dsmWeekly: May 31, 2023

Find fresh baguettes at Gateway Market, or substitute your favorite loaf from Big Sky Bread Co. Photo: Duane Tinkey.

FOOD AND DINING
The best summer lunch is this sweet sandwich

Writer: Hailey Allen

As soon as summer whispers its arrival, we hear its invitation loud and clear: Come outside! It’s a beautiful day! This prosciutto, peach and strawberry sandwich makes for a hearty lunch worthy of your finest picnic blanket. Local chef and food stylist Casey Halder developed this and three other dishes perfect for dining al fresco on the back deck, at the park or wherever the day takes you.

Serves four. Prep: 45 minutes. Total: 50 minutes.

Directions
1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the vinegar, sugar, honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and thyme. Bring the mixture to a simmer or just until small bubbles appear. Remove from heat and set aside to cool, or place in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes. When it’s cool to the touch, add peaches and strawberries, mixing well to coat. Marinate for 15 to 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, drain fruit from liquid and set aside. Reserve the sauce.

2. Place both bread halves cut-side up on a work surface; drizzle them with olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the reserved sauce and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. Assemble the sandwich from the bottom up with ribbons of prosciutto and turkey, cheese, strawberries and peaches, a mix of basil and lettuce, and the remaining bread half. Slice into four servings and serve immediately.

More than 70 Iowa breweries will participate in this year's Iowa Craft Brew Festival. Photo: Iowa Craft Brew Festival.

PLAN YOUR WEEKEND
Sip some samples from Iowa breweries

Mark your calendar for the Iowa Craft Brew Festival from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday in Water Works Park. It’s your chance to sample more than 300 varieties of craft beers, ciders, meads and seltzers produced around the state. Bring a picnic blanket or chairs so you can soak in the live music from the Sheet, a reggae-infused cover band, and enjoy snacks from several food trucks until 4 p.m.

General admission is $50 in advance or $60 at the door, and $10 for designated drivers.

PLAN YOUR WEEKEND

“Underneath Everything” exhibition opening (5-7 p.m. Friday): The Des Moines Art Center hosts a reception to open its next show, which showcases contemporary ceramics by artists from Iowa and around the world. The show’s title comes from the artist Theaster Gates, who pointed out during a 2021 lecture that “clay is the humblest of materials. It is underneath everything. … You can manipulate a world with clay. It is the foundation of sculpture.”

Greek Food Fair Festival (5-9 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday): Experience Greek traditions with authentic food, music and dancing in and around St. George Greek Orthodox Church (1110 35th St.) all weekend. Drinks and snacks will be available for purchase at various booths, made fresh from community cooks sharing their family recipes. Catch Opa DJ spinning tracks, and join in a traditional Greek dance or two.

“Fine” time (6 p.m. Friday): Start the weekend with a breath of fresh air and a new album, “Fine,” from the local singer-songwriter and ukulele player Andrew Hoyt. He performs at 8 p.m. at Horizon Line Coffee downtown, after a 7 p.m. set from EleanorGrace (aka Eleanor Berntsen). The doors open an hour early.

“Native Gardens” (7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday): Right after No Mow May, the Des Moines Playhouse opens a new show about two couples with very different ideas about lawn care. What starts as a polite disagreement about a fence quickly spreads like creeping Charlie.

Des Moines Con (10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday): Celebrate all things pop culture this weekend at the Iowa Events Center. Hear from the creators and actors from top TV shows and movies, shop official and fan-made merch, and — for bonus points — dress up as your favorite character for the costume contest.

“Carmen” discussion (2 p.m. Saturday): In the run-up to its new staging of “Carmen,” June 30 through July 23, the Des Moines Metro Opera has invited the opera scholar Joshua Borths to the Franklin Avenue Library to discuss how the role of the opera’s passionate title character has changed over the years since the show’s 1875 premiere.

ARTS AND CULTURE
Future stars: The best and brightest theater kids from more than 80 Iowa high schools take over the Des Moines Civic Center on Thursday night for the Iowa High School Musical Theater Awards Showcase. The program has grown leaps and bounds over the last few years and offers promising up-and-comers a chance to compete on Broadway. On Thursday, they’ll be joined by emcee Morgan Marcell (pictured), who's performed in “Hamilton” and “Moulin Rouge!” and recently shared some showbiz insights with dsm editor Michael Morain.

COMMUNITY
Preserve Iowa Summit: The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs’ annual conference about historic preservation is set for this weekend, June 1-3, in and around the beautifully renovated Warrior Hotel in Sioux City. The three-day event includes tours, workshops and an awards ceremony to honor exemplary historic preservation projects around the state. For more examples, check out the Business Record’s recent story about historic preservation tax credits, plus 10 key points about the power of placemaking.

Joyce Beyer, left, and Ashley Sandor Sidon program the Zenith Chamber Music Festival with a diverse audience in mind. Photo: Janae Gray.

ARTS AND CULTURE
The duo behind the Zenith Chamber Music Festival

Writer: Brianne Sanchez

The upcoming Zenith Chamber Music Festival is set for June 6-10 at several venues around town and will continue to offer a diverse mix of concerts, workshops and master classes. The festival launched in 2014 with the support of an anonymous Drake University alumnus who envisioned a project that would meld his love of music with a passion for community-building.

Zenith’s executive director, Ashley Sandor Sidon, teaches cello at Drake and performs internationally. The festival’s director, Joyce Beyer, teaches violin and viola at Drake, leads the orchestra at Valley High School and performs with Quartet 515.

Both musicians recently shared how the festival shatters expectations and builds appreciation for what chamber music can be. This year in particular, they’re excited to feature the Ivalas Quartet, which includes the Drake grad and violinist Reuben Kebede. “They are such a fun and engaging group,” Beyer said, “and they also are connected to the Sphinx Organization,” a nonprofit that’s increasing Black and Latino representation in classical music.

The festival will also welcome to the Des Moines Art Center the world-famous cellist Matt Haimovitz, who has commissioned new works from underrepresented composers and paired them with specific artworks.

“What I love about Zenith is that every year, I hear something at our concerts that is completely different from what I’ve heard before,” Beyer said. “That’s important because the classical music world has often excluded people and excluded all kinds of music.”