene Fossum-MartinCreative ways
to preserve your family recipes
and memories!
December 15Jan Brett’s Gingerbread Friends
and Gingerbread HouseLea Lovelace and
Darlene Fossum-MartinFor the whole family!
her mother. “They taught me to crochet a chain by age five, along with sewing, needlepoint, wreath-making – little crafty things that can turn into artistic finished work.”
Her choice of colors, too, is very much intended to reflect on youth and ‘growing up.’
“I like the bright colors of childhood,” she says, “I think bold colors, for me, are actually a good contrast to the personal,
private process. My work comes out of reflection, of wanting to remember things, and wanting to forget things.”
Also, wanting to capture things that might never be that way again, she says, delicately thumbing through some 80-year-old correspondence she salvaged from her grandfather and great-grandfather’s things before their loose effects were relegated to the woodstove.
She’s currently enthralled with a book of cancellations stamps she recovered from her grandfather
Balik’s career as postmaster in Spillville, Iowa. “I don’t really go looking for things to ‘create’,” she says. “I usually am just struck by something that really needs to be captured – a look, a feel, a time, place, person – something about ‘remembering.’”
So, she’ll pull over on the bike trail to take pictures with her phone. Or, she’ll buy doilies at The Depot for 50 cents, knowing they were likely painstakingly made as gifts.
Her West Dayspring location is part of the Northeast Iowa Artists’ Studio Art Tour October 11-13, 2013, and she looks forward to doing more sculptural installation work in the space – gallery-type exhibits that are as much about the viewers’ multi-dimensional experience – sight, sound, and feel – as they are about the presentation of two- or three-dimensional art.
“Whether it is a specific color or composition, a fabric pattern or perhaps even a mundane detail of my life, through photographs and drawing, I document my surroundings,” she writes. “The images I capture are important narrative elements. They become a kind of map – visual references to times and places.”
For more information, please visit www.tonyabalik.com or www.iowaarttour.com.
Kristine Jepsen writes about interesting people, places and businesses for magazines and the Web –when not engaged in business-building of her own at Grass Run Farms, a grass-fed beef company she owns and manages with her husband. She also defaults to Scandi-Midwestern reserve when asked to write bio script to accompany her work.
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com20
WHERE HEALTH BEGINS....FOR YOUR WHOLE FAMILY
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What We’re
Lovingright now
A lITTle lIST OF WhAT We AT InSPIre(D) ThInk IS The CurrenT Bee’S kneeS In The DrIFTleSS regIOn
OneOTA COOP CheeSe CluBDo we detect an “I heart cheese” theme in the issue, perhaps? What’s not to love? Join the club! The co-op cheese club, that is. Each month, cheese lovers receive delightful and rare cheeses with pairing accompaniments and suggestions, and it’s so fun to put together fancy cheese boards for a date-at-home meal or a cocktail party offering. $30/month or $150 for 6 months – this is an awesome way to try great cheeses that are not normally found at the coop (and a great gift too)! Sign up by calling 563-382-4666
lITTle Free lIBrArIeSYou may have noticed “little free libraries” popping up around Decorah – the Campground, Mound Street, Water Street Park – and beyond (we saw one in Stockholm too). Anyone can take, leave, and read these free books! The project has roots back to the turn of the century when Lutie Stearns traveled via a horse drawn wagon dropping little free libraries across the country. That mission has started anew now, with the goal of littlefreelibrary.org to promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide. All for books and books for all!
1ST AnnuAl FArm CrAWl: TASTe OF nOrTheAST IOWA Sunday September 22 from 11-5pm, make five different stops – including Kymar Acres, Green Thumb Produce, Empty Nest Winery, Peake Orchards, and WW Homestead Creamery – as part of the first annual Farm Crawl: Taste of Northeast Iowa. Family friendly activities will show more about how local food and products get from field to table! Map on page 37 and lots more info at www.iowafreshfood.com
TACOS TACOS everYWhere!Decorah is rich in tacos, and we’re lovin’ it. In fact, Inspire(d) HQ has barely missed a taco Tuesday at the Old Armory BBQ since Chef Matt Henning opened up. You can grab $2 BBQ tacos (brisket, chicken, or pork served with coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro – yummm!). It’s a killer deal – and if it’s afternoon, you can grab a beer outside at The Courtyard! www.oldarmorybbq.com. In other exciting news, our fair city has a new mobile food cart: Taqualiscious! Authentic street tacos are served up most weekend nights from the Fareway parking lot location from 9 pm until close – late night bites are all the rage! Facebook.com/taqualisciousLLC
2013 lAnD FAll FeSTIvAl OF WOrlD muSICLegion Arts in Cedar Rapids has once again dug deep into the world music scene to curate a festival that encompasses some of the hottest world roots artists anywhere. From September 24-28, downtown Cedar Rapids will host the 6th annual Landfall Festival of World Music, turning both public spaces and performance venues into windows of world culture and music. From groups like Norway’s fiddle power-house Frigg, and Kardemimmit (Finland), to Janka Nabay (Sierra Leone), Ethiopian party group Debo Band, and the Ghanaian drum and dance force African Showboyz – this festival presents music that is rare enough to find anywhere in the US, nonetheless in Eastern Iowa, AND all at the same time! Keep your eyes peeled to www.legionarts.org for more information on Landfall and all else happening at the CSPS Hall.
Take five this fall in
eight
Decorah
It’s the perfect season to get away!
Plan your trip atvisitdecorah.comor call 800.463.4692
Take a stroll through Phelps Park
Bike the Trout Run Trail or the area singletrack
Take a float down the Upper Iowa River
Catch the Winneshiek Farmers Market
Wednesdays & Saturdays
Take a class at ArtHaus or the Clay Studio
Take the NE Iowa Studio Artists’ Tour October 11-13
Pick a pumpkin at Pinter’s
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 No matter where you go, enjoy the leaves! Peak viewing is late September, early October!
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com22
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Driftless Area Art FestivalWhere: Beauford T. Anderson Park, Soldiers Grove, WisconsinWhen: September 14–15, 2013For more information: visit www.driftlessareaartfestival.com
“Celebrating the visual, performing, and culinary arts of the Driftless Area” – yes, the tagline says it all. Now in its ninth year, this event features artists of all ilks – from painters and potters to musicians and brewmasters – in a setting replete with the hills and valleys that define the Driftless Region.
Farm Crawl – Taste of Northeast IowaWhere: Waukon and Decorah (and Fredricksburg, Iowa / September 8)When: September 22, 2013For more information: visit www.iowafreshfood.com
How do local farmers successfully grow fruits and vegetables, produce flowers and herbs, make ice cream and butter, and even bottle wine? Find out during this inaugural event, which offers a glimpse of the day-to-day workings of seven Northeast Iowa farms.
mAke Sure TO ADD TheSe Fun FAll evenTS TO ADD TO YOur PlAnS!
Decorah, Iowa • vesterheim.org • 563-382-9681
Norwegian-American Museum
Vesterheim Museum Welcomes You To
The World Of Jan BrettOctober 14, 2013 - January 5, 2014A funtastic exhibition adventure that brings your favorite stories to life with interactive reading environments, original artwork, and a super-size Hedgie!
More info at vesterheim.org.With a special visit to
Decorah from Jan Brett on Nov.10
Visit Vesterheim’s Museum Store for everything Jan Brett—classic favorites, new releases, even Hedgie!
AHH…fAll! For some it means once again watching football Friday nights and
sending kids off to school in the mornings…seeing leaves change color on the trees and pumpkins ripen on the vine.
But the season also signals the start of a whole OTHER season – art tour season! Area residents and visitors alike get the opportunity to experience behind-the-scenes magic of many talented artists in the Driftless Region.
“It’s fun to see how artists work,” says Darla Ellickson, an accomplished Decorah-based jewelry-maker and the cofounder of the Northeast Iowa Artists’ Studio Tour (NIAST), the largest and longest-running artist studio tour in the state. “NIAST and other area studio tours present great opportunities to see not only what’s involved in the creative process but also how accessible making art really is.”
Curious how Ellickson crafts her stylish, metal, no-piercings-required “ear loops”? Wondering what constitutes a “fiber farm”? Seeking to purchase a one-of-a-kind gift for a family member or friend – or treat yourself to something funky and fun? Or perhaps just itching to take in the natural beauty that defines fall in the Driftless Region while traversing roads less traveled?
Then you’re in luck. October – which just happens to be national arts and humanities
month – kicks off three straight weekends of Driftless Region art tours. Artists open their studio doors to visitors just for these events. (Cameras strongly recommended – all tours showcase some of the most stunningly scenic areas the region has to offer!)
