dsmWeekly: March 6, 2024

Ceviche, a recommended dish to try at Panka Peruvian Restaurant on Ingersoll Avenue. (Photo: Duane Tinkey)

Peruvian dishes prevail on Ingersoll

Writer: Hailey Allen

When we heard the news last week that Panka Coffee & More would be closing its Drake location this Sunday, March 10, we couldn’t help but feel sad. The Forest Avenue spot covered in concert posters has served up colorful Latin American favorites like Salvadoran pupusas, Venezuelan arepas, Colombian empanadas, and its signature Peruvian rotisserie chicken since last year, along with breakfast sandwiches, pastries and coffee. What’s going to happen to those delicious arepas!?

Luckily, owner Mariela Maya said she plans to continue serving those favorites during new brunch hours over at Panka Peruvian Restaurant on Ingersoll Avenue. Expect to find the arepas, breakfast sandwiches, dulce de leche pancakes and more on the new menu, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. The regular dinner menu will still be available in the evenings for your fix of ceviche and aji de gallina.

Until then, celebrate the last few days of Panka Coffee by stopping by for a pupusa or pastry. And read all about Maya’s love for sharing Latin culture and her entrepreneurial spirit in our new March/April issue of dsm.

Maya immigrated to the United States about 20 years ago, when she moved to Rockford, Illinois, with her husband at the time and their young daughter. They spent a lot of weekends nearby in picture-postcard Galena, where Maya frequented a favorite coffee shop.

“It was so cute and relaxed,” she recalled. “I wondered what it would be like to be an owner there. But back then, that was just a dream.” At the time, she was a manager with IHG Hotels and Resorts, before she spent some time in real estate. Little did she know her dream would come true — twice.

Her eyes light up when she talks about her journey as a restaurateur, and she takes pride in introducing Iowans to the flavors of her homeland. Some of her first food memories mingle with the rich aromas in her grandmother’s kitchen in Cuzco, Peru, way up in the Andes mountains.

Despite Panka Coffee’s closure, Maya is still dreaming. Someday, she’d like to open a new spot that evokes Peru’s thriving sushi scene. The Ingersoll restaurant already offers a Peruvian-style sashimi menu, but Maya sees an opportunity to showcase even more of Peru’s Asian influences. Read the full story.

Ballet Des Moines' triple bill explores love in various forms. (Photo: Jami Milne)

BEST BET

Queer Premiere: 'Love Letters' at Ballet Des Moines

Ballet Des Moines features a new work, "Love Letters," in its annual spring show this weekend, alongside classics by George Balanchine and Christopher Wheeldon. The new work is choreographed by the company’s artistic director, Tom Mattingly, who drew inspiration from crowdsourced stories from the LGBTQ Iowans.

“For me, ‘Love Letters’ really sprang from the idea of wanting to create a ballet for and by the queer community in Iowa,” Mattingly said.

He said the chance to stretch creatively with these kinds of projects was one of the reasons he came to Des Moines in 2021. “I felt like I had the opportunity to have a hand in creating something and growing something,” he said. “Giving time and love and effort to any type of arts organization — it’s never easy — but when you’re surrounded by people who have your back, there’s so much that can be accomplished together.”

Read more about “Love Letters” in our recent story from Brianne Sanchez, who previewed other new LGBTQ-themed commissions for the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus and Des Moines Metro Opera.

The Week Ahead

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (7:30 tonight): The gritty country singer best known for heartbreaking lyrics will be one of the first to play on Val Air’s new stage.

Wine, Food & Beer Showcase (6-9 p.m. Friday): Sample offerings from some of Central Iowa’s finest restaurants, wineries and breweries at the signature fundraiser for the Des Moines Metro Opera at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown.

“Follies” with Napoleon Douglas (7 p.m. Saturday): The critically acclaimed singer highlights showtunes from Broadway with a world-class jazz band conducted by Jason Danielson at Noce.

Des Moines Symphony: “Rhapsody in Blue” (7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday): In 1924, George Gershwin read a newspaper article about an upcoming concert that would feature one of his new compositions — much to his own surprise. Instead of insisting on a correction, he dashed off “Rhapsody in Blue,” which the Des Moines Symphony and guest pianist Michelle Cann perform for its centennial at the Des Moines Civic Center.

Bruce Hornsby and yMusic (8 p.m. Tuesday): The experimental songwriter paired up with classical ensemble yMusic to create “Deep Sea Vents,” an album about water and the way it shapes our lives. Bonus: Every guest to Tuesday’s concert at Hoyt Sherman Place will get their own copy of the album.

FOOD & DINING
Openings: Here are just a few of the restaurants on our current radar.

Roots 95 Craft Kitchen & Bar opened Feb. 2 at 8705 Chambery Boulevard in Johnston.
Guesthouse Tavern & Oyster opened Feb. 13 at 9500 University Ave. in West Des Moines.

Classic Frozen Custard reopened for the season on Feb. 16 at its usual spot, 4000 S.E. 14th St.
The Stuffed Olive is moving soon to 216 Court Ave.
Table 128 at 220 S.W. Ninth St. and HUGO’s Wood-Fired Kitchen at 3206 University Ave. are also on track to open soon. We'll keep you posted.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Got guts? New York Times-bestselling author Caroline Paul just released her newest nonfiction title “Tough Broad: From Boogie Boarding to Wing Walking ― How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age,” a research-backed exploration on venturing outside, and outside your comfort zone. The book features vignettes of various women and the daredevil hobbies that keep them feeling fresh and energized. In one chapter, Paul meets with Des Moines' own Kittie Weston-Knauer, who, at 74, is the oldest female competitive BMX racer in the United States. Beaverdale Books is hosting a free event at 6:30 p.m. April 16 with both the author and the biker. More details are available online.

Rekha Basu and Antoinette Lavalle review their lines for a scene in "Peck" at the Salisbury House. (Photo: "Peck")

ARTS & CULTURE

Locally movie ‘Peck’ to premiere at the Varsity
Writer: Michael Morain

Oscars? Shmoscars. For at least a few local movie fans, this month’s main event is the premiere of “Peck” at 7 p.m. March 17 at the Varsity Cinema.

The feature film tells an early 20th-century story about a young woman who is stuck – at home, in her head – until a few new folks come to town and help her crack open some new possibilities.

The film’s director, co-writer and star, Antoinette Lavalle, expanded the project from an initial concept she cooked up during her studies at the New School in New York. She kept at it after she returned home to Des Moines and set up shop at Mainframe Studios. “You just kind of get that spark that you can’t stop thinking about,” she said.

With support from a Greenlight Grant from Produce Iowa, the state film office, Lavalle and her team shot most of the movie’s scenes in September 2022. They shot interiors and exteriors at the Rollins Mansion, Salisbury House and Gardens, another South of Grand home, a couple of properties near Brown’s Woods and the north side, plus another site in Marshalltown. Their cast included local actors, a few horses and – last but certainly not least – a little yellow bird named Coco Chanel.

“They always warn first-time directors against involving animals, but we broke that rule,” Lavalle said.
Spoiler alert: The caged bird flies free by the end of the movie.

“Women had different expectations back then” in the early 1900s, Lavalle said. “So here we see the main character coming of age and realizing she doesn’t want to do what’s expected of her.”

The script has already won an award from a Los Angeles film festival and has been accepted into an upcoming festival on the East Coast. But the screening at the Varsity, followed by a Q&A and party, will mark its official premiere.