Tickets for Iowa City’s fifth Farm to Street Dinner will go on sale Tuesday morning, available through the Iowa City Downtown District’s site. The event has sold out very quickly in previous years.
2020 was not one of those years. The Farm to Street Dinner was canceled last year due to COVID-19. Even though the number of new cases is dropping steadily as more people are vaccinated, this year’s dinner on Thursday, Aug. 19, will look different because of precautions against the possible spread of the virus.
Instead of the one long table in the middle of Linn Street, there will be separate tables that seat up to six.
“Traditionally we do it on Linn Street, and we are keeping it in that area, but this year are moving to the other side of Linn Street, from where Goosetown Café is to Dash Coffee,” Christopher Hunter, director of special events for the Downtown District, told Little Village. “We’ll have a larger footprint to spread out on.”
“We are offering individual tickets for people who want that feel that comes with sitting at a community table, but we’re also offering people the chance to buy tickets for a group to have an entire table of six to themselves.”
Diners will also be asked to stay masked-up when not eating or drinking.
The final menu for event has not yet been set, but the line-up of participating restaurants and the courses they will be providing has.
• Appetizer: The Keto Kitchen
• Small Plate: The Webster
• Small Plate: Goosetown Café
• Main Course: St. Burch Tavern
• Small Plate: Oasis Falafel
• Dessert: Crepes de Luxe Café
As in past years, a glass of wine is included in the price of the ticket — anyone looking to enjoy more than a glass can bring their own bottle(s) — and there will be menu options for vegetarians.
The eat-in-the-street event is the result of a collaboration between the Iowa City Downtown District and the governments of Iowa City and Johnson County, and is sponsored by GreenState Credit Union. It was started in 2015 as a way of raising awareness about local foods, and every year proceeds from it are donated to a nonprofit that works with local foods in Johnson County. This year, the dinner will support the Eastern Iowa Young Farmers Coalition.
The coalition is a group of both farmers and consumers that supports and encourages young farmers in the area, as they try to establish themselves.
Tickets for the Farm to Street Dinner are $125.