“One of the great things about NIAST and other studio tours is that they feature artists in their working environments,” says Ellickson, herself one of the 51 artists who will take part in NIAST 2013. “There’s really no substitute for that.”
Curiosity piqued? Then plan for a peek into area artists’ creative worlds during these fall art tours.
COmIng uP ThIS SPrIng:
Bluff Country Studio Art Tour Where: Winona, Minnesota, extending into Northeast Iowa and Southwest WisconsinWhen: April 25–27, 2014For more information: visit www.bluffcountrystudioarttour.com
Usher in springtime in the Midwest with a weekend spent touring the galleries and studios of dozens of painters, potters, woodworkers, glassmakers, and other artists who call the Bluff Country home.
By Sara Friedl-Putnam
(Continued on next page)
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com
FreSh ArT TOurWhere: Lake Pepin and the Chippewa Valley of WisconsinWhen: October 4–6, 2013For more information: visit www.freshart.orgNever heard of “fresh art”? Broaden your artistic boundaries as
you learn why Wisconsin has much more to offer than dairy farms, cheese curds, and Badgers and Packers games. Witness art-in-the-making during discussions and demonstrations by the varied artists (more than two dozen in all) taking part in this year’s Fresh Art Tour, a unique opportunity to experience the eclectic galleries and studios sprawled throughout the Mississippi River town of Pepin and its surrounds. Marvel at the rich colors of autumn in Wisconsin (not to mention the Chippewa Valley’s rolling hills) while witnessing the diverse talents of painters, potters, sculptors, and other skilled artists at work.
nOrTheAST IOWA ArTISTS’ STuDIO TOurWhere: Decorah, Iowa, and 35-mile surrounding regionWhen: October 11–13, 2013For more information: visit www.iowaarttour.comThey may be conveniently clustered within a 35-mile radius of
small-town Decorah, but many of the dozens of artists taking part in the 2013 Northeast Iowa Artists’ Studio Tour (NIAST) have long traveled throughout (and well beyond) the United States to exhibit their works.
“There were so many artists doing high-caliber shows throughout the country, but people in and around Decorah didn’t know that they were here,” says Ellickson of the main reason she and Margaret Davis of the Decorah Regional Arts Council (now Driftless Art Collective) decided to launch the first Northeast Iowa Artists’ Studio Tour in 1998. “We honestly didn’t know how that first tour was going to turn out, but it was well enough attended that we decided to keep on going.”
And going. And going.
This year will mark NIAST’s 16th tour. Sculptors? Yep. Oil painters? They’re on the tour too. So are jewelry-makers, ceramicists, potters, fiber artists, wood-workers, basket-makers, silk painters, photographers, quilters, and, yes, even kaleidoscope-makers. Where will you find them all come the second weekend of October? Nestled in and around the lush hills and vales of Decorah and its environs, of course!
SheeP AnD FIBer FArm TOurWhere: Southeast MinnesotaWhen: October 11–13 2013For more information: visit www.fiberfarmtour.com What’s a “fiber farm”? Find out as you spend a weekend exploring
four scenic farms in Southeast Minnesota. All are dedicated to promoting the fiber arts and raising animals that produce yarn
(think yaks, alpacas, and Shetland sheep) and other materials used in fiber-art products. The tour, now in its third year, kicks off Friday evening, October 11, in the gardens of the historic Berwood Hill Inn in Lanesboro, Minnesota, with a “Sheep, Cheese, and Wine” event featuring Catherine Friend, sheep farmer and author of the Minnesota Book Award-winning publication The Compassionate Carnivore.
Discover what’s involved in raising “fiber” animals. View the fiber-milling process in action. Be inspired by the softness and intricate textures of homespun yarn and other items crafted by local artists.
“Visitors will gain a better understanding of how ‘fiber’ animals – including wool-breed sheep, yaks, and alpacas – are raised and why natural fiber is good for ourselves, our children, and the world we want to leave behind,” promises Jean Mueller, tour director. “They will also see firsthand how fiber is transformed into a medium artists have used for centuries to make blankets, throws, and various other items.” Cool! Er…warm!
24
Driftless Area Art Festival Saturday, September 14
10:00—5:00 Sunday, September 15
10:00—4:00 Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin
Celebrating the Visual, Performing, and Culinary Arts of the Driftless Area
80 Visual Artists Live Music
Local Foods
Free Admission and Parking
www.DriftlessAreaArtFestival.com
Fresh Art Tour, Maiden Rock Inn NE IA Studio Tour, Tonya Balik Sheep and Fiber Farm Tour
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013
FAll ArT TOurWhere: Southwest Wisconsin (Baraboo, Dodgeville, Mineral Point,
and Spring Green) When: October 18–20, 2013For more information: visit www.fallarttour.comMore than 50 artist studios in unique locations ranging from
restored breweries to one-room brick schoolhouses. Rolling hills spruced with trees in vibrant fall foliage. And the distinct friendly flavor of small-town Wisconsin. There’s a reason (actually many) that this event will celebrate its 20th anniversary this October.
Once again this fall, painters, sculptors, potters, weavers, jewelers, woodworkers, and mixed-media artists in four small Wisconsin towns will open their studios to offer a behind-the-scenes look at how (and why) they create their art. “The Fall Art Tour reveals one of the dairy land’s richest harvests,” Wisconsin
Trails Magazine recently noted. “It’s a veritable bumper crop of galleries and studios sandwiched between the family farms or just off small-town main streets in southern Wisconsin.”
And the artists aren’t the only draw of this popular tour. Visitors also have the opportunity to soak in the sites of Mineral Point, the first Wisconsin city placed on the National Register of Historic Places; visit Taliesin, the Spring Green-area home and studio of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright; and experience the dramatic natural beauty (500-foot cliffs, anyone?) of the Baraboo-area Devil’s Lake State Park.
Sara Friedl-Putnam has thoroughly enjoyed learning about the artistic endeavors of some of the region’s most talented individuals during past NIAST events and looks forward to experiencing even more tour stops this fall.
25
Meet Holly the Trolley!
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Sheep and Fiber Farm Tour Fall Art Tour, Scott Allen NEIAST,Elisabeth Maurland
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com26
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013 27
Ossian, Iowa, native Danielle Ameling trusted her crazy idea and started her letterpress and design business, Iron leaf Press. Turns out, it’s a winner!
BRIGHT IDeAS. BIG PlANS.
By Aryn Henning Nichols
Photo by Jen Madigan Photography
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com28
everybody knows we love a good entrepreneur around here. Starting a business is… dare we say… inspiring!
It’s damn hard too. The first step is, obviously, a really great idea. The
next? A really great plan. So to help build a fire under everyone’s collective bums, many
cities and states are hosting business plan contests. To enter, you submit your great idea, all laid out and ready to go in a plan that says “I could start this tomorrow”. Winnings range from hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars to more abstract – but equally helpful – booty like free rent and business consulting.
Such was the case for Ossian native Danielle Ameling. Her business, Iron Leaf Press, won free rent for two years – plus support services and a utility stipend – through the Project Bright Idea Business Plan Contest.
Project Bright Idea was created by a group of volunteers partnering with Lisbon-based Moon Eye Ventures. It was created to encourage regional entrepreneurs to take the leap and get their plans on paper, with a goal of luring new startups to fill in vacant downtown buildings in Mount Vernon and Lisbon.
Iron Leaf Press, a custom design and letterpress studio – in business since 2011(although Danielle started printmaking in 2007) – has now set up shop in the grand prize: a completely renovated, 1,000-square-foot historical building in downtown Lisbon, Iowa. Danielle has moved in her three presses – the Nolan proof press, a Kelsey 6”x10” tabletop platen press, and a Chandler and Price 10”x15” platen press – and has been busy making all sorts of cool stuff from invitations to posters to packaging to business cards. The only real printing stipulation: It should be flat. In addition, Iron
Spend your special day in a casual, elegant setting overlooking the Oneota Valley and the Upper Iowa River. Enjoy the Amish-built post
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Leaf Press provides graphic design and branding services. It’s a business that’s been a long time in the making for Danielle.
After graduating from South Winn High School in 2005 and in 2009 from Grand View University in Des Moines with a degree in graphic design, Danielle worked at Main Street Iowa, then as a graphic designer at Cedar Rapids-based RuffaloCODY. But she had other ideas in the works. Really great ideas. (Remember: That’s the first step.)
“I’ve always been crafting, painting, and drawing since I was a kid,” she writes. “I really enjoyed drawing lettering in particular and that eventually led me to graphic design.” Which eventually led
her to printmaking which then led her to letterpress and finally to Iron Leaf Press.
