Since 1980, Wilson’s Orchard, located just north of Iowa City, has been a popular “you-pick” opportunity for area families, students and couples in the late summer and fall months. After Paul Rasch and Sara Goering took ownership in 2009, the beloved orchard, pumpkin patch and bakery grew into a cidery, restaurant, wedding and reception venue, and a roughly 90-acre farm raising fruits, vegetables and flowers of many varieties year-round.
This most recent stage of growth may just be Wilson’s biggest yet: the debut of a second, 125-acre orchard and farm just south of Des Moines. After breaking ground in November 2022, the new Wilson’s came to fruition this spring, even hosting an inaugural tulip festival in April. The new strawberry patch opened for its first you-picking on June 1.
The Cumming Wilson’s has many of the same features of its IC counterpart, including a restaurant, cider bar, bakery, farm market, event space and polyculture farm. Unlike the original Wilson’s, this one boasts a huge patio that nearly doubles the restaurant’s capacity, as well as roughly 50 acres dedicated to rotational livestock grazing of sheep, pigs and chickens.
The rest of the acreage is planted with fruit trees, berries, pumpkins, flowers and vegetables. Wilson’s chosen crops and farming methods are designed to preserve soil and water quality, reduce erosion, sequester carbon and use integrated pest management to reduce reliance on pesticides.
For the full farm-to-table experience, look no further than a dinner at the Ciderhouse Restaurant. While still in its infancy as a Des Moines culinary hub, the metro has been abuzz with positive reviews for its wood-fired pizza and great patio views — views that are just a short drive from most anywhere in the Des Moines metro.
“It’s daunting at times,” admitted Lenny Trapane, lead chef at the Ciderhouse. But he’s committed to and excited by Wilson’s owners’ dedication to ethically, sustainably sourced food. “It feels like a family; it’s amazing.”
“It’s a place to celebrate locally sourced food and gather and talk.”
His favorite part of the new restaurant?
“The seasonal menu,” he said. “It keeps things fresh, and it accurately captures the food that is in season. It’s important to learn to eat what is in season and truly appreciate the fresh, local food available.”
He wants to extend the same care to establishing a healthy workplace culture in Cumming.
“I want to treat all of my staff with kindness and make it a place people want to work, all while still holding everyone to a high standard.”
Trapane is shooting for longevity. “One of the best restaurants in Philly, Zahav, has had most of their culinary team there for 10-plus years, and that’s what I hope to create here.”
Wilsons Ciderhouse Restaurant in Des Moines has a magnetic menu of wood-fired pizzas, including The Classic with tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella ($16). — Anthony Scanga/Little Village 
Chef Lenny Trapane serves up The Greens, a pizza with pistachio pesto, arugula and parmigiano reggiano ($18). — Anthony Scanga/Little Village 
A salad served at Wilson’s Ciderhouse Restaurant in Des Moines. — Anthony Scanga/Little Village 
Diners can try four different ciders from the tap with a cider flight at Wilson’s Ciderhouse. — Anthony Scanga/Little Village 
Stacks of Wilson’s cider. — Anthony Scanga/Little Village
Wilson’s soon hopes to host ticketed meals and limited-run menus.
“I really want to connect and collaborate with other chefs in the Des Moines area, whether it is from Harbinger or somewhere like that,” Trapane said, referring to Joe and Alex Tripp’s acclaimed vegetable-centric restaurant on Ingersoll Avenue. “It really is a community, and we can work together to grow it.”
The chef hopes his menu can make an impact, especially as the Middlebrook project materializes. Wilson’s was included in the plans for Middlebrook, a 900-acre development project adjacent to the orchard and farm, designed as Iowa’s first “agrihood.” The growing district integrates residential living with community gardens, local businesses, farmland, a 50-acre nature preserve, biking/walking trails and more.
“I really envision this ethos of community farming,” Trepane said, “an agrihood of sorts that can allow others to grow vegetables or goods, and we can then sell them here at Wilson’s.”
This article was originally published in Little Village’s June 2024 issue.
