The word “mushroom” often elicits a rather standard image to the average consumer’s mind: a circular, white, umbrella-like capped fungi with a stubby trunk. However, businesses in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids corridor aim to expand consumer knowledge
Bread & Butter Dining Guide
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Kalona SuperNatural does dairy the old-fashioned way
In a world dominated by heavy processing and technological advancements, it’s become rarer to find simple, truly all-natural products on grocery store shelves. But Kalona-based dairy producer Kalona SuperNatural aims to bring the age-old tradition of leaving
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These tried-and-true area restaurants know a thing or two about what it takes to survive
Jack Piper, co-owner of Jimmy Jack’s Rib Shack and Basta: “Both of us started when we were like 16. [Co-owner] James [Adrian] started in the Hy-Vee Deli and worked his way up to a restaurant called Commander’s Palace, which won all kinds of accolades. I started as a busboy
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LV Recommends: Sustainable grocery shopping made easy
The United Nations recently released a report outlining food’s outsized impact on creating global warming. Unlike many climate reports, this one had an upside: food production has the potential to be one of the greatest solutions to the climate crisis, and the methods
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How to start your very own cookbook club
Traditional book clubs often get a bad rap. While genuine and earnest at the beginning, over time, they have a tendency to devolve and become less about the actual books and more about socializing and enjoying food and drink. Take this not as a suggestion to abolish
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LV Recommends: A Beginner’s Guide to Amaro
Over the past few years, Italian liqueur amaro (the singular word for amari) blew up in the United States as both a stand-alone drink and a mixed-beverage component. Many variations trace their lineage to Italian family recipes from the 19th century and
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LV Recommends: Local baristas share tips to make your morning cup of coffee like the pros
“Use good water, good water above everything else. A lot of times what people get frustrated with when they can’t recreate what they’re drinking at a coffee shop is because of the water quality.” — Katie Ford, manager at Press Coffee, 2201 E Grantview Dr #102, Coralville
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LV Recommends: Six simple tips for intuitive eating
By now, you may have heard a bit about intuitive eating. This non-diet approach to eating emphasizes internal cues over external diet rules. Non-diet means the focus isn’t on the scale, but instead on promoting healthy behaviors and habits, better body image and
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Local farm-to-table events continue to attract diners
I wonder, sometimes, what our great-grandparents might think of the term “farm-to-table.” It is a phrase that has gained serious traction in the past decade, but not without some scrutiny. In “The 10 Most Annoying Words and Phrases on Menus, Ranked,” Los Angeles Magazine lists “name-dropping
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LV Recommends: Ultra Premium Olive Oil available here in the CRANDIC
Purveyor of high quality oils and aged balsamic vinegars, Harvest Oil and Vinegar has the area’s freshest ultra premium (UP) olive oils from around the world. Created in small batches by farmers exercising sustainable practices and time honored traditions of quality, you can be assured you won’t find
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LV Recommends: This mayonnaise swap rivals the real thing
Known for their killer tofu, Old Capitol Food Co. has experimented with a new product over the last year that has gained quite a few fans. What originally began as a way to make use of the leftover trimmings from their packaging process has now evolved into a full-fledged product of its own.
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LV Recommends: A local booze shop run by brothers
Bootleggin’ Barzini’s brothers Clark and Edgar McGuire were already acclaimed entrepreneurs prior to purchasing their liquor store. In 2005, they won the Small Business of the Year award for their delivery service, Whateva’ We Can Deliva.’ “It was ahead of its time, but we delivered anything and everything