We caught up with Danielle via email this summer. In between runs on the press and helping run her boyfriend’s farmers market beignet stand, Sweet Dee’s (for which she developed the branding), she managed to share some of what’s inspiring her now plus some strategies for starting a new business and entering a business plan contest yourself.
Interested in doing just that? Check out the sidebar on page 32 for some business plan contests in the tri-state area.
q&A WITh DAnIelle AmelIng, FOunDer OF IrOn leAF PreSS
What’s inspiring you right now?Everything and anything really. I
particularly enjoy vintage typography and illustrations, especially vintage packaging. I usually get inspired by my surroundings and friends. At one point I decided I was going to host a show called “Fun with Paper” (a la Sheldon Cooper) after trying to describe the difference between text and cover weight paper to a group of friends (paper nerd!). A
Photo by Michael Wagler
lot of the greeting cards come about from off the cuff comments in these discussions. (ed. note: one of her cards reads: “sh*t happens when you party naked”.)
I also am a member of both the Ladies of Letterpress and the Amalgamated Printer’s Association. Both groups have some amazing printers and I continually am inspired by the work that they put together.
Why letterpress?Letterpress, for me, is a way to be creative not
only in the design, but in the production. I like being able to work with clients on special projects – those that have a very personal impact. I also really enjoy the challenges of working through production. Using antique printing presses can create their own challenges, but I like being able to have that control over the end product.
I create the majority of my greeting cards using hand-set type, which is a challenge in itself. Each letter is a separate piece of metal or wood type and must be locked in place or the type will be “pied,” meaning the type will fall and have to be re-set. It really makes me appreciate how much skill and craftsmanship went into printing in the past.
Beyond all of that, the machinery related to the printing field (especially those in the late 19th century) are amazing feats of engineering and technology. It’s amazing to know that I can produce these items with this antique machinery, and currently all of my equipment runs on NO electricity (other than my computer). Everything is human powered.
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You’re kind of a jack-of-all trades, design-wise. What else do you do? (Or should we ask what DON’T you do?!)
:) I do work on a lot of different projects. The main projects I focus on are commercial and social stationery including invitations, notecards, business cards, packaging, posters, and greeting cards. I also do logos and branding. I can print on most things, as long as they are flat, so there are many options out there – I’ve even printed on boxes and gift bags before. In addition to the custom and commercial work I do, I have a line of greeting cards and paper goods that I sell online, at art/craft shows, and in select retailers.
I have some experience doing email and web design (I take care of those for Iron Leaf Press) but that’s really the only design area that I don’t do a ton of work in –I’ve always been more of a print designer.
Out of all that, what’s your favorite?I think my favorite projects are the ones where I
get a chance to really connect with the recipient. Hearing the story on how a couple met for a wedding invite or how someone is looking for a gift to celebrate a promotion, etc. – the stories behind the pieces are always fun for me.
Tell us about the business plan contest process.I had participated in the Dream Big, Grow Here regional contest
back in the fall (run by University of Northern Iowa’s MyEntre.Net). I didn’t end up winning, but that helped propel me forward into
pursuing Iron Leaf Press more full time. I had been on the lookout for a larger studio space to add some larger equipment and heard about Project Bright Idea in Lisbon. Each applicant had to provide a detailed business plan (prior to winning this space, everything was in a small room in my second-floor apartment). The committee met and reviewed the applicants (I wasn’t privy to this part of the process so I’m not sure all of what happened behind the scenes). Eventually Moon Eye Ventures wanted to meet with me and discuss my business plan and goals. I met with them a few additional times and they ended up choosing me for this space.
Photo by Jen Madigan Photography
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013 31
Advice to others who want to start their own business? How about others who want to enter a business plan contest?
Keep your chin up and keep moving forward. Throughout this process I kept asking myself if I was crazy – especially once I bought my largest press that weighs in at over 1500 lbs – but I bought it anyway. If you believe in your business and it is a passion, you will find ways to make it work.
Also be sure to surround yourself with people that love and support you with your crazy ideas. My family and boyfriend and friends have been extremely supportive and that makes a huge difference. Meeting with other business owners is a great resource as well. They know the type of things you are working through and often have ways to help you grow.
Specifically with business plan contests, plan your business like you are going to win. Make your plan show exactly how you are going to use the winnings and how it fits into your overall goals. Be confidant, but humble. For someone to “buy into” your business, they are just as much buying into your personality and demeanor.
Aryn Henning Nichols is also a paper and print nerd. Wouldn’t it be fun to print Inspire(d) all old-school? Okay, maybe just one. Okay, maybe just one cover. Oh wait! No need; it’s already done. You can buy those at ironleafpress.com! Seriously, folks: trust your crazy ideas!
www.dragonflybooks.com563-382-4275 • 112 West Water Street Decorah • [email protected]
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gOT A greAT IDeA? mAke A PlAn. AnD WIn!
Dream Big, grow here / ne Iowa Business networkDeadline: September 27, 2013www.dreambiggrowhere.comThis is a grant contest open only to legal residents of the State of Iowa, of the Counties of Allamakee, Clayton, Delaware, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek. Dreamers compete online for votes and a shot at a $5,000 regional grant, and then become eligible to further compete in a “pitch off” for a $10,000 grand prize announced at EntreFest! 2014.
Winneshiek County Biz Booster ChallengeDeadline October 11, 2013www.thinkdecorah.comThe Biz Booster Challenge is open to anyone who has a business or plans to start a new business in Winneshiek County. Total grant money available in 2013 is more than $10,000. Main criteria for the Biz Booster Challenge is the amount of economic impact the new or expanding business will have in Winneshiek County.
Wisconsin governor’s Business Plan ContestDeadline: January 31, 2014www.govsbizplancontest.com
The mission of the Governor’s Business Plan Contest is to encourage entrepreneurs in the creation, startup and early-growth stages of high-tech businesses in Wisconsin. Finalists will share in more than $100,000 in seed capital and in-kind services. Since its inception in 2004, nearly 2,300 entries have been received and about $1.5 million in cash and services have been awarded.
The john Pappajohn entrepreneurial Centers Iowa Business Plan CompetitionDeadline: April 30, 2014www.iowabusinessplancompetition.comThe plan must be an original idea for a business in operation for four years
or less or have not yet reached cash flow positive financial status. The principal business operations of the business must be located in Iowa. One Grand Prize Winner will receive $25,000 and, in addition, recognition of their work on the website for the competition. ($15,000 for Second Prize and $10,000 for Third Prize.)
The minnesota CupDeadline: May 17, 2014www.breakthroughideas.orgSince 2005, the Minnesota Cup has attracted over 7,000 entries and is now the largest new venture competition in the country. This program is for Minnesota’s entrepreneurs, inventors and small business people. It is for those individuals or early stage businesses that are pursuing their dreams and working on their breakthrough business idea.Prizes range from $5,000 to $40,000.
117 Parkway Ave N, Lanesboro, MN507-467-2292 • www.bittersweetlanesboro.com
“An imaginative, eclectic store whose treasures �ll the nooks and
crannies of its warm, inviting walls.”
Bi�ersweet is an intimate boutique with a great selection of natural �ber clothing for women. Expressive, unique, yet simple & classic. Something for everyone. Browse the sassy
socks, �ip-�ops, handbags, vintage hats & unique harness bracelets. Create your own kind of style!
Bi�ersweet Boutique in Picturesque Lanesboro
In back: Great selection of antiques – furniture, porch beams, trunks. In front: Featuring Baggallini, Smart Wool, and much more!
Photo by Studio eM Photography
step-by-step instructions atironleafpress.com
Paper Project!
Thanks to our friend Danielle Ameling at Iron Leaf Press for the guest paper project! We love it and think it would be so fun for Halloween or even at each seat at Thanksgiving! Check out Danielle’s cool website (above) for detailed photos and instructions (and another color pumpkin too!), and read more about her letterpress and design business on page 26 of this issue!
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com34
I t’s hard to hear the name “Johnny Cash” and not start in on Folsom Prison Blues or, more likely, with the lyric “I fell in to a burning ring of fire…”. His name and his songs are household standards, but not
everyone knows the details behind Johnny Cash’s tumultuous life. It was one of struggle and success, love and pain. The public will have a chance to learn more about Cash’s iconic life in the musical “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash”. Performed by Minneapolis-based Troupe America on September 14 at Luther College as part of the Center Stage Series, this unique show celebrates the ups and downs and, of course, the music of Cash’s history.
Curt Wollan, the President and Executive Producer/Director for Troupe America, is an alumni of Luther College and the University of Iowa. He has called Minneapolis home for some 30 years, which is where he was when Inspire(d) caught up him via email to ask a handful of burning questions (harhar) covering everything from Decorah memories and the upcoming show to an imaginary Johnny Cash faux pas.
