dsmWeekly: April 19, 2023

This vegan lemony white bean soup from Jackfruitful Kitchen is warm and bright, a great soup for a weeknight dinner lineup. Photo: Jackie Akerberg.

FOOD AND DINING

Three tips to reduce your carbon ‘foodprint’

Writer: Karla Walsh

Heads up: Earth Day is coming right up on Saturday. There are lots of ways to celebrate, but if you want to make a difference year-round, the kitchen is a good place to start.

“About 15 million pounds of food is thrown away annually in Central Iowa alone,” said Aubrey Alvarez, the president of the nonprofit Eat Greater Des Moines. “More than 30 percent of our landfills are filled with organic waste.” That’s up from 22 percent in 2017 and just 10.3 percent in 2005.

With that in mind, here are three easy ways to help push the needle in the other direction.

Reduce: Your animal protein consumption by replacing one meaty main dish with a plant-based once a week.
If you swap in beans instead of beef at just one more meal each week for a year, the resulting environmental impact will be similar to trading a dozen incandescent bulbs for LED lights, using 38 fewer gallons of gas, or decreasing your home’s electricity usage by 5%, according to estimates from the University of Minnesota. For inspiration, check out Des Moines-based Jackie Akerberg’s new vegan cookbook. Or outsource your cooking to local eateries that offer colorful, fresh and filling vegetarian and vegan options, including A Dong, Ceviche Bar, Des Fresh Foods, El Michoacano Taqueria, Fresko, Gursha, Gusto Pizza Co., Harbinger, Lucky Lotus and Ritual Cafe.

Reuse: Your cleaning supplies by stocking up on refillable, ethically made cleaning supplies.
Find chic glass containers at The Collective, 3523 Sixth Ave., to refill with dish soap and hand soap to cut down on how much plastic you throw away. While you’re there, you may want to snag some washable UNpaper Towels, reusable stainless steel lunch boxes or a surprisingly cute Bamboozle Compost Bin.

Recycle: Your leftover ingredients.
We get it: Not everyone loves leftovers. But last night’s extras can become tonight’s dinner if you’re savvy about it. Turn to creative cookbooks like Tamar Adler’s The Everlasting Meal Cookbook or Julia Turshen’s Now and Again for tips to make the most of leftovers and reduce your environmental “foodprint.” We recently spotted both books at Reading in Public in Valley Junction.

Cellist on the roof: Camille Thomas plays Camille Saint-Saens this weekend with the Des Moines Symphony. Photo: Dan Carabas.

PLAN YOUR WEEKEND
Des Moines Symphony takes guests to Paris

One of the world’s best cellists, the Franco-Belgian star Camille Thomas, comes to town this week to headline two concerts with the Des Moines Symphony. She’ll play Camille Saint-Saens’ cello concerto — one of the greats — in an all-French program that includes work by Berlioz and Lili Boulanger, plus Offenbach’s high-kicking can-can. And if you just can’t-can’t wait, tune in tonight for an online preview talk with Eric McIntyre from Grinnell College and a master class Friday at Drake with Thomas and three local cello students.

See the "April in Paris" concerts Saturday at 7:30 p.m. or Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

This week the symphony also announced its wide-ranging lineup for the 2023-2024 season, which features violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, conductor Keith Lockhart and the BRKFAST Dance Company, among others. The pops series includes a night with Broadway star Renee Elise Goldsberry (who won a Tony as Angelica Schuyler in “Hamilton”), plus tributes to Abba, the Eagles and much, much more.

PLAN YOUR WEEKEND

“All Things Considered” creative showcase (8 p.m. Saturday, Wooly’s): Local musicians, artists and other creative types converge for a unique event hosted by comedian Coral Thede. The lineup includes a performance by DJ Cdisiac, plus offerings from a dozen-some pop-up art shops.

“Wonder of the World” (7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Tallgrass Theatre Company): In the next show from the West Des Moines troupe, a woman ditches her husband after discovering his deep dark secret and embarks on a journey to discover both herself and Niagara Falls. Along the way, she meets an array of eccentric characters and confronts her destiny, right at the edge of the falls. The production runs through May 7.

Rembrandt’s regards and Fleming’s farewell (5 p.m. Friday, Des Moines Art Center): The art center’s next exhibit, “Rembrandt and His World,” opens with a reception in the John Bray Print Gallery and showcases etchings by the Dutch master. Guests will also have a chance to raise a toast to art center director Jeff Fleming, who is retiring after 25 years and who recalled a few highlights during a public Q-and-A in January with dsm editor Michael Morain.

ARTS AND CULTURE
Bookstore day: Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day on April 29 by visiting your favorite neighborhood bookseller. Here in Central Iowa, Beaverdale Books (Des Moines), Dog-Eared Books (Ames), Dungeon’s Gate (Ankeny), Pageturners Bookstore (Indianola), Raccoon River Press (Des Moines), Reading in Public (West Des Moines) and Storyhouse Book Pub (Des Moines) have teamed up to create a passport challenge during the April 29-30 weekend, when bibliophiles can win a bag full of swag. Participants who buy something (no minimum) from each of the seven shops will be entered into a prize drawing at each store.

Clockwise from top left: Siobhan Spain, Christine Her, Sonia Reyes, Jordan Colbert, Teree Caldwell-Johnson, Mary Mascher, Nancy Mwirotsi, Jo Christine Miles, Courtney Reyes and Sara Nelson. Photos: Jami Milne.

ARTS AND CULTURE
‘SHE’ is Fearless: 10 stories of women leaders

Ballet Des Moines’ next show, “SHE,” is a triple bill that three female choreographers created to explore themes of identity, self-expression and belonging. It’s set for April 27-30 at the Des Moines Civic Center’s Stoner Theater.

To prepare for the show, Ballet Des Moines teamed up with dsm's sister publication, the Business Record, and its Fearless initiative, which features women-centered content and events. Ballet creative director Jami Milne and Fearless editor interviewed 10 Iowa women and photographed their portraits — sometimes in motion, with a slight blur of a hand or with their eyes closed in reflection. Their portraits in words and images offer a glimpse of who they are, what they believe in, and which experiences shaped their lives.

To learn more, you can read the profiles and watch excerpts from their interviews. Their portraits are on display through April 30 at Mainframe Studios.