Posted November 01, 2023in Lunch With...
More than anyone else, Mike Lavalle elevated the Des Moines dining scene over the last 50 years. Right or wrongly, he has been a step ahead of everyone else in Iowa. We asked him to lunch, and he invited us to his new project, Purveyor in East Village. Our old
Read More →
Posted October 04, 2023in Lunch With...
On Sept. 28, Nicola Dance was installed as the fifth-ever dean of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, under the watch of the recently installed Bishop of the Diocese of Iowa, Betsey Monnet. Because this is a second career for Dance, who was a professor of engineering at Iowa State University, and
Read More →
Posted September 06, 2023in Lunch With...
Nick Tillinghast owns and manages DM Does Things, which controls three Des Moines bars associated with the cooler, younger third millennium Des Moines. We asked him to lunch, and he chose Bubba. “I love this place. I eat here every Sunday.” So over whiskey pecan pie and chicken pimento wraps
Read More →
Posted August 02, 2023in Lunch With...
Elaine Rose Graham Estes was the longtime director for Des Moines Public Library. She is also the first woman of color to hold that title. A Civil Rights pioneer long before that was a thing, she is a survivor of the Jim Crow South. She is also a tireless world
Read More →
Posted July 05, 2023in Lunch With...
Joe Giunta is maestro of the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra (DMSO). He has had opportunities to conduct top orchestras all over Europe, South America and the U.S., and he has remained loyal to Des Moines Symphony since 1989. We asked him to lunch recently, and he chose Fresko. “They serve
Read More →
Posted May 31, 2023in Lunch With...
Willie Farrell is Des Moines’ resident comedian. He has lived here his entire life, though his talent could have opened big doors out east and west. He is also the scion of Des Moines’ most famous Mafia connection. Lou Farrell was an Al Capone lieutenant. Willie is father to arguably
Read More →
Posted May 03, 2023in Lunch With...
Rick Tollakson is the most recent inductee of the Iowa Business Hall of Fame. He has been president and CEO of Hubbell Realty since 2004, a golden age for that venerable company. We asked him to lunch recently, and he chose Des Moines Golf and Country Club. Is that his
Read More →
Posted April 05, 2023in Lunch With...
Connie Wimer has racked up a lifetime of “firsts.” She was the first female owner of a title company in Iowa, the first owner of a computerized title company anywhere, the first female owner of an alternative newspaper and of a business paper in Iowa, and the first Iowan to
Read More →
Posted March 01, 2023in Lunch With...
Mike Wedeking is Mister Barbecue. After 20 years at Flying Mango, purveyor of the best vibes of any restaurant in Des Moines, he is trying to retire. We asked him to lunch, and he selected Wasabi Chi on Douglas. This is the BBQ guy’s escape — everyone in the restaurant
Read More →
Posted February 01, 2023in Lunch With...
Leo Landis is the curator for the State Historical Museum of Iowa after similar jobs at Oldfields-(Eli) Lilly House and Gardens in Indianapolis; Greenfield Villages (Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation) in Dearborn, Michigan; Iowa Living History Farms and the Salisbury House. He is also a serious scholar of food
Read More →