CenTer STAge SerIeS
rIng OF FIre: The muSIC OF jOhnnY CASh
CenTer FOr FAITh AnD lIFe luTher COllege
SePTemBer 14, 7:30 Pm
mOre InFOrmATIOn AT WWW.CenTerSTAge.luTher.eDu
Or AT The luTher COllege BOx OFFICe: 563-387-1357
• Same day crowns, veneers, & bridges with CEREC CAD technology• Less radiation & better diagnostics through digital x rays & records
• Soft tissue laser to help heal canker sores & cold sores without a scalpel, drastically reducing healing time• New “wand anesthesia systems” that allow us to numb your teeth without a shot
• State of the art building & equipment, with Wi-Fi in the waiting room• Wide range of all white & ceramic filling options
• Now offering Invisalign
Nothing but the best for our patients.
We’re here to make you smile.
Dr. Peter J. Blodgett • Dr. John E. Wilmes • Dr. Lana W. McDermott 108 Fifth Avenue, Decorah, Iowa • 563-382-3657 • www.decorahdental.com • Find us on
rIng OF FIre: q&A with Producer/Director Curt WollanBy Benji Nichols
1. Best memory of 1973 at Luther College?
Performing the Musical “Carnival” in a circus tent out in front of the Preus Library. The stage was in the round as if it was a center ring. I played Paul Berthelet, the injured ex-dancer, now puppeteer with a chip on his shoulder. I weighed 50 pounds more then, and I must have looked like eating was my only outlet now that my dance career was over.
2. What is your favorite Johnny Cash song from “Ring of Fire”?
That’s tough. He wrote so many great songs and covered many more so well. I guess “Jackson”, ‘cause it rocks, or “Straight ‘A’s In Love” because my son, Chet, who is in the show, really sells it, or maybe Chet’s girlfriend, Candice – also in the show – who does an amazing rendition of “All Over Again”. Tough question.
3. What’s the most inspiring thing that’s happened to you while running your own theatrical production company for the past 30 years?
That we’ve stayed alive and prospered in a really tough business. It seems we’re working all the time, but it doesn’t feel like work. And that my kids, Chet and Lexie, have embraced the business and are both really good at what they do.
4. What do you enjoy most about visiting Decorah now?
The memories. What a beautiful place... and Mabe’s Pizza. Can’t wait to get there and have some.
5. Johnny Cash walks into the coffee shop and stands behind you in line – what do you say?
As I try to gain my composure, I would probably spill something on him. (I’ve spilled on Fran Tarkington, Gavin MacLeod and Cesar Romero). I guess I would say, “Mr Cash! I’m so sorry!”
FIve queSTIOnS WITh CurT WOllAn
www.wildrosetimberworks.com563 382 6245
DECORAH
On behalf of First Lutheran Church of Decorah & the Project Care Committee, we would like to extend our
heart-felt thanks to all of the individuals, businesses, & families who made Project Care Possible! The goal &
mission of Project Care is to recognize area students who are not only graduating from high school, but also “aging
out” of the foster care system. This dedicated effort raised money to help equip 8 area young people in the next phase of life, that of independent living as well as host a wonderful
graduation celebration on May 30. They have endured much, persevered, & we wish them all the best! We also hope that this project brings to light the need of all the
children in the foster care system! This INSPIRING endeavor would not have been possible without the kindness
& generosity of those in our community listed below!
We
thank
you for yo
ur sup
port &
care!
“Thank You!” from Project Care!
“Be not Forgetful to Entertain Strangers: For Thereby some have Entertained Angles Unawares” Hebrews 13:2
Walmart, Mitch Link & StaffDan HuebnerAce Hardware, Julie SpildeBank of the West, Cindy Simpson & EmployeesBeta Sigma Phi Laureate Alpha Gamma, Cindy Simpson & Lorraine Rear Beta Tau Chapter of Beta Signma Phi, Peggy BeattyCaseys, Dawn Casey’s General Stores Contribution Committee, Ankeny, IA Culvers, Bruce & Sue Anderson, Lisa Roberson, Decorah Bank & Trust, Ben GrimstadDecorah Lutheran Church, Ruth CircleDecorah NewspapersDough & Joe, Molly PedrettiFamily Care Clinic, David HeineFarmers & Merchants Savings Bank, Maureen DunckleeFirst Lutheran Sunday School StudentsFriest & Associates, Jim & DJ FriestGundersen Health System, Angie McConnellInspired Media, Benji & Aryn NicholsIowa Xi Zeta Omicron Sorority, Heidi OlingerJC Penney, Ranae SnyderJaycees, Susan NelsonKDECKwik Star, Sharon Luther CollegeMcDonalds, Scott ClemensNICC, Dr. WeeOnce Upon a Time, Marlys LienPizza Hut, John Pizza Ranch, John DambekRockweiler Appliance, Dean & Heidi Rockweiler, Jason ZuckSports Shop, Paul WanlessStory People, Annette LaitenenSubway (College Dr.), Kim ZweibommerSubway (Short St.), Robin PrideWhippy Dip, Rosie CarolanWinnesheik Medical Center, Mary Marx
Alison DwyerAnn & John GlesneAnn & Corey LandstromBekah & Joe KruegerBen & Padrin GrimstadBetty HoffBetty NelsonBev & ElliottChristenBob & Darlene JonesCarol Birkland & Tom WoxlandCarolyn & Herman FlaskerudChad & Cheryl Huebner FamilyClaire & MattThompson FamilyDan & Carol EdmondsonDan & Jenny WernerDarrel & Mary Pat JensenDarryl & Beth LandasDave & Brenda CarlsonDavid & Kirsten Heine FamilyDawn Deines-ChristensenDenise & Kent LeeDennis & Paula OlejniczakDiane SadlerDiann MartenJon & Mary HartElise NelsonElwin & Helen FarwellGeorgiann & Doug EckheartGerry & Gary LeeGloria CarpenterHarley & Norma RefsalHazel AmundsonHelen JamesHelen & Jim MeehanHeather ArmstrongIrene LovstuenJacqueline WilkieJane TollefsonJayme & Dan NelsonJeff & Susan JohnsonJenine JordahlJenna & Ryan GjerdeJim & Marge IversenJim & Rita FriestJim & Sandy HoegJim & Sue HaemkerJoan Rulon
JoAn StevensonJohn & Amy NoelJohn & Arlene NelsonJud & Connie BarclayKevin RockwellLarry & Diane GrimstadLaurie WorcesterLinda BakkenLuann SmithLyn & Ron Lysne Marcia & Rik EngebretsonMiriam Bakken Marilyn & Jeff RoverudMarilyn & Tony LarsonMarilyn WahlbergMarion & Peggy BeattyMark & Mary JohnsMatt & Amy LarsonMildred & Jack MeyerMuriel BakkenMarilyn & Francis PetersonMargaret SteffenBrenda RixOtter DreamingOwen & Linda ChristiansonPat & Karen Trewin FamilyPaul & Norma DirksPaula HoveRich & Babs AmundsonRich & Linda SvensonRita Tejada & familyRobin & Jack HinesRoger & Jane KolarichRoger & Vicky JaegerRon & Linda HougenRuby HelgersonRuth Caldwell & Uwe RudolfRuth & Ken NessettSharon & Bob LillieShirley & Al LudekingSteve & Jennifer Larson FamilySusan & Don NelsonTerri BrooksTiphanie & Dennis KeefeTracy & John Hjelle FamilyWill & Ruth BungeWilliam & Kathryn Fuqua FamilyAnonymous
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com36
FASHION. FOR REAL LIFE. AFFORDABLE BOUTIQUE SHOPPING
Monday - Saturday 9am - 5pm | Thursday 9am - 8pm
115 Winnebago Street | Decorah, Iowa | 563.382.3600
117 W. WATER ST., DECORAH, IA • 563.382.WINE
www.RubaiyatRestaurant.com
bar menu also available
RESERVATIONS APPRECIATED
DINNER: WED-SAT – OPEN AT 5 SUNDAY BRUNCH: 9-1
“Delicious food + great atmosphere = fun!”
Read reviews! Like us! Check in!
PLUS: CHECK OUT THE RUBAIYAT WINE SHOP!
small appliances . pots & pans . kitchen tools . glassware . dishes . accessories . gift registry . & more!
106 E. Water St Decorah, Iowa • 563-382-3544
TROUTRIVERLOG CABIN
troutriverlogcabin.com
Visit our 160-year-old Norwegian-built log house & working farm with heritage cattle, sheep, & chickens.
