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Get your nomination ready for the best tenderloin in the state

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Last year’s winner of the best tenderloin.

The Iowa Pork Producers begin their 16th annual search for Iowa’s Best Tenderloin Wednesday.

Pork Producers spokesman, Ron Birkenholz says the tenderloin is an item many restaurants across the state have on the menu. “We’re hoping for another good turnout — we had over 3,000 nominations last year with 271 different establishments named in the contest,” Birkenholz says. “We know there’s a lot of good tenderloins out there and we hope people will nominate them,” Birkenholz says.

Nominations for the best tenderloin can be submitted at www.iowapork.org. Birkenholz said the deadline for all entries is June 5th. He says the contest generates good publicity for the eateries.

“It’s good for the business, all of the past winners have told us that their business has increased exponentially after wining the contest. Even the runners up — we name a top five — and even those restaurants see a major increase in their business,” according to Birkenholz. The winning tenderloin is announced during “Pork Month” in October. It’s something he says the creators of the tenderloins anxiously await.

“It puts them on the tenderloin map if you will,” Birkenholz says, “we have people all over the midwest that follow this contest and love tenderloins and want to go to the winner’s restaurant and try it. So, it’s a great deal for the entire industry.” Last year’s winning restaurant was the “Grid Iron Grill” in Webster City.

(By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)

 

New pantry at Food Bank of Iowa serves up food and training

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The Food Bank of Iowa added something new to its headquarters location as the facility recently underwent a total remodel.

The building in Des Moines has a food pantry at the location for the first time. Spokesman Danny Akright says the pantry will help those in need in the area — but also has another purpose. “We also implemented this because we are going to use it to train our own staff, to train our partners who are looking to start up their own pantry — and to try new things before we export those to our partners,” Akright says, “so it really is kind of a pantry laboratory.”

The Food Bank facility holds all the canned, boxed and frozen food that goes out across 55 counties. Akright says the food pantry at the warehouse will be run just like all the others. “So it doesn’t have special access to our inventory. We’re ordering for it just like our partners order for their own pantries,”according to Akright. “And then when our clients — we call them guests — come to receive the food, they have the same choices that they would have at any other pantry from non-perishable goods, fresh produce, bread, meat, dairy, that kind of thing.”

Akright says the pantry at the facility will give them a chance to learn more straight from the people they serve. “We’ll have a weekly opportunity where we can talk with people who are receiving our food. Maybe even some of our partners in addition to the pantry here. So, hearing from them directly is just a great benefit of having this pantry here,” Akright says.

Food Bank of Iowa photo of Karen’s Cupboard pantry.

Akright says. He says they won’t need to add any staff to run the pantry. “We formed a pantry committee from the staff members who worked the closest with our partners so they know the best about what a pantry looks like, how it needs to operate, that sort of thing. They worked on the implementation of the project,” Akright says. He says now that it is running they rely mostly on volunteers to run it.

The pantry is called “Karen’s Cupboard” in honor of Karen Ford who founded the of Food Bank of Iowa in 1982. Ford worked at the organization until she died in 2008. Akright says with spring now here, they are looking ahead to a busy time.

“We’re really starting to prepare for the summer months when kids are outside of school and they don’t have access to lunch and sometimes breakfast at school — so they need that extra food that is there,” Akright says. ” So, we’re sort of building up our stock and kind of preparing for the summer months as they come up.”

You can find out more about the services of the Food Bank of Iowa and how to donate at their website at: www.foodbankiowa.org.

 

Third annual Vegan Fest is this weekend in West Des Moines

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Participants in VeganFest 2017.

An event taking place this weekend in central Iowa will cater to the growing number of Iowans who are eating a plant-based diet.

Vegan Fest in West Des Moines will feature 40 exhibitors, including many that will be serving food that excludes meat, eggs, and dairy products. Amy Luebbert, president of the group Veglife Des Moines, says this is the third year for Vegan Fest and it’s grown dramatically since 2016.

“We really want to show businesses there are people who are choosing to be vegan or to incorporate more vegan meals into their life – so, we want to show businesses that this is a growing trend,” Luebbert said.

