dsm Dish - September 19, 2025

The handmade pies taste nice at Home Slice

By Wini Moranville

I was the second person in the door at Home Slice Homemade Pies in Bondurant when they opened at 4 p.m. yesterday, and within minutes, a steady stream of pie-seekers followed. At the counter, a young clerk rang up orders. Nearby in the open kitchen, owner Laura Lacina greeted customers, many by name, as she rolled out each single-serving ball of dough, tucked it neatly into a mini tin, filled the shell and slid the little pie into the oven.

Lacina started baking pies as a hobby during the pandemic. Soon, the hobby blossomed into a home-based business, and she moved into her current storefront and bakery in 2022.

Yesterday afternoon, despite how busy she was with multiple pies at different stages of baking, she didn’t miss a beat as I lobbed a few pesky questions her way.

The shop is open only Thursday through Saturday, so how many pies does she make in a weekend? “Oh, a couple hundred,” she laughed. “I’m always too busy to count.”

Her favorite pie? She needed me to narrow that one down. “There are categories, you know.” For fruit, she points to her “fruits of the forest pie” with raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, rhubarb, apples and pears. Yes, all in one pie.

And of course, the inevitable question: butter, Crisco or lard? Or perhaps a combo? “It’s all lard,” she said. She will, however, make vegetarian pies on request.

Her website makes it pretty clear that she’s open until she sells out. On Saturdays, that happens often. Thursdays and Fridays are safer bets, though the widest selection belongs to those who stream in when the doors open. (4 p.m. Thursday, 1 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday.)

And talk about specialization — she makes only pies. Selections rotate weekly, and you can find out which varieties are on the menu by checking the website. She sells single-serving pies ($8 each or $27 for four) at her storefront, but if you want a traditional sized pie ($25), you’ll need to order in advance and pick it up during business hours.

I’d drive well past Bondurant for her butterscotch meringue — unabashedly sweet, as it should be, and crowned with a cloud of fluff. The pecan pie was richly gooey, the apple pie a pure classic, and the hot chocolate pie was topped with a homemade marshmallow, a playful nod to a mug of cocoa.

And the crusts? As flaky as you’d expect from a baker who’s an all-lard die-hard.

This is the fourth in a series of micro pie-bakers around the metro. Read Wini Moranville's previous stories about Chellie's Sugar Shack, Pies and Pastries by Lana and Wooden Spoons Homemade Pies.

What are your favorite food movies or TV shows?

“‘Cocktail’ got me into bartending and the on-premise industry. I watch ‘The Bear’ because after living in the industry for a while, it’s fun to revisit those days. And I like ‘Cook’s Country’ from America’s Test Kitchen because it’s always interesting to see what is being analyzed. Plus, they have a channel that streams it constantly; it’s always on when I turn on my TV.”

— Jeremy Thompson, state manager, Sazerac

Quick Bites

Purple pudding: Wini Moranville posted an “utterly charmed” review of her recent lunch at the Iowa Culinary Institute’s Bistro at DMACC. Themes vary from week to week, but for $17, you can have soup or salad, a main dish or the buffet, and a dessert, like the ube panna cotta topped with meringue (pictured). “This was one amazing dessert,” she wrote. “It was sweet and delightfully vanilla-y, but with earthiness to the tuber that kept it from being cloying.” Read the full account at Dining Well in DSM.

Cookie R&D: Beth Shelton, the CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa, worked with a nationwide team to research and develop the scouts’ next cookie, according to KCCI. The Exploremore is inspired by Rocky Road ice cream and will be sold in early February. Can’t wait? Nibble a sample at the Cookies on Tap fundraiser Oct. 9 at the Iowa Taproom.

Feathers and froth: Grain Belt Beer teamed up with Pheasants Forever for a second year to release a pheasant-themed lager in a blaze orange camo can to raise more for wildlife conservation. Iowa’s centennial pheasant hunting season runs Oct. 25 through Jan. 10.

Historic snack: If you go to Madison County’s Covered Bridge Festival, Oct. 11 and 12 in Winterset, do yourself a favor and grab an old-fashioned apple fritter from The Bakery Unlimited on the northeast corner of the square. They’re made with Red Delicious apples, which were first developed in the 1890s by a farmer in nearby Peru (remember, that’s PEE-roo here). Also, swing by the Winterset Cidery, which new owners reopened in May.

Events

All weekend: Oktoberfest at the Biergarten at Water Works Park kicks off tonight with a Golden Keg Bicycle Ride and continues through Sunday afternoon.

Sunday: Picnic Theater: “Agrimusic” at the Wallace Farm in Orient features a farm-fresh picnic and a concert by the local musician and Iowa historian Seth Hedquist.

Wednesday: The Machine Shed’s Farm-to-Table Dinner promises seasonal flavors from Berry Patch Farm, Ebert Honey, the Good Butcher and Revelton Gin.