Come take in the stunning landscape & explore Trout River, one of the best trout fishing streams in the Midwest.
Decorah, Iowa | 563.419.5634120 WASHINGTON ST, DECORAH, IOWALunch & dinner Monday - Saturday • 563-382-3067
RESERVATIONS APPRECIATED
Fall is the time filled with giving back, giving thanks, and celebrating life with the ones you love. It’s also the time that the holiday season begins! When you’re looking for something fun to do with your sweetie, best friend, mom, or neighbor in the coming months, try one of these awesome area “holidates”!
Around the World in Five Plates, Sunday, October 27, 5-9 pm, Hotel Winneshiek, DecorahThe Northeast Iowa Montessori School presents a dinner of world culinary delights! Regional chefs lend their talents to create spectacular dishes in an effort to raise funds for the NE Iowa Montessori. Tickets and info 516-672-7306 or www.neim.us
Oneota Co-op Taste of the Holidays benefit meal, Thursday, November 7, 4:30-8:15 pm (multiple seatings), Oneota Co-op, DecorahThis annual feast raises money for local food pantries. Enjoy a multi-course feast around the Co-op while spreading holiday cheer! Also plan ahead to enjoy Vesterheim’s Free First Thursday before or after your dinner – with free admission all day! Tickets and information for the Coop dinner 563-382-4666 or www.oneotacoop.com
Deck the Tables, November 22-23, Friday 5-9 pm and Saturday 9 am-2 pm, Hotel Winneshiek, DecorahThe Steyer Opera House comes alive with the Holiday spirit as local groups decorate formal holiday tables. Admission includes refreshments and special opportunities to both bid on and win unique items. All proceeds benefit Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum. More information available from Stephanie Johnson – [email protected] or 563-382-9681
Lanesboro Christmas Inn Tour, Sunday, December 8, 2-6 pm, LanesboroTour eight Lanesboro B&Bs decked out for the holidays. Holiday refreshments are served along the way – make it a weekend and see “The Last Night of Ballyhoo” at Commonweal or the Lanesboro Dinner Dance Saturday evening. Guests staying overnight at participating inns receive half price tickets! www.lanesboro.com
hOlIDATeS!
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IOWA
FARM CRAWL!
The First Annual Farm Crawl will be held in Northeast Iowa area on Sunday, September 22 from 1 to 5 pm. Learn how local farmers grow your food and manage their farms on this self-guided tour. You might even find fun kids' activities and local foods to buy and cook up for dinner! Visit the NE Iowa Food & Farm Coalition’s home page (www.iowafreshfood.com) for a map and details about each participating farm. Plus: Buy a VIP Pass for bonus savings at each stop! www.iowafreshfood.com
Green Thumb Produce 2322 Glenville Road | Decorah, IA 52101See a three-acre market garden where they grow fruits and vegetables for sale, as well as for the local food pantries. See their new high tunnel and how they are using it to extend the growing season. Fresh baked goods, cookies, breads, cinnamon rolls and pies available for purchase.
Kymar Acres2168 Winnmakee Road | Waukon, IA 52172 A family owned, sustainable farm since 1998. Kymar Acres offers fresh produce, herbs, flowers and eggs sold directly to you at local farmers markets and at their on farm stand. Visit the production fields and farm stand and tour their newly, renovated commercial kitchen where they will host cooking and canning classes and process food from their farm.
Empty Nest Winery1352 Apple Road | Waukon, IA 52172Family owned and operated. Handcrafted wines made in small batches from grapes and many varieties of berries handpicked mainly on their farm and Northeast Iowa. Sample from six grape wines and 12 berry wines in their tasting room.
Peake Orchards323 N. Line Dr. | Waukon, IA 52172Peake Orchards planted their first trees in the early 1980's and began selling fruit in 1989. With approx. 1,000 trees and about ten varieties to choose from, they have something for everyone. Visit the farm stand, view the packingshed and take a wagon ride to the orchard between 2-4 pm that day.
WW Homestead Dairy850 Rossville Road | Waukon, IA 52172Two local dairy farm families from northeast Iowa are proud to introduce a full dairy product line including; cream-line milk, cheese curds, block cheeses, butter, and premium ice cream. Their products are made with all natural ingredients that are locally produced and processed. Sample their amazing cheese curds and cream-line milk! Even though the processing room is quiet on Sundays, you can still get a tour of how the milk travels from the farm to your refrigerator.
Engelbrecht Family Winery2866 270th Street | Fredericksburg, IA 5063010-acre vineyard growing grapes, raspberries, and rhubarb to make into wine. Wine varieties include three white wines, five red wines, and a blush wine. In addition to berry bushes and fruit trees, the farm features dairy cattle, goats, chickens, peacocks, llamas, Jacob sheep, cats, and a dog named HJ.
Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch3034 Pembroke Ave. | Fredericksburg, IA 50630A heritage family farm (150 years) raising a herd of grass-fed and hormone free buffalo. Tours last one hour beginning with a Lakota Sioux smudge ceremony and end after a trip into the pasture to hand-feed the buffalo.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Taste of Northeast Iowa
September 8
Sponsored by NE Iowa Food and Farm Coalition and NE Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative • www.iowafreshfood.com
1stAnnual
SEPT
EMBE
R 22
: 1-
5 PM JUST CAN’T WAIT TO FARM CRAWL?
Check out the September 8th, 1-5 pmNorthern Iowa Food and Farm Partnership Farm Crawlwww.uni.edu/ceee/localfoods
SEPT
EMBE
R 8:
1-
5 PM
For detailed descriptions & directions: Go to www.iowafreshfood.com
& click on “Farm Crawl” on the front page.
NORTHERN IOWA FOOD & FARM PARTNERSHIP FARM CRAWL
GREENTHUMBPRODUCE
KYMARACRES
EMPTY NESTWINERY
PEAKEORCHARDS
WWHOMESTEAD
DAIRY
HawkeyeBuffaloRanch
ENGELBRECHTFAMILYWINERY
AND DON’T MISS: Driftless Farm Crawl and Farm to Table DinnerSeptember 21, 1-5 pmwww.extension.iastate.edu/dubuque/localfoods
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com38
Summer Hours (Apr-Oct)Monday-Saturday 8:00 am - 8:30 pmSunday 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
Winter Hours (Nov-Mar)Monday-Saturday 8:00 am - 8:00 pmSunday 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
We get a little excited about good food.
312 West Water StreetDecorah, Iowa 52101
563.382.4666www.oneotacoop.com
Water Street Caf éf r e s h . o r g a n i c . l o c a l .
EVERYONE CAN SHOP - EVERYONE WELCOME - NO MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED
grocery • bulk • produce café • meat • cheese bakery • wine/beer supplements body care
erIk kleven OF FOur DAughTerS vIneYArD AnD WInerYIntro by Aryn Henning NicholsCH
EFON THEBLOCK
Between Stewartville and Spring Valley, Minnesota, just off the intersection of Highways 16 and 63, there sits a
beautiful, modern, barn-red building. You might wonder what crops they grow…that is until you notice the grapevines rolling out past the patio situated under a giant, gorgeous pergola. Four Daughters Vineyard and Winery combines what they call “Minnesota-nice and casual elegance” to create a unique dining – and, of course, wining – destination.
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013 39
Now booking parties from small & intimate to 200+.
Upstairs or Underground!
Host your events at
206 W. Water St. •563-382-5970 • tbocks.com
Seed SaverS exchange3094 North Winn Road, Decorah, IA• seedsavers.org • 563-382-5990
• Squash Festival September 28 Learn about the diversity of this remarkable vegetable from experts around the country.
• Seed Saving Workshop* September 29 Learn seed saving basics with a focus on harvesting seed from dry & wet-seeded crops.
• 3-Day Seed Workshop* October 11-13 Learn skills like hand-pollination and seed processing, as well as the biological and ecological concepts of seed saving.
• Dinner & Lecture* October 19 Join SSE and Winona LaDuke (Executive Director, Honor the Earth) for an evening of fresh food and learning.
Join us for these great fall events
*(Registration required)
Inside, the tasting room/restaurant is well designed and fun. Big chalkboards announce the wines to taste ($5 for a flight!), and they are indeed tasty – not just by Midwestern standards.
Also tasty? The food. Open for lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch, the menus (which change frequently) feature plates ranging from bacon jam potato skins to burgers hand ground (with bacon!) fresh in the Four Daughters kitchen. You can also get duck confit pasta or crispy crab cakes or even brie and artichoke pizza. At brunch order up the yummy apple-stuffed French toast or try the sausage bread dumplings with poached eggs (just to name a couple).