The nonprofit group Veglife Des Moines was formed after last year’s Vegan Fest drew a much larger crowd than organizers anticipated. A recent “vegan restaurant tour” in the Des Moines area included 20 restaurants that were asked to dedicate their menu to vegan options for one day.

“And all of them expressed that they were overwhelmed by how many people came in and supported the vegan options. We’ve heard from a few that they’re going to continue to have those on their menu and explore more options,” Luebbert said.

A report from research firm GlobalData found only one-percent of U.S. consumers claimed to be vegan in 2014. In 2017, that number rose to six-percent. Several documentaries released in recent years, such as “Plant Pure Nation” and “Forks Over Knives,” have encouraged people to alter their eating habits.

“One released about a year ago called ‘What the Health?’ – that film opened a lot of people’s eyes,” Luebbert said. “I also think meeting other people who are doing this…I wasn’t vegan when I was growing up, but 16 years ago I met someone who was vegan and that changed me forever.”

Luebbert notes, in addition to following a plant-based diet, individuals who identify themselves as vegan also abstain from wearing animal based clothing – such as leather – or using products tested on animals. Vegan Fest is taking place from 11am to 5pm Saturday at the Valley Community Center, 4444 Fuller Road, in West Des Moines.

 

 

Ten make the cut as finalists in Iowa’s Best Burger contest

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The Hereford Burger – an 8 ounce Hereford beef burger served on a toasted bun with cheese.

Ten finalists have been named for the 2018 title of “Iowa’s Best Burger.” Brooke German is marketing director for the Iowa Beef Industry Council, a sponsor of the annual contest along with the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association.

“This year, we received nearly 9,200 nominations representing over 700 restaurants across 300 towns and cities in Iowa,” German said. Iowans submitted their nominations online between February 12 and March 12. The restaurants receiving the top 10 most votes will now be getting a closer review.

“We’ll have a panel of judges that will go out to each of these 10 restaurants and judge the burgers based on taste, appearance, and proper doneness,” German said. “They will submit their scores back to us and we will name the best burger in the state of Iowa on May 1 to kickoff May Beef Month.”

The Smokin’ Hereford of Storm Lake took home the title of Iowa’s Best Burger in 2017. This is the ninth year for the contest.

The finalists for the 2018 Iowa’s Best Burger award are (in alphabetical order):
BurgerFiend, Cedar Rapids
Cafe Beaudelaire, Ames
The IowaStater Restaurant, Ames
Moo’s BBQ, Newton
Morgan’s Corner, Ottumwa
Rides Bar & Grill, Fort Dodge
Robin’s Nest Cafe, Clarinda
Saucy Focaccia Cedar Rapids
The Twisted Tail Steakhouse, Logan (BeeBeeTown)
Wrangling Grace Cafe, Bancroft

 

 

Bill would ban ‘food shaming’ practices in Iowa schools

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Kirsten Running-Marquardt.

A bill moving through the legislature seeks to end the “food shaming” some say is happening in a few Iowa schools. Representative Kirsten Running-Marquardt of Cedar Rapids said it’s not the fault of the children if their parents failed to pay for lunch at school.

“There will be no more stamping our children with ‘insufficient funds’ stamps, labeling children with large stickers indicating debt, placing children’s names on large posters up in public areas, identifying them nor making them sit at tables with other children who have a meal debt,” she said. “And, importantly, no more dumping trays.”

Running-Marquardt said the “vast majority” of schools and food service workers handle school lunch debt compassionately.

“We know that if a child is hungry, it affects their ability to learn,” Running-Marquardt said. “There are children who, just by standing in a lunch line — not knowing if they’ll be embarrassed causes them so much anxiety, they avoid lunch altogether.”

A bill addressing this topic cleared the Iowa House last week on a 97-0 vote.

“Good policy that will keep our kids full and focused,” Representative Ashley Hinson of Cedar Rapids said of the bill.

Representative Ruth Ann Gaines of Des Moines said this bill is “long overdue” for low-income students who’ve endured “shaming” at school over unpaid lunch bills.

“They will feel that they have dignity, that they have self-esteem, that they are being not punished for something they have no control over,” Gaines said, “and it will give them equal opportunity to learn.”

