Taste of Iowa brings food to statehouse

Almost three dozen businesses marketed their Iowa-made food and drink at the statehouse today. The merchants passed out samples of everything from salsa to tofu to popcorn. Gail Kotval arranged the event for the “Taste of Iowa” program. The “Taste of Iowa” logo is now seen in grocery stores and restaurants to highlight Iowa-grown and Iowa-made items. Ron Mark of Indianola had bottles of wine from his 12-acre vineyard on display, but he wasn’t handing out samples since alcohol consumption’s prohibited in the statehouse. Legislators, lobbyists, state workers, and even the Governor and Lieutenant Governor walked around the displays to nibble and sip the samples of Iowa goodies.