If you’re lucky, you might even catch the Four Daughters’ father cheerfully walking around the tables, greeting guests like a host in his home, making it feel even more of a family affair.
And while Four Daughters’ head chef, Erik Kleven, creates delicious plates off his regular menus, he really gets into his groove at the Dine in the Vines events. This special full moon dinner series only happens four times a year. It’s served up – you guessed it – right in the vineyard, under a full moon to boot. There is one left this fall – a lobster boil September 19th (reservations required).
Another special dinner series at the vineyard is Thursday night gourmet dinners. These are weekly affairs, all year long, and each meal – ranging from five to six courses – is literally never the same. As the Four Daughters family is known to say, this place isn’t just a restaurant; it’s an experience.
Name: Erik Kleven Age: 42 Restaurant: Four Daughters Vineyard and Winery Number of Years Cooking: 20
Formal training or live-and-learn?
I choose the formal training route and attended the Western Culinary Institute in Portland Oregon. Culinary school teaches you the passion and professionalism, but learning on the job gives you the skills for the day to day work.
January 22 – 26, 2014Winona State University
Winona, MN 55987
WWW.FROZENRIVER.ORG
Mention this ad at the festival info booth for a chance to win a free membership to Inspire[d]
Experience 50+ documentaries that
engage and activate
What’s your earliest or most significant memory of cooking or being cooked for?
I grew up in the restaurant business and my best memory is of my dad teaching me to make meatloaf when I was young.
Why did you decide to become a chef?
I have always liked the restaurant business and had many front of the house jobs. When I graduated high school I tried college for a couple of years and that didn’t hold my attention enough, because I always found things to do that were more fun than classes. So I decided that pursuing a career in the restaurant business would offer a bit more excitement and I have loved it ever since.
What’s the best thing you’ve ever made?
I think that my best things have come in some of the specialized dinners that we do at Four Daughters. The Dine in the Vines dinners
that we do every summer are my favorite. We do multiple course dinners down the middle of the vineyard under the full moon. We create fun dishes for these and the Lobster boil that we do at the end of the summer is a blast.
Do you have any monumental food fails you’d like to share with us?
Probably my most frequent fail is putting things in the oven and forgetting about them…I do this more often than should. My great kitchen staff usually saves me so that it is not always lost.
How about secret food indulgences you don’t normally talk about? Will you tell us? I will eat anything in the refrigerator wrapped in a tortilla, like most leftovers, leftover spaghetti is my favorite.
What’s your favorite…Ingredient: Duck or Bacon Fat
Dish: pan fried sunnys at the lakeCookbook: All of Charlie Trotter’s books – interesting ingredients
and awesome pictures Random (or not so random) kitchen tool: Hand blenderVegetable: PotatoFruit: Tomato
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013 41
For over 250 miles of Wisconsin’s “West Coast”, a ribbon of road flows next to the train tracks right along the Mighty Mississippi. The Wisconsin Great River Road is one of the Midwest’s most scenic road trips – it was even voted prettiest drive in the nation by the Huffington Post last year! Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the drive in its entirety spans from Minnesota to Louisiana. Wisconsin’s section winds through 33 towns and countless sights. This edition of Boxed (IN) takes it in a little closer to cover the popular 30-mile stretch from Alma to Maiden Rock – just north of Trempealeau and the La Crosse area. Home to Lake Pepin – a popular 26-mile-long sailing area of the Mississippi River – this little slice of river is known for kitschy stops, artist studios, galleries, shops, and down-home charm.
Alma itself is an adorable little river town tucked in and on 12 Mile Bluff – there are even 10 staircases (with over 750 steps total!) that connect the two main streets throughout the town. Lock and Dam #4 – including a great viewing platform – is also located here, and the lodging and dining options are fun and unique since over 200 structures are on the National Register of Historic Places.
As you wind up the river through Nelson, Pepin, Stockholm, Maiden Rock, and Bay City take time to seek out the many treasures and destinations tucked along the way. The terrain is beautiful – and the locals friendly. Follow our notes carefully, and call ahead if you are making the drive (or boat!) as many of the best spots we found are seasonal and only open certain days of the week. (Like A to Z’s Pizza on the farm!). That said, there’s more than enough to keep you busy – and plenty of relaxing to be had as you watch all that is the mighty Mississippi float by.
GReAT RIveR RoAD of WIScoNSIN: AlmA • NelsoN
PePiN • stockholm • mAideN Rock • BAy city
GeTTING To AlmA, WI:88 mIleS FrOm DeCOrAh
60 mIleS FrOm lA CrOSSe 54 mIleS FrOm rOCheSTer
119 mIleS FrOm mCgregOr
By Benji Nichols Photos by Inspire(d)
unless otherwise noted
WIScoNSIN GReAT RIveR RoADBOxeD (In):
Photo by Jay Olson
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com42
563-382-CELL (2355) • www.simstvandelectronics.comMon - Fri 8 am - 6 pm • Sat 8 am - 5 pm • Thurs ‘til 8 pm
NOW 3 LOCATIONS! 112 Winnebago St, Decorah 1014 S. Mill St, Decorah • 121 N Vine St, West Union
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since 1983
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www.slantavenue.comLanesboro MN
LandmarksLock & Dam #4, Alma, WI – Built in 1935, this structure is an
attraction in its own right and the southern border of “Lake” Pepin. Watch barges and river traffic lock through from the viewing platform or from local establishments, while trains ramble by right underneath the pedestrian bridge.
Lake Pepin is a 26-mile-long section of the widest, naturally occurring part of the Mississippi River that stretches from Bay City on the north end to Alma and Lock & Dam #4 in the south. It is extremely popular for sailing, boating, and fishing, as well as bird and wildlife watching.
Great Alma Fishing Float • www.almafishingfloat.comPark and walk to the dock where a shuttle boat will pick you up and
deliver you to the float! For over 25 years this has been a local favorite – Float Café open 7am-3pm, and bunk lodging is even available on the float. Minnesota or Wisconsin Fishing license is required.
Buena Vista Park, Overlook, and Trail – AlmaJust above Lock & Dam #4 in Alma (500 ft. above to be exact), is one
of the best views of the Mississippi River, anywhere. Better Homes & Gardens called it “one of the river valley’s finest natural balconies.” The view down the road at Danzinger Winery isn’t too bad either!
Mossy Hollow Trails – AlmaIn 1997 Dairyland Power Cooperative transferred 102 acres just
south of Alma to the City. This property extends 12 miles up the bluff and provides hiking/walking trails along with some great views.
Eat. Drink.AlmA:Kiehl’s Bakery • 105 South Main Street, Almawww.facebook.com/KiehlsBakeryStep through the screen door and be transported to the bakery you
Lake Pepin
VIlla Bellezza
A to Z Pizza
Kiehl’s Bakery
Maiden Rock Apples
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013 43
UFFDA FEST - OCT. 5SPRING GROVE, MN
details on uffdafest.com, or bluffcountryartistsgallery.org
sponsored in part by a grant from Southeastern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
Complete rules online at:springgrovemn.com
in Spring Grove Dollars!
GRAND PRIZE
Drawing held
October 5PLUS:
WEEKLY Drawings
too!
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remember from childhood. Donuts, scones, rolls, breads, cookies, and all very reasonably priced! Grab a cup of coffee and a delicious caramel roll and plan your day one of the vintage counter stools.
Pier 4 Café & Smokehouse • 600 Main St, Alma • www.pier4cafe.com(Closed Tuesdays) open Wednesday - Monday 6 am to 1 pmBest BBQ by a Dam Site! Great breakfasts and lunch including lots
of house made BBQ goodness. The German potato pancakes are a local favorite, as is the house made “Tangy” sauce! Views from the café are of Lock & Dam #4, and the back patio is a great place to take it all in.
nelSOn:The Original Nelson Cheese Factory • S237 St Rd 35 S, Nelsonwww.nelsoncheese.comAlthough cheese is no longer actually made at this facility, the
selection of fine cheese, wine, prepared foods, and sweets is stunning. So is the interior of the facility – stop by to pick up supplies for a picnic or grab sandwiches and sit on the patio.