Bill backers say one key provision of the bill may help parents who’ve fallen behind on the school lunch tab for their children. Under current state law, Iowa school officials may notify parents once a year about enrolling their child in the free or reduced lunch program. This bill removes that limitation, so if a parent loses their job or encounters some other financial hardship during the school year, a school official may suggest filling out the paperwork for free and reduced lunches for their kids.

The proposal must clear a committee in the Iowa Senate this week to remain eligible for debate in the full senate.

Casey’s sees benefit to bottom line from federal tax cuts

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The Ankeny-based Casey’s convenience store chain reported a big increase in its third quarter earnings — but it was because of a tax cut — not a surge in sales. Casey’s CEO Terry Handley talked about the issue in a conference call with investors.

“Diluted earnings per share for the first quarter were five dollars, eight cents, compared to 58 cents a year ago. The third quarter benefited from a one-time adjustment in our deferred tax liabilities as a result of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act that became effective January first,” Handley says. He says earnings for the quarter without the federal tax changes would have been 48 cents a share.

“Year to-date diluted earnings per share adjusted for the tax reform were $3.20 — compared to $3.72 in the same period last year,” Handley says.

Gasoline sales continued to be strong, although they didn’t make as much profit as hoped.

“During the quarter we experienced an increase in wholesale fuel costs — primarily in the back half of the quarter — that had an adverse affect on the margin, resulting in an average fuel margin of 18-point-six cents for the quarter,” Handley explained. Sales of prepared food fell below expectations.

“Same store sales were up one-point-seven percent which fell below our annual guidance,” according toe Handley. “Over the course of the quarter, we experienced an increasingly competitive environment, both in pricing and promotions in our market area at a time when we had reductions in our advertising spend.” The company started a promotion in December that offered a discount on gas for every pizza purchased. Company chief financial officer Bill Walljasper says the promotion didn’t take off as well as expected, but it still had an impact on gas sales.

He says the pizza to the pump promotion put more focus on gas sales as the average gallons for each sale went up and that is directly linked to the promotion. Walljasper says the pizza promotion was slow to take off last time they tried it and they are hoping it will pick up this month. He also says some competitors matched the promotion and the pizza market continues to be tight with several companies offering discounts.

 

Bill requiring ‘conventional’ egg sales gets bipartisan backing in House

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The Iowa House has voted to require the state’s grocers to sell “conventional” eggs in addition to eggs that come from “free-range” or “cage free” operations. The requirement would be in force for stores that accept federal “Women, Infants and Children” or “WIC” food benefits.

“The egg is the most versatile, low-cost source of high-quality protein that we have and it is important that we ensure our most vulnerable citizens continue to have access to the best price and the lowest price they can for this commodity,” said Representative Bruce Bearinger, a Democrat from Oelwein.

The legislator who introduced the bill said he’s concerned about the pressure retailers are getting to sell only eggs that come from “cage free” operations. The bill as originally written would have simply forced Iowa grocers to always have conventional eggs for sale. It was adjusted, though, to link that requirement with participation in the WIC program. Bill backers say “conventional” eggs are significantly less expensive.

Representative Bruce Hunter, a Democrat from Des Moines, said the market should dictate policy for grocers who might find a way to sell “specialty” eggs at a competitive price “and have that opportunity to serve what they think is the best interest of their store and of their customers.”

Hunter’s view was in the minority. The bill passed the House on an 81-17 vote. Representative Jarad Klein, a Republican from Keota, said eggs “are a staple people need in their pantry” and the bill will ensure Iowans who’re getting WIC benefits can buy the least expensive eggs.

“I’m glad there are so many more people on board with free market and everything there, but there’s a reality. When you choose to participate in a government program, there are going to be strings attached,” Klein said. “And this is such a case.”

A similar bill is eligible for debate in the Iowa Senate.

Tourism Office makes recommendations on best places to eat

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State tourism officials are offering Iowans and visitors alike a new service — recommendations on the best places to eat statewide.

Jessica O’Riley, with the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s tourism office, says it’s all online, with “99 Counties, 99 Restaurants.”

“Travelers like to eat where the locals eat,” O’Riley says, “so we thought we’d make it easier for travelers to find those locations by picking one restaurant in each county that they should try.”

O’Riley explains how the 99 eateries were picked for the list.

