New Food and Kinship

Filet Mignon Wellington at Aura, a new take on American cuisine through the Wasabi restaurant group. There will be plenty of food and drink coverage in our new dsmWeekly newsletter.

REFRESHED WEEKLY LAUNCHING IN THE NEW YEAR

We're excited to announce that we're relaunching our dsmWeekly newsletter in 2022, focusing on the latest in Des Moines arts, culture, food, philanthropy and more, as well as some of the can't-miss weekend events and our favorite dsm magazine stories. The newsletter will be sent on Wednesday afternoons.

If you're getting this newsletter, you're all set to receive the refreshed version. But feel free to share this sign-up link with your network, friends and co-workers so they don't miss out!

The Northeast roast beef sandwich is one of the new offerings at Kinship Brewing, thanks to chef Jacob Demars' overhauling of the venue's food menu.

LOCAL CHEF LAUNCHES 'NEXT OF KIN' AT BREWERY

Writer: Karla Walsh

If you, too, fell in love with chef Jacob Demars’ innovative flavor combinations and masterpiece plating at R I Restaurant, Trostel’s Dish (briefly) and Marlene’s at Sevastopol Station, listen up. As of Nov. 15, the innovative culinary pro has landed at Kinship Brewing Co. (255 N.W. Sunrise Drive, Waukee) as the head chef of their brand-new on-site restaurant, Next of Kin, where his cuisine is taking a cozy yet constantly changing turn.

Demars says he’s been in talks with Zach Dobeck, the owner of the new-ish Waukee brewery/dog park, since June. “The first thing I noticed about Kinship was the amount of teamwork and passion everyone put into their work," Demars says. "I also like to be challenged and push myself to learn more about the food industry, and Kinship offers that."

Case in point: Compared with the almost-too-pretty-to-eat plates he created for other venues, his Next of Kin menu “sits happily next to beer. It’s a classic American bar food menu that’s fun, fast and delicious,” he says. One of his favorites is the Northeast roast beef, which pairs well with the American lager. The roast beef is dry cured in-house, then cut into thin slices. The sandwich is finished with cheese, mayo, barbecue sauce and an onion roll.

While the snack-and-sandwich menu is fairly streamlined for now (burgers and fries join a salmon salad, chicken wings and a cold-cut sandwich as part of the offerings), it will change every three months to a different regional cuisine, Demars says. The first change is set for Jan. 17.

Come early winter through midsummer, Demars plans to integrate different “pockets” within the kitchen to begin making almost all products in-house. Baking and pastry, butchery, cheese and dairy, pickling and fermenting, and more are all part of the plan.

“Not only will these programs be a lot of fun, but everyone involved will be constantly learning new things about how to create and use food completely from scratch,” Demars says.

Kinship Brewing Co. and Next of Kin are open Monday through Thursday from 3 to 9 p.m., Friday from 12 to 11 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The dog park is open until dusk daily.

"Liftoff," created by Alice Aycock, is being installed at Des Moines International Airport this week. This will be the view entering from Cowles Drive. Photo: Greater Des Moines Art Foundation

NEW SCULPTURE ARRIVES AT DES MOINES AIRPORT

A new artwork reached its final destination on Monday: the Des Moines International Airport. "Liftoff," created by internationally renowned artist Alice Aycock and commissioned by the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation, is 20 feet tall and 22 feet wide and will be installed over the course of three days this week.

“This has been a long time coming,” the foundation's director, Jessica Rowe, said in a statement. “Our first Aycock proposal was for a sculpture along the Sixth Avenue Corridor, back in 2012. We persisted in keeping her work in our public art wish list because we truly wanted to find it a prominent home in Des Moines. Partnering with the airport presented a great opportunity.”

"Liftoff" consists of white gloss powder-coated aluminum with a galvanized structural stainless-steel interior. The sculpture―which will be lit at night, making it a clear fixture for travelers going in and out of Des Moines―is inspired by science and technology and depicts the movement of energy with spirals, whirlpools and spinning top.

The work honors the late Johnny Danos, who was a longtime community leader in Greater Des Moines.

“The artwork will become synonymous with the Dear Moines International Airport," Kevin Foley, Des Moines Airport Authority executive director, said in a statement. "It will be the first thing travelers see when entering the airport and the last thing when leaving."

Local musician EleanorGrace will perform at xBk at 6 p.m. today, part of the venue's holiday series. Read our recent feature about EleanorGrace here. Photo: Raelyn Ramey

xBk READIES FOR HOLIDAY LOCAL LIVE MUSIC SERIES

Music venue xBk will kick off its three-week run of "A Holiday Special," featuring performances from local musicians hosted by Madison Ray and his band the Finesse, today. There will also be holiday-themed games and prizes. Tickets are sold in packages, starting with a two-seat table for $25 and can be bought online. Livestreams are available for $12.

Here's what the schedule and musician lineup looks like for the next three weeks:

Unplugged Stage (6 p.m. Dec. 7): Annie and Dave Ducharme-Jones, Coral Thede, Rae Fehring and EleanorGrace.

Plugged In Stage (6 p.m. Dec. 14): Allegra Hernandez, Lani Eclatt and Janee Harvey.

The Classic Stage (6 p.m. Dec. 21): NOLA Jazz Band, Dueling Fiddles and the A Sisters.

Holiday-themed music will fill Valley Junction at its annual holiday event on Thursday. Photo: Travel Iowa

JINGLE IN THE JUNCTION SET FOR THURSDAY

West Des Moines' Valley Junction will host its annual Jingle in the Junction holiday event at 5-9 p.m. Thursday under the glow of 125,000 lights in the district. Shops will stay open late so you can cross off names on your holiday shopping list, and there will be horse-drawn trolley rides. Ice sculptures from artist Bill Gorish will be on display as well.

Cirque Wonderland, a West Des Moines circus training facility, will perform throughout the night, alongside groups of Christmas carolers and music groups. Admission to the event, which will also take place Dec. 16, is free. Find more information online.

Hope Ministries relies on volunteers to package meals for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Photo: Hope Ministries

IOWA STOPS HUNGER
HELP DELIVER CHRISTMAS MEALS TO THOSE IN NEED

Hope Ministries is looking for volunteers to help bring in, sort and deliver Christmas meals and donations. The organization will deliver more than 3,000 meals to those in need around the holidays, with the help of more than 100 local volunteers.

There are three time slots to help out: On Christmas Eve, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., volunteers will help organize donations for delivery. On Christmas Day, you can help assemble the meals (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) or deliver to routes around town (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.).

Go online for more information and to sign up.

Iowa Stops Hunger is a Business Publications Corp. initiative to bring awareness and action to food insecurity in Iowa.