PePIn:Villa Bellezza • 1420 3rd St., Pepin • www.villabellezza.comInspired by the beauty of the Pepin area and several classic Italian
influences, Villa Bellezza was opened to the public by the Dahlen family in 2012. The first grape vines at Villa Bellezza were planted a decade previous, and their wines are pushing the typical boundaries and quality of Midwestern viticulture. The Cotes du Pepin is a highlight, as are the event facilities. 11 am – 5 pm
Harbor View Café • 314 First St, Pepin • www.harborviewpepin.comThis much-celebrated local café has a focus on local and sustainable
ingredients. As comfy a spot as you’ll find, with fantastic people, great daily specials, and amazing deserts. No reservations, but the Adirondack chairs out front have a spectacular view and there’s New Glarus on tap if you have to wait! Closed Tuesday – Wednesday
Flat Pennies
Alma photo by Kathy GoodmanPepin
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com44
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STOCkhOlm:Stockholm Pie Company • www.thestockholmpiecompany.com Closed Wednesdays! Thursday-Monday 10 am – 5 pmTuesdays 10 am – 5:30 pm– so you can get pie before A to Z!)The Stockholm Pie Company sits unassumingly in a tiny corner
space (next door to the beautiful Abode Gallery and below Wide Spot Performing Arts Center.) The pie is the real deal and you won’t be sorry with the selection, which rotates daily. In fact, plan ahead to grab breakfast or lunch and take an extra slice along for your trip to A to Z later in the day (see below)! YES – Pie isn’t just for breakfast anymore!
A to Z Produce and Bakery • N2945 Anker Lane, Stockholmwww.atozproduceandbakery.com • TUESDAYS ONLY 4:30 – 8 pm So here’s the idea: Vegetable and CSA farmers A to Z build a brick
oven (actually two) and make pizza one night a week on their farm. People come from all around, bring blankets and supplies, and make a night of it! What happens? Wild success – and long lines of pizza lovers! We can’t stress a few things enough though – really. Go early, write down directions (phones/GPS sketchy), bring games or good friends (or make friends with your neighbors), extra snacks, pie from the Stockholm Pie Company, and beverages (but the state of WI “does not allow carry in alcoholic beverages”... beer and wine for sale on site). Some people even set up tables and chairs, but you decide just how far you want to take it.
Also important: it’s CASH ONLY (bring extra – there’s often bread for sale!). The results of all this? Stunning pizza in a lovely rural setting that makes for an incredible evening. Plan to go here if you’re in town on a Tuesday evening – you will not be disappointed (unless you don’t take our tips from above!). Serving through November – bundle up and enjoy!
Maiden Rock Apples / Maiden Rock Winery & CideryW12266 King Lane, Stockholm • www.maidenrockapples.comApril – Dec: Tues 4 –7 pm (for a quick stop before pizza night, right?)Wednesday - Sunday: 10 am – 6 pm • Check for Jan-March hoursSince 2000 Herdie Baisden and Carol Wiersma have been growing
apples on their 80-acre farm. From Honeycrisp to Pomme Gris, the varieties are wide and interesting – you can pick right from the fields in the fall. But the real draw may be the cider – both still and sparkling. Give yourself some time for a tasting, and savor the local bounty!
mAIDen rOCk:Maiden Rock Creamery/McNays Wine and Coffee BarW3487 State Road 35 • maidenrockcreamery.comThis remodeled, once-upon-a-time creamery now features two
incredible lofts (available by the night) and a Coffee/Wine Bar.
Smiling Pelican Bake Shop • W3556 Hwy. 35, Maiden RockWeekends ONLY (April-December)This little bakery is one of the best you’ll find. Yep, that was a period.
House made Panna Cotta, amazing pies, cakes, cookies, breads – and only on the weekends, April through December.
BAY CITY:Flat Pennies Ice Cream • www.flatpennies.comDrive in and grab a quick coffee – or perhaps a dog and an ice cream
sandwich! This Bay City favorite is a roadside oasis from yesteryear. Chat with the friendly owner – he might talk you into trying a Ramblin’ Rudy or the Flat Cow!
evenTS ThIS FAll:Lake Pepin Food, Wine, & Cider FestivalSeptember 21, 12-6 pmMaiden Rock Winery & Ciderywww.maidenrockwinerycidery.com
Fresh Art Tour • October 4-6, 2013Lake Pepin and Chipewa Valley Regionwww.freshart.org
Flyway Film Festival • October 17-20 Pepin and Stockholmwww.flywayfilmfestival.org
Great River Road Wine Trail Holiday Harvest Wine & Food FestivalNovember 9-10, 11am-6pmwww.greatriverroadwinetrail.org
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Chef Shack • www.chefshack.org • Weekends onlyAward-winning Minneapolis Food-Truckers opened this amazing spot
in 2012. It’s only open Friday-Saturday nights and Sundays for Brunch, but worth every second it takes to make your way there. Creative, delicious, ever-changing cuisine, plus a brick oven in the back yard. It’s pretty much the restaurant you’ve always wanted to stumble upon.
Snooz e:It is worth noting that the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River
is heavily traveled by freight trains – both day and night. Any lodging anywhere near the river will give you grand vistas of river life, as well as of the working trains. Some folks love the steady, majestic, rumble and horns of a train – while others may find it hard to block out. So pack an extra pair of earplugs and your sense of adventure – this is river life.
Blue Door Inn • 331 S Main St, Alma • www.bluedoorinnalma.comThis 150-year-old renovated stone building features tastefully
modern suites in historic spaces. The Inn can accommodate single rooms for a night, or combined suites for larger groups. The upper deck has fun views of Main Street and the Mississippi, while the garden level is a lovely escape full of well-tended flowers. There’s even Kiehl’s Bakery breakfast treats outside your door to accompany your in-room Keurig!
Hotel de Ville • 305 North Main Street, Alma • 612-423-3653Do check out this unique European-influenced getaway with Italianate
secret garden and Mississippi River views. With three buildings and a gypsy wagon making up the property, it’s shy of words to say the de Ville is wonderfully unique. The on-site café and ice cream shop is just the beginning of wonderment that leads to the secret gardens out back.
Maiden Rock Inn • N531 County Rd S • www.maidenrockinn.comGary and Jennifer Peterson started renovating this century old
schoolhouse in 1995 and have never stopped. The attention to detail in woodwork, renovation, and hospitality is hard to match. With over 16,000 square feet of skillfully, artistically renovated spaces, including four guest suites with 12-foot vintage tin ceilings, an outdoor grotto, rooftop deck, and original gymnasium, this is a show stopper of an Inn.
Buena Vista Park Maiden Rock Inn
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com46
By Jim McCaffreyPhotos by Aryn Henning Nichols
CheeSe, glOrIOuS CheeSe!
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013 47
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S o let’s talk about the product that made Wisconsin famous. (No, not beer.) Cheese! I have been blessed in this life to be lactose tolerant. Good thing, too, because I am woefully
enamored by the astounding number cheese varieties produced in the world. And what is more astonishing is that they all are created from a single source: Milk. Cow’s milk is the most common, but let us not forget sheep, goats, water buffalo, and not to be left out, yaks. According to Wikipedia, the earliest archeological recording of cheese making dates back to 5500 BC in Kujawy, Poland, where strainers with milk fats have been found. Now that’s some well-aged cheese! Theory has it that cheese was probably created by accident. The idea is that when sheep were first domesticated approximately 8000 BC, their stomachs were used to store milk. The milk mixed with rennet contained in the stomach and turned into cheese curds. To this day, all of us lovers of fermented milk have a few nomad shepherds to thank for their culinary contribution to world society. Who’d a thunk?
I decided to put together a lunch, a cheesy lunch at that. Any excuse for a staff meeting. I brought to the table a motley crew of rogue cooks and bakers, including this shanty Irishman, to construct a four-course meal starring cheese. Lets start with an appetizer! I have a good friend, Greg Eaton, who was a former chef at the Spring Green Restaurant just outside Spring Green, Wisconsin. I was at a party at a rural farmstead near Waukon some years ago and in walks Greg. He’s carrying a big cast iron skillet and a large bulging paper grocery sack. He starts pulling out quart mason jars of peanut oil and I knew that something good was about to happen. “Whatcha making?” I queried. “Oh, I got some jack cheese and green chili that I’m going to fry up in wonton wrappers.” He did not disappoint. I took it a step further and made up a simple dipping sauce in my rendition of this tasty appetizer.
Second course was just a simple salad served with strawberries, grapes and McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita bleu cheese dressing. At the restaurant we make all of our salad dressings from scratch. I’m a firm believer in transparency, so I decided to share how we make our bleu cheese with you. We have a customer who comes in and always orders it for his salad. He thinks we should give up the restaurant business and concentrate on marketing this dressing. Some days you have to wonder!