“We looked at places that served a unique dish or had a unique atmosphere, maybe they’d won an award for the best burger or best tenderloin,” she says. “Also, we travel and find restaurants we enjoy. We also looked to Yelp for some positive reviews there.”

The list of 99 restaurants includes stops in Fairfield, Ogden, Orient, Le Claire and Prairie City.

“It’s a very diverse menu and there should be something for everyone’s tastes,” she says. “We encourage everyone to get out and try a bunch of places.”

Find the complete listing on the web at traveliowa.com/99restaurants.

(By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)

 

 

 

Iowa Senate bill to require drug tests, work for welfare

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Republicans in the Iowa Senate are aiming to require drug testing for welfare recipients and require “able-bodied” Iowans who get food stamps or Medicaid benefits to work or volunteer in their community.

Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, said he wants to spark a “big discussion” to address the “falsehoods and the truths about our welfare system.”
“There is a culture that wants to maintain all the money that is being plowed into these programs and it keeps people on the system that shouldn’t be,” Schultz said. “I’ll agree a lot of them don’t want to be. Some people do want to be. I have examples of back home of individuals who have flat out told me: ‘I can make more money on the programs than…going to work.'”

Wendy Rickman, an Iowa Department of Human Services administrator, said her staff’s initial estimate is that it would cost the state at least $100 million to implement the bill.

“I appreciate the idea there will be opportunity for further discussion,” Rickman told a handful of senators involved in a subcommittee meeting early this morning. “DHS is very good at doing fiscal impact. It’s what we do. We cannot wrap our heads around this bill, quite frankly.”

Rickman said states which have required drug testing for welfare recipients “have rolled those initiatives back” because they’re “not effective.”

“DHS is supremely interested in only those folks who are eligible for benefits receiving those and only getting them for the amount of time that they’re eligible…and would love to work with you on narrowing this bill,” Rickman said. “…This is so broad and wide-sweeping and so all inclusive that it would require much more effort and cost that what we’ll actually fix.”

Republicans and Democrats in the Senate already have begun a fierce debate over the bill. Senator Bill Dotzler, a Democrat from Waterloo, called it a “political document” that will be used against legislators who oppose drug testing welfare recipients.

“The states that have tested spent more money on testing than they have saved on the money that they caught people in fraud,” Dotzler said.

Dotzler used an expletive to describe parts of the bill he called unconstitutional.

“This bill is full of a lot of crap,” Dotzler said. “Why bring it forward unless there’s some political motivation?”

Senator Jake Chapman, a Republican from Adel, is seeking state restrictions to forbid food benefits from being used to buy junk food, restrictions included in a first draft of the legislation.

“Why would we use taxpayer money to fund junk food?” Chapman asked. “…I can tell you, people are frustrated out there that their taxpayer money is going to soda and chips.”

The bill, still under development, cleared the Senate Labor Committee today after an hour-long debate. In the House, a bill was tabled that would have required able-bodied Medicaid and food stamps recipients to work, but House Republicans are working on a proposal that would force state officials to start the process of seeking federal waiver to accomplish that goal.

 

Bill would dictate types of eggs to be sold in Iowa stores

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Legislators are considering a bill that would force the state’s grocery stores to always have “conventional” eggs for sale. Republican Representative Lee Hein of Monticello says the concern is stores may be pressured to only sell eggs that come from “cage free” operations, “which are $3 to $4 more expensive that the regular commodity egg that’s cheaper and more affordable.”

Bill backers say it’s about ensuring consumer choice. Critics say it will require stores to sell a certain product. Hein admits to “struggling with” the idea of imposing a mandate.

“But I also believe that we don’t need to bow down to the pressure of the animal rights groups, which are maybe growing, but are still a small segment of the population,” Hein says. “And I firmly believe that the regular Iowans wants a choice.”

The vast majority of the eggs laid in the U.S. each year come from “conventional” large-scale operations with thousands of hens. Some retailers, like Walmart, have committed to eventually buying eggs from hens that have a larger range of movement indoors — in so-called “cage free” operations. If this bill becomes state law, though, Walmart stores in Iowa would be required to keep selling eggs raised in large-scale conventional operations.

The legislation has cleared initial review in both the House and Senate. It must pass a full committee by the end of next week to remain eligible for consideration in the 2018 Iowa legislature.