Experts say Iowa’s capital city is one of the best test markets. Mark Twain said, “Everyone talks about the weather, but no one ever does anything about it.” In this era of climate change fanaticism, is Twain still relevant, or even funny? Well Iowa and Iowa State universities have contributed
Read More →Late spring was a time of revolution and consternation in the food world. Meatless meat thrived on. Best known to the general public as Beyond Meat, the genre is now being compared to the dot com craze of the Clinton years. BM was trading at five times its IPO value
Read More →Thank the gods of lunch meats Lawyers had a huge quarter challenging long-established food brands and free-speech rights. Last year, much of Hawaii was outraged to learn a Chicago restaurant chain owner had trademarked the name “Aloha Poke” while demanding that cubed fish shops around the country stop using the
Read More →No one has thought to extend the definition of endangered species to include small family farmers. During a time when astronomers and physicists celebrated a photograph of an “unphotographable” black hole as a “vision of the gates of hell at the end of time and space,” Midwesterners wondered about the
Read More →Travel industry trade magazine predicts visitors will spend $8.5 billion this summer in Iowa. A new “ag gag” bill was signed into Iowa law making it a crime for journalists and advocacy groups to go undercover at meatpacking plants and other ag operations to investigate working conditions, animal welfare, food
Read More →International Chili Society World Championship beginning this fall in Ankeny. The last month was as good for food economies as it was for the stock market. Beef prices were way up. Pork prices close behind. Corn soared on increased demand for fuel. Restaurant openings outnumbered closings by huge numbers. That’s
Read More →The year 2019 began with a big bang of volatility. The rate of restaurant openings in the metro increased almost 50 percent in the second half of 2018 compared to the first half. Restaurant closings were also up from a year ago, leading many to suggest that the area is
Read More →The impending demolition of the Kaleidoscope building displaced many a longtime lunch spot. December went out with a roar, as usual in the food business. It seems there are tax benefits to opening a restaurant before a year’s end. This year, BAH Brazilian Steakhouse, Terra Grill, Teddy Maroon’s, the area’s
Read More →November was a weird and scary month for Iowa. U.S. farm debt climbed, sitting just 8 percent below the peak in 1980 when adjusted for inflation. The strength of farmland values has been key in helping farmers through the recent economic downturn. Land values fell 63 percent in the 1980s
Read More →Steve and Kristy Little have sold the popular Beaverdale cafe Chef’s Kitchen. The last night for Chef’s and the Littles will be New Year’s Eve. Chef’s began in the skywalk and moved first in Beaverdale to the venue where Players is now before their current venue at 11903 Beaver. They
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