ia: The best of Iowa arts and culture

Kites in all shapes, sizes and colors will fly over Clear Lake for the Color the Wind festival Feb. 18. Photo: Curtis K. Olinger.

Kites to Brighten Up Clear Lake

It’s a bird! … It’s a plane! … It’s the Color the Wind kite festival Feb. 18 in Clear Lake! From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., kite pros from around the country will show off kites in various sizes and shapes— astronauts, whales, jellyfish, you name it—over the frozen lake. You can bring your own kite to fly, buy one at the Lakeview Room, or just watch the spectacle from the shore.

To warm up, head downtown for doughnuts, hot drinks, pub fare and craft brews. Food trucks will be parked across from the Clear Lake Yacht Club, and you can visit the Clear Lake Arts Center (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and the Surf Ballroom (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), which two years ago became Iowa's 27th National Historic Landmark.

The Webster in Iowa City serves Wisconsin trout with tomato, basil, bacon and arugula. Photo courtesy of the Webster.

The Webster Redefines Dining in Iowa City

After studying at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and working for more than a decade with chef David Chang at Momofuku in New York City, chef Sam Gelman returned to his hometown of Iowa City to open the Webster in May 2021.

The big-city-style bistro serves inventive dishes made from luxury ingredients such as wagyu beef and oysters in an upscale but relaxed atmosphere that’s perfect for Champagne-worthy celebrations. After trying just one bite of his saffron orecchiette with braised pork ragu, we were glad he came back home.

The restaurant is about four blocks east of the Iowa River on the edge of the University of Iowa campus. It’s open for dinner service until 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and you can book reservations online.

Charles Pearson of Waterloo is developing the Iowa African American Heritage Trail. Photo: Sean O’Neal, University of Northern Iowa.

Mapping Black History

By Karris Golden

Iowa’s Black history and culture can be found in books, museums and lecture halls, but few landmark signs tie significant places to stories of the past.

That’s why historian Charles Pearson of Waterloo is developing the Iowa African American Heritage Trail, a project he hopes will improve access to historical information about historic sites like Goose Hollow in Davenport, the Flats of Fort Dodge, Sherman Hill in Des Moines, Smokey Row in Waterloo, and Buxton, a once-thriving southeast Iowa “ghost town” known as the state’s lost Black utopia.

Pearson says there aren’t any specific Black communities tourists know they can visit. “There isn’t one African American historical district that highlights our presence,” he says. “These places exist, but we’re not making the connection.”

Sites on the new trail span the state, offering more than can be explored in a single day. Pearson envisions the project as an evolving information hub to be accessed online and in classrooms, to complement existing nature trails and byways.

For more info on the Iowa African American Heritage Trail, read the recent story in ia magazine or visit the group’s Facebook page.

Chef Katie Porter of the Wallace House in Des Moines is taking reservations for cooking classes on Feb. 20. Farm-to-table dinners are still available Thursdays throughout the spring.

Tune Up Your Cooking Skills at the Wallace Center

Take your Valentine to dinner, and you’ll eat well for a night. Teach your Valentine to cook, and you’ll eat well for years. So why not sign up for class with chef Katie Porter at the Wallace House in Des Moines?

The two-hour classes combine hands-on demonstrations and tempting bites of the final meal. Plus, you can bring your own wine to enjoy during the experience. The first class kicks off April 3, followed by five more on Mondays throughout the year. Reservations open Feb. 20.

For a more hands-off approach, the center also offers farm-to-table dinners on Thursdays, with upcoming openings March 30 through June 29.

Iowa native Samuel Charles worked in Chicago and Denver before opening Rodina in Cedar Rapids in 2019. Two years later, he was the Iowa Restaurant Association’s Chef of the Year. Photo: Pilsen Photo Co-op.

Compliments to the Chef in Cedar Rapids

Samuel Charles, the executive chef at Rodina in Cedar Rapids, is in the running for a James Beard Award, one of the culinary world’s highest honors. He is the only Iowan on this year’s list of semifinalists, announced Jan. 25, and will find out whether he’s a full-on nominee on March 29. The awards ceremony is set for June 5 in Chicago.

Charles and his life and business partner, Phoebe Charles, opened Rodina in January 2019 in Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village. The restaurant’s name means “family” in Czech and its seasonal menu offers upscale twists on familiar Midwestern fare. The current mix includes rainbow trout and pork chops with apple butter.

Two years after Rodina opened, the Iowa Restaurant Association named Charles its Chef of the Year.

"Combat Between Two Horsemen from Firdowsi’s Shahnama (Book of Kings)," from the mid-14th to early 16th century, was a gift from Nanette Rodney Kelekian to the Grinnell College Museum of Art.

Find a Treasure Trove in Grinnell

In the 1890s, a Turkish-born art and antiquities dealer named Dikran Kelekian set up shop in Istanbul and sailed to the United States to oversee the Persian pavilion at the Chicago World’s Fair. Nearly a century later, one of his granddaughters started donating pieces of his vast collection to several prominent institutions, including Harvard University and Grinnell College, where more than 50 pieces are on display in a new show.

“Fragmentary Visions: Grinnell College’s Kelekian Collection” showcases rare ceramics, textiles and manuscripts from the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. Some are more than a thousand years old.

This is the first time the collection has been displayed together, although students have examined the objects in storage over the years. “It’s a wonderful teaching tool,” museum director Susan Baley says. “It’s really cool to be able to physically touch works that have been around that long.”

Visitors can see (but not touch) the exhibition through May 6 at the Grinnell College Museum of Art. Its four student curators plan to discuss their research during a brief talk at 11 a.m. Feb. 21.

Love is alive in the eastern Iowa towns of Amana and Kalona. Choose between several romantic dinner options, or extend your stay to explore the surrounding towns.

Follow Cupid to Two Sweet Spots in Eastern Iowa

If you’re still looking for some Valentine ideas, several businesses and restaurants in the Amana Colonies and Kalona can help you out. Plan a quick day trip or overnight getaway to either or both; they’re just 30 minutes apart.

In Kalona this Saturday, you can take a horse-drawn carriage ride before dinner at Tuscan Moon, which serves entrees such as chicken Marsala, beef tenderloin or grilled salmon. Nearby, Kalona Chocolates sells chocolate-covered strawberries and heart-shape cakes, and the Kalona Brewing Co. is offering a four-course dinner for $70 (for both guests). The local chamber of commerce offers other suggestions.

For an overnight in Amana, book the “Food Is My Love Language" two-night package at Die Heimat Country Inn, which includes a five-course dinner at Koru Berry Farm. You can also find dining specials at the Hotel Millwright, Millstream Brau Haus and other historic mainstays like the Ox Yoke Inn and Ronneburg Restaurant. Shops around town offer wine samples, chocolates, beer flights, and wine and cheese pairings. Read more about the “Romance Weekend” online.