Pasta for Any Night

Learn how to make Kali and AJ Brudos’ four-cheese tortellini with sausage and mushrooms.

4-CHEESE TORTELLINI FOR ANY WEEKNIGHT

Writer: Lisa Holderness Brown

Ask Kali Brudos about her beet pasta roses and she lights up as if there were nothing she would rather talk about. “I fold seven raviolis in half and arrange them to look like a rose,” she says, beaming. “Bake or boil them and serve in garlic butter with Parm.”

Brudos talks pasta-speak as if she grew up at the knee of an Italian grandmother, but crafting fresh pasta is a more recent venture. She and husband, AJ, met working at Biaggi’s in West Des Moines and shared their passions for pasta, puppies and the Green Bay Packers. At some point after years of marriage and several moves, they dusted off a hand-cranked pasta machine that was a gift and started making their own noodles. Both were hooked and converted all their friends to fresh pasta. “It was so simple. We could totally do this,” she recalls.

Translating their new hobby into a business seemed like a natural progression for a couple with over 40 years of restaurant experience between them, but they knew starting slowly made sense. The duo kept their day jobs and toted their pasta machine to the Mickle Center Shared-Use Community Kitchen in Sherman Hill.

“We are super thankful for the shared use kitchen,” Brudos says. “It allows so many new businesses to have the opportunity to lease space and use the equipment. It has worked really well.”

Now they hand-crank over 100 pounds of pasta weekly in a variety of shapes and flavors, including beet and spinach—made from fresh vegetable purees—and egg noodles that start with Shriver Farms eggs.

“We morphed a lot bigger than expected, mostly due to Facebook and word of mouth,” Brudos says. “We hope to make this full time and eventually open a small dining room. AJ wants to do pizza, too.”

For now, the couple keeps a sharp focus on all things pasta, including homemade sauces, herb butters, take-and-bake lasagna and manicotti, and pasta meal kits. Their products are available for pickup at the Mickle Center at the corner of 16th and Pleasant streets. Order on the dsmpastaco.com website and pick up on Tuesdays. They also have a booth at the Maxwell farmers market on Sundays.

Find the four-cheese tortellini recipe from our September/October issue here.

This kitchen in West Des Moines was designed by Grand Homes and Renovation and will be showcased in the upcoming Tour of Remodeled Homes. Photo: Kerry Bern, Professional Real Estate Photography

TOUR REMODELING PROJECTS IN THE METRO

Some of the metro's best remodeling work will be on display at the 2021 Tour of Remodeled Homes at 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 18-19. Among the 12 projects are basements, kitchens, home offices, living rooms and more.

After buying a $10 ticket, available at any location, patrons can tour each home. Afterward, the Remodelers Council of Greater Des Moines, the organization behind the event, encourages attendees to go online and vote for their favorite projects. Learn more about the tours and find locations here.

Cultures from all over the world will be represented at the World Food and Music Festival. Photo: Greater Des Moines Partnership

WORLD FOOD AND MUSIC FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND

Get your taste buds ready. The annual World Food Food and Music Festival will return this weekend, Sept. 17-19, at Western Gateway Park. More than 40 food vendors, serving entrees from all parts of the globe, will be on hand, with samples for $1 and all menu items less than $7.

There will also be live cooking demonstrations, live music and cultural performances throughout the festival grounds. The Original Wailers will headline the weekend at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, featuring Al Anderson, an original member of Bob Marley and the Wailers. Find the full festival schedule here. Admission is free.

Artistic Director Matthew McIver addresses the crowd at a past Cocktails and Cabaret event. This year's fundraiser will have local musicians and a food and drink menu from Taste! To Go. Photo: Iowa Stage Theatre

COCKTAILS AND CABARET AT IOWA STAGE THEATRE

Food, drink and stellar live music — count us in! Iowa Stage Theatre Company will host its annual Cocktails and Cabaret fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18, at Curate (322 E. Court Ave.). Performances include Madison Ray, Becky Scholtec, Taylor Miller and Tiffany Flory, among others.

The food and drink menu was put together by Taste! To Go and includes a pasta station with fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil and mozzarella; and a fajita-building table featuring chicken, beef and veggies.

Tickets are $150; $1,500 for a table. Important to note: Iowa Stage is requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours prior to the event for entry.

The Polk County Courthouse in Des Moines will be one of the buildings showcased as a part of the Iowa Architectural Foundation's pop-up video event. Photo: Iowa Architectural Foundation

GAIN ACCESS TO IOWA'S ARCHITECTURAL GEMS

The Iowa Architectural Foundation will host a pop-up event in Capital Square's atrium at 8 p.m. Sept. 22, showcasing six three-minute videos of interiors of Iowa's most beautiful buildings, including the Temple for Performing Arts; U.S. Bank’s art deco building; and the catwalks and dome of the state Capitol. The videos will feature creative stories, histories, design features, colors and details of the structures.

The event is free to attend and beverages will be available. Organizers suggest parking in the municipal garage at Fourth and Grand ($1) or at street meters. Register here.