Thursday: AccessiBeer, a beer-tasting event with optional blindfolds at Big Grove Brewery, offers a chance to touch, smell and compare hop varieties with guidance from brewer Connor Heckler. Proceeds benefit the Iowa Radio Reading Information Service, which provides services and support for visually impaired Iowans.

Thursday: The Cheese Shop’s Cellar series continues with wine guru Nicklaus McManus, a few snacks and some bottles of from Paul Bara, one of the best Grand Cru Pinot Noir producers in Champagne. Tickets are $80. Call 515-528-8181 to reserve a spot.

Sept. 26: The Dahlias in Bloom dinner at PepperHarrow near Winter offers five courses with wine pairings in the middle of gorgeous fields of flowers. There are worse ways to spend an evening, right?

Sept. 26-27: Another Oktoberfest moves to a new location this year in The District at Prairie Trail in Ankeny.

Chefs' night off: Where the pros dine out

By Karla Walsh

Most barbers don’t cut their own hair. Dentists don’t pull their own teeth. And chefs? They outsource, too. And when they do, it’s intentional.

Whenever I ask chefs, restaurant owners and cooking instructors where they like to eat on their days off, each one seems to have a passionate response and some pro tips about what to order. They usually like to spread the love, mentioning various restaurants and food trucks, but they almost always circle back to that one spot they love above all the others.

Since a fellow food pro’s endorsement is quite the gold star, you can trust the following recommendations, in their own words.

Amara Sama, owner of Palms DSM

Find him at The Walnut

“My first visit to this Western Gateway restaurant was almost by accident. It was 2019, and the only reason I was there was because I was working with Des Moines Public Schools at the time, and our team held our annual Christmas party there. The customer service blew me away, as did the variety on the menu and the vibe: an open concept with décor that strikes the perfect balance of energetic sports bar and sit-and-relax restaurant.

“After my first taste, I began visiting frequently with friends, whether to grab a quick lunch or catch an Iowa State game on TV. You’ll spot me at The Walnut about once per week, positioned in front of the pretzel bites (the best in town!) and the Cheese Drunk Cheeseburger. (It’s a secret menu item that’s available every day: essentially, a cheeseburger you can dunk in a bowl of melted cheese.) Although I do it often, I wouldn’t recommend ordering both at the same time unless you, too, are up for a challenge. You might exceed your lifetime cheese quota in one sitting.”

Sarah and Toney Chem, co-owners of 5 Borough Bagels
Find them at Harbinger

“Harbinger has the trifecta: incredible customer service, top-tier food quality and an atmosphere that strikes the perfect balance between relaxed and refined. This is why it’s been our regular escape for years. Years ago, we booked a reservation for a Wednesday date night, and before we left, we agreed this should become a tradition. It quickly turned into a sacred weekly event — the best part of our week and our favorite way to connect and unwind together.

“These days, getting a sitter feels like coordinating a NASA launch, so we don’t make it in as often as we’d like, but we still dream about those dinners and swing in as often as we can. Our ultimate order would be one of everything. Kidding! But for a nice sampling, we adore the tasting menu. It never fails that at least one dish makes us think, ‘Hmm … not sure about that combo.’ But without fail, that ends up being the star of the night. Harbinger has a way of making the unexpected unforgettable. The dishes might challenge your taste buds in the best way, and somehow you’ll find yourself craving them again the next day. Always, always make it a point to try a dessert.”

Jess Robertson, executive pastry chef at Oak Park

Find her at Waterfront Seafood

“My husband, Ian [Oak Park’s executive chef], and I were both born and raised in Des Moines but moved away for several years as we worked at other restaurants. Three years ago, we returned for the opening of Oak Park and soon debuted our Monday date nights. Just before we swing into T.J. Maxx to check out the candle collection and go grocery shopping for our family for the week, we snag a booth at the West Des Moines Waterfront.

“The quality of the fresh fish and seafood is tough to beat, so it can sometimes be tempting to stray from our favorites. But we have settled into our routine: a Moscow mule for Ian, an Arnold Palmer for me and fried rock shrimp to share. Then we split the tuna, hamachi and salmon nigiri and the spicy, tempura-fried Bruce Lee Roll. The food keeps us coming back, but so does the fact that the booth is our reminder to pause and talk about our dreams for the future.”

Find three more recommendations online at dsmdish.com.

Do you eat chili with cinnamon rolls? The strangely delicious (and deliciously strange) combo “can be as polarizing as putting pineapple on pizza or ketchup on hot dogs,” according to the Smithsonian magazine’s best attempt to explain the tradition’s mysterious origins. The article quotes Iowa food historian Darcy Dougherty Maulsby of Lake City, whose friend from Minnesota “says it’s like eating birthday cake and scrambled eggs together.” But for Maulsby and countless other Iowans, the spicy-sweet pairing brings back fond memories of school cafeterias, where farmwives-turned-cooks probably started the tradition in the 1940s. Hungry for more? Read Maulsby’s “A Culinary History of Iowa: Sweet Corn, Pork Tenderloins, Maid-Rites & More.”