ia: The best of Iowa arts and culture

Start your day in Cedar Rapids with brunch at Lacayo, which grinds its own corn for fresh tortillas. (Photo: Lacayo)

Find good eats in Cedar Rapids

Foodies are finding their way to Cedar Rapids, and it’s not just the scent of Crunch Berries luring them in. The city that's home to Quaker Oats, which operates the world’s largest cereal mill, is making a name for itself as a dining destination, too.

Cobble Hill Eatery and Dispensary is one of the state’s best restaurants, according to fans and food experts alike. Chef and co-owner Andy Schumacher has been nominated for a James Beard Award, appeared on the Food Network and has a talent for inventive flavor combinations. With Cobble Hill's ever-changing seasonal menu of unexpected dishes inspired by local ingredients, the restaurant rewards repeat visits. Even the desserts are artful and irresistible, and the bar selection is top notch, with excellent mocktails.

The hip and tasty taco joint Lacayo (formerly Caucho) is worth a stop, too. It recently changed hands when founder Schumacher and his wife, Carrie, sold it to Daniel and Armina Lacayo. The menu remains flavorful, and the atmosphere is fun and lively. Everything from the kitchen starts with corn — white, yellow and blue — that’s ground on a lava stone for making fresh tortillas and more. Order the queso fundido, chips and guacamole, and sample as many of the tacos as possible. And do yourself a favor: Order a margarita.

Find fine dining at a farm-to-table experience less than 30 minutes south, near Iowa City, at Walker Homestead, a working farm that offers a dinner series. The menu for the upcoming dinner, on March 28, includes five vegetarian courses highlighting mushrooms grown from Rot’s Bounty Gourmet Mushrooms, a local producer.

Jane Goodall plans to visit the Orpheum on March 19. (Photo: Orpheum Theatre)

In Sioux City, Jane Goodall reflects on her 90 years

At 90 years old, Jane Goodall is still on the move 300 days a year to share her inspiring stories with audiences worldwide. In her remarkable life, she’s been named a United Nations Messenger of Peace for her work as an animal behavior scientist and conservationist. She plans to share a few of her life Goodall shares her life stories at 3 p.m. March 16 at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City.

Goodall’s landmark research began in 1960 with a visit to Tanzania for in-depth studies of chimpanzees in the wild. She continues to conduct research and has created numerous outreach programs to promote education, conservation and further research. In all, there are two dozen Jane Goodall Institutes for chimpanzee protection, as well as a youth empowerment program called Roots & Shoots on six continents. You can read her story in her books — so hear it directly from her.

Check online for tickets and details.

Far-flung filmmakers and fans flock to the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival every April (Photo: Travel Dubuque)

14 Iowa film festivals qualify for state certification

Just a few days remain before Hollywood rolls out the red carpet for the Oscars. But not all of the shobiz buzz is in Tinsel Town.

Produce Iowa, the state film office managed by the Iowa Economic Development Authority, recently announced its first round of 2025 Iowa Certified Film Festivals. The new certification program recognizes Iowa film festivals that maintain a high level of professionalism, community involvement, and engagement for filmmakers and fans. As part of a statewide network, the certified festivals also receive promotional support, technical assistance and funding opportunities.

And the winners are . . .

Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival, April 4-6, Marion
Cedar River Film Festival, Nov. 1-3, Cedar Falls
Des Moines Latino Film Festival, April 15-18, Des Moines
Halloweenapalooza Film Festival, Oct. 10-11, Ottumwa
Interrobang Film Festival, June 27-29, Des Moines
Iowa Disability Film Festival, March 27-29, Iowa City
Iowa Independent Film Festival, Sept. 4-6, Mason City
Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, April 21-27, Dubuque
Oneota Film Festival, March 6-9, Decorah
Pulling Focus African American Film Festival of the Quad Cities, TBD, Davenport
Refocus Film Festival, TBD, Iowa City
Sioux City International Film Festival, Oct. 2-5, Sioux City
Snake Alley Festival of Film, July 10-13, Burlington
Washington's Annual International Farm to Film Festival, April 12-15, Washington

This home in Moingona won an award Tuesday during the dsm Home Design Awards ceremony. (Photo: Duane Tinkey)

Moingona's mid-century modern marvel

Renovation altered every surface of this Moingona home from new flooring, repaired windows, plumbing, a subframe and everything in between, but interior designer Melissa Guerrero made a point to use existing materials wherever possible and focus on the three R’s: “Reduce, reuse and recycle whenever possible, especially with vintage projects,” she said. “I enjoy juxtaposing modern features with vintage details and highlighting artwork throughout the interior.”

This house was a big reason Guerrero moved to Iowa from San Francisco. It perches on a woodsy hillside in Moingona, near Boone, with panoramic views over the Des Moines River Valley. It feels like a grown-up treehouse.

The place belongs to a friend Guerrero met decades ago in California, who invited her to use it as a getaway a few years ago, a spot to unplug and unwind. She often rides her motorcycle there, up from her condo in Des Moines.

“I loved it so much, I just kept coming back,” she said.

When the owner died a few years ago, the property passed to his brother, who made a deal with Guerrero: She could stay there and fix it up.

The Moingona house was built in 1978, by a firm called the Ames Design Collaborative, a group of Iowa State University graduate students in architecture who were recruited by their visionary professor, Ray Crites. It was later featured in a 1981 Better Homes & Gardens magazine. Guerrero wanted to honor the unique home’s history, and “the remodel became more of a restoration.” She hired a crew to peel back the extra layers, including the composite siding.

The project's architecture won a gold medal in the vacation home category of this year's dsm Home Design Awards, held last Tuesday at Willow on Grand in Des Moines. You can dive deeper into the home’s history and its renovation in this story from dsm’s January issue.

Ready to re-live high school? Only with better dance moves and a happy ending? Catch the "Mean Girls" on tour. (Photo: Grace Mouat)

Two touring musicals bring the high school drama

No, sorry: Troy Bolton isn’t coming to Iowa. But two other "high school musicals" are touring through Iowa in the next few weeks. The national tour of “Mean Girls” bullies its way across the state with stops in Iowa City (March 7-9), Sioux City (March 11), Cedar Rapids (March 12) and Davenport (March 13). The actresses who play Cady Heron and Regina George (Katie Yeomans and Maya Petropoulos, respectively) are making their national tour debuts.

Of course, if those girls scare you off, catch “Dear Evan Hansen” March 8 and 9 in Cedar Falls. If you’re a fan, you will be found — at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.