Our next course is courtesy of the man Jacques Pepin has described in the following manner: “Mitch Omer makes Anthony Bourdain look like an altar boy.” Mitch, along with his wife, Cynthia, and with Mitch’s sous chef, Steve Meyer and wife, Kim, are founders of Hell’s Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis. Currently, it is an 8000 square foot area located in the basement of 80 South 9th Street just off of Nicollet Ave. Open 16+ hours a day, it is manic, wild, and absolutely delightful. Oh, did I mention the same applies to Mitch? His food is eclectic, with dishes such as Bison Sausage Bread, Mahnomin Porridge, and the best peanut butter I have ever tasted. Like me, Mitch is also a big believer in transparency. So much so, he, along with Ann Bauer, conspired on a cookbook named, appropriately, Damned Good Food. It is a collection of great life stories (believe me, it’s a wild ride) and 157 recipes from Hell’s Kitchen. All pretty much from scratch – my kind of chef. I contacted Mitch to get permission to reprint his recipe for Macaroni and Cheese. He grew up on it and “Never realized until he went to college that Kraft made an unremarkable product libelously bearing the same name.” Original recipe follows. I changed it up a little for our lunch, though. I used RP’s gluten-free fresh fusilli pasta. Pretty much my first foray into the world of gluten free, this pasta
produced in Madison Wisconsin is remarkable. It is also available at the Oneota Co-op in Decorah. To top the mac off, I sautéed some oyster mushrooms from Back Forty Farms and the last of our fresh asparagus. Delightful. Thanks, Mitch.
Dessert came in the form of Turtle Cheesecake. Not long after we opened the restaurant, we decided to make our own cheesecakes. So I went to the Internet and typed in Best Cheesecake Ever. There were several. I picked one out and tried it. Pretty good. In walks Tanya O’Connor, former head of wait staff and baker at the once-famous-in-Decorah Café Deluxe. With a mischievous grin, she said “Not bad, Jim. But I think we should tweak it a bit and add some ricotta cheese.” We did and came up with this light and fluffy cake that we think is outrageously good. The following recipe is our head chef, Brock Dansdill’s version. See what you think.
Time for lunch. Staff lunch that is. Aryn and Benji from Inspire(d) were there with their newly turned one-year-old daughter, Roxie. Adorable and couldn’t get enough mac and cheese. I’m on their staff. Jim Ronan came as well. He’s on our staff helping out with all of the music venues. Our staff as Dolce Vita owners included myself, Brenda, Shanon, Fawn, Conor, and Sara, as well as our newly born member of the family: Rowen Ash McCaffrey. He joined our staff, er…family on Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 6:54 am. Not quite ready to devour a four-course meal, he was content to look around, sleep, and pass gas. Aw, the sweet life!
Jim McCaffrey is a chef, author, and co-owner with his family of McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita restaurant and Twin Springs Bakery just outside Decorah. He is author of humorous cookbooks “Midwest Cornfusion” and “Mississippi Mirth”. He has been in the food industry in one way or another for more than 40 years.
green ChIlI & jACk CheeSe WOnTOnS Peanut oil 40 wonton skins 8 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese (Cut into 40 pieces) 2 (two) 40 oz. cans diced green chilis2 cloves garlic, minced fine
DIPPIng SAuCe1 C sour cream 1/4 C spicy brown mustard
Assemble! Place a piece of cheese just over center on a wonton skin. Add a little green chili. Wet the two sides of the wonton skin the cheese is on and press top edges to bottom edges into a triangle. Using a candy thermometer, heat about an inch of oil in a heavy skillet to 350 degrees. Check with a candy thermometer – hotter and it might burn. Slip wontons in one by one. Cook for 15 seconds and turn. When golden brown, drain on paper. Whisk dipping sauce ingredients ahead of time and chill. Enjoy!
Bleu CheeSe DreSSIng 1 C Bleu cheese crumbles 4 turns fresh ground black pepper 4 C mayonnaise1 Tbl. lemon juice 1 cup +/- heavy cream1 Tbl. white vinegar 3 cloves minced garlic
Pinch of Kosher salt Whisk all ingredients together and chill.
theinspiredmedia.com \ Fall 2013 49
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mITCh’S mACArOnI & CheeSe 7 qts water1 stick unsalted butter, divided1 lb. penne pasta5 Tbl. all purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard 1/4 tsp cayenne 1/4 tsp garlic powder2 C rich chicken broth1 C whole milk 1 C heavy cream1 C shredded fontina cheese1 C shredded Vermont white 1 C shredded Swiss cheese1/2 C shredded Wisconsin sharp cheddar cheese1/2 C crumbled Maytag blue cheese 2 Tbl. Kosher salt 1 C Seasoned Bread Crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Heat water, salt, and 2 Tbl butter in a large pot to a rolling boil. Add
pasta, cook for two minutes and remove from heat. Cover with a lid or a kitchen towel and let rest six minutes. Remove the cover and drain pasta into a colander.
Melt 6 Tbl of the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour, dry mustard, cayenne, and garlic powder and whisk vigorously with a wire whip until flour mixture begins to bubble. Slowly add chicken broth, milk, and cream. Cook and whisk continually about five minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken. Add all cheeses, cook and whisk continually until completely incorporated and sauce thickens. Remove cheese sauce from heat.
Butter four ovenproof ramekins or one large baking dish. Divide pasta among the ramekins, or pour into the baking dish. Pour sauce evenly over the pasta, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Place on center rack of the oven, and bake for 29 to33 minutes, or until top(s) have just begun to brown.
TurTle CheeSeCAke 1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs 5 eggs 2 egg yolks 1/2 C white sugar 1 3/4 C white sugar 2 oz. butter, melted2 Tbl all purpose flour 6 (six) 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened16 oz ricotta cheese1/4 C heavy whipping cream 3 oz pecansCaramel and chocolate syrup Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix graham cracker crumbs, white sugar, and melted butter together. Press mixture into the bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, eggs, and egg yolks. Mix until smooth. Add the remaining sugar, flour, and heavy cream. Blend until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Spread pecans over the top and drizzle heavily with the caramel one way and chocolate the other way creating a grid pattern. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Turn temperature down to 300 degrees and bake for one hour or until batter is set. Knife the outside edge all around so cake does not adhere to sides. Let it cool on a perforated rack, 2-3 hours. Release spring form. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 3-4 hours. Divide the cake into equal slices and dish it up. We top it with homemade whipped cream. No cholesterol or calories here! Have fun with this, Mitch.
Fall 2013 / theinspiredmedia.com
What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?Mother and Dad were good examples of advice. They were hardworking, honest, Christian, and loving. Also mother always said, “Make one test cookie first.” “Don’t put it down, put it away.” And “If it’s flat, dust it!”
What did you want to be when you grew up?My Senior High School annual said I wanted to study voice and opera. I love to sing. In Girl Scouts at age 14 my leader gave me her set of photographic oils, two 11x4 photographs, and encouraged me to paint. Little did I know it would lead to my profession and a love of cameras led to our future to have a professional photographic career.
What do/did you do?At age 10, I started working as a waitress in my
parents McCandy Café in Ossian, Iowa. I married my roller skating partner and best friend at 17. We had two daughters – Linda Christine and Le Ann. Willis and I also owned McCandy Café for six years but our photography love led us to purchase the Henning Photographic Studio in Decorah. My Norwegian roots and love of painting became the fun career of rosemaling and also portraits and landscapes.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?My bible, a paint brush, and paints.
Try to describe yourself in one sentence.I’m third generation, 100 percent American Norwegian, love to keep busy, and a perfectionist.
name one thing you could not live without.Family, friends, and my red lipstick!
Tell us about your favorite memory.My favorite memory would be my first dozen red roses from Willis for Easter. From that first Easter, he always bought Linda, Le Ann, and I a corsage for Easter – even his last Easter with us. I’m also a “depression kid” and they were hard times, but we made do with what we had and yet my growing up was a happy time.
50
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norma Wangsness was born in Ossian, Iowa, as a third generation American norwegian. She studied drawing and painting at luther College under Orville running and then rosemaling at vesterheim norwegian-American museum in Decorah with Sigmund Aarseth. In 2011, Wangsness was commissioned by the museum to create a plate in honor of norway’s king harald v and queen Sonja’s most recent visit to Decorah. She painted a portrait of the royal Couple and bordered it with rosemaling that matched the pattern of the queen’s bunad. Wangsness and her husband, Willis, operated Wangsness Photography Studio in Decorah for many years, becoming regional and national leaders in photographic excellence.
norma Wangsness enjoys a life of love, art, & a little red lipstickInterviewed by daughter le Bahr
PrOBITuArY – A nOTICe OF lIFe!
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Ode to Fall
upTo
Autumn is a lovely season...
To jump in leaves & burn candles.
For baking
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It’s perfect for...
fresh notebooks & crayons & a new pair of shoes.
A
& having a mug of tea with just a touch of honey.
ToSay
to get together with friends.But ultimately, fall is a time
& to always, always be sure you live it up!
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