December Facets 2019

FACETS

DECEMBER 2019 The magazine for women.

Women impacting ISU honorees announced Cooks Emporium celebrates 40 years

Hornbuckle participates in World Food Prize

FACETS 2 | FACETS | DECEMBER 2019

The magazine for women.

Contributors

RONNA FAABORG KATIE MAUCH DAVID MULLEN KYLEE MULLEN ROBBIE SEQUEIRA KILEY WELLENDORF Design

CHELSEA PARKS Tribune Editor

MICHAEL CRUMB

ADVERTISERS To advertise in Facets magazine, contact Mary Beth Scott at (515) 663-6951 PHONE (515) 663-6923 ADDRESS 317 Fifth St. Ames, IA, 50010 EMAIL news@amestrib.com ONLINE www.amestrib.com/sections/ special-sections/facets Facets is a monthly publication of Gannett.

Local artist Jennifer Drinkwater has found her life’s work in new “What’s Good” project. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Drinkwater see PAGE 12

ON THE COVER

Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler see PAGE 6 & 7

FACETS Table of Contents Features 6 Two Ames women open the door of opportunity to mothers through experiences and the Bible The brand gaining traction

10 Women Impacting ISU Honorees Announced Twelve women from ISU selected

14 Lockwood Cafe

Bringing community together

Spotlight 4 Hornbuckle participates in World Food Prize 8

Story County could be Bird Friendly soon

12 ISU professor finds life’s work 16 Cooks’ Emporium celebrates 40 years 18 Fenceline Beer Lab to open doors 20 Natural materials create model buildings

Savor 21 How ot serve the best drinks at your holiday party Hot Chocolate, Egg Nog, and Red Sangria Punch

FACETS | DECEMBER 2019 | 3

Spotlight

Eliana Hornbuckle poses with World Food Prize professionals who reviewed student research papers. Pictured are (left to right) Mel Oluouch of Sasakawa Africa Association, Megan Rapp of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Eliana Hornbuckle, and Max Pfeffer of Cornell University. Contributed photo

Hornbuckle participates in World Food Prize

By Katie Mauch Gannett

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evada High School senior Eliana Hornbuckle participated in the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute in October in Des Moines. Kevin Cooper, Nevada High School agriculture education instructor and FFA advisor, accompanied Hornbuckle and participated in the conference.

The institute began Wednesday, Oct. 16, with a reception at the Hilton Hotel in Des Moines and culminated at the Corteva Carver Center in Johnston Saturday, Oct. 19.

Highlights of the conference included presentations from renowned scientists, global leaders, including the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the presentation of the 2019 World Food Prize. Particularly interesting topics included retail food waste reduction, effects of climate change on crop yields and the impact of agriculture on the economies of developing nations. Excursions to the Polk County Landfill and an urban garden were also noteworthy events.

“I was so impressed with the variety of topics, depth and

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scope of this conference, extremely thought provoking,” Cooper said.

Hornbuckle first attended the Iowa Youth Institute at Iowa State University in late April. She was tasked with choosing a developing country and finding a problem it faces regarding food insecurity, then developing a solution and a plan for implementation. Based on her submitted paper and presentation which focused on food waste in India, she was selected to attend the Global Youth Institute (GYI).

Her solution involved a government-run system of refrigerated trucks, which she said could be difficult because of the political atmosphere in some countries.

“Current political climate is not the best in India, so we talked a lot in the roundtables at GYI about how politics influence food security,” she said.

After her participation in the Global Youth Institute, Hornbuckle is eligible for the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship, which she says she may not apply for this year but plans to next year after her first year of college.

Spotlight HORNBUCKLE, continued from page 4

Both the Iowa Youth Institute and Global Youth Institute are sponsored by the World Food Prize to ensure a promising future for the world by inspiring the next generation of agricultural researchers and leaders. This year marked the 22nd Global Youth Institute, which is now a renowned educational program.

In total, 215 students from 34 states and 10 countries attended this year’s Global Youth Institute. Students selected a developing country and factor affecting food insecurity to be the topic of their research papers. In addition to their research, students proposed a solution to help eliminate world hunger. By encouraging and supporting the ideas of youth, the world is one step closer to ending global hunger.

Nevada High School senior Eliana Hornbuckle is pictured at the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute in Johnston. Contributed photo

Nevada High School senior Eliana Hornbuckle participated in the World Food Prize. She is shown here with Kevin Cooper, Nevada High School agriculture teacher. Contributed photo

FACETS | DECEMBER 2019 | 5

Feature

Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler

Two Ames women open the door of opportunity to mothers through experiences and the Bible

By David Mullen Gannett

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our years ago, authors Laura Wifler and Emily Jensen, both residents of Ames, began sharing their personal challenges that go along with raising a child.

Every parent has their challenges while raising a son or daughter, whether it’s troubles with potty training, biting or crying, there’s always something that seems to lower the self-esteem. When the sisters-in-law began talking about their challenges with others they noticed everyone had something similar, and they turned to the Bible for answers.

Because of these similar experiences the sisters-inlaw introduced the Risen Motherhood podcast, which was originally a five-part mini-series that tried to give mothers relief and show them they are not alone and that there is hope in every day — including in school drop offs and dirty floors.

“Motherhood is hard and sometimes we think we’re doing a good job, but the next minute we’re not,” Jensen said. “We need hope every single day, and we encourage the

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moms that listen to find relatability and you have people in the trenches with you, it’s easier.”

One hundred and thirty four episodes later and after having an audience reaching 165 countries from around the world, the two published their first book, “Risen Motherhood: Gospel Hope for Everyday Moments,” on Sept. 3.

“I think what we stumbled upon was a pressure that women are facing in the culture, and that there is this general feeling of stress and not being able to do enough as a mom,” Jensen said. “People aren’t sure what to do with that feeling, and it was just really neat to see this combination of cultural pressure and we found in faith and what God said and made a connection.”

The 224-page book consists of five chapters co-written by the two, while the remaining nine chapters were written individually. Each chapter tackles a specific topic such as the Gospel, relationships, food traditions or special needs.

Feature TWO AMES WOMEN, continued from page 6

The most difficult part?

“Condensing so much information into one chapter,” Jensen said.

During its launch week on Sept. 7, the book was the sixth bestseller for hardcover nonfiction by Publishers Weekly, and it was No. 17 overall for the Christian genre by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.

The national recognition is nothing new to the pair as their weekly podcast has had over 5 million downloads and in 2017 was number one for religion and spirituality podcast on iTunes, Wifler said.

“What started off as recording some of our conversations between each other just snowballed,” Wifler said.

All through word of mouth.

“It’s really amazing to see what these two have been able to do all primarily by word of mouth, and epitomizes the best of what is possible in our connected world today,” literary agent Andrew Wolgemuth said.

The brand gaining traction Shortly after launching the podcast, the two began pondering the possibility of transcribing each episode, so that people who may not speak English could translate it, or so a deaf listener could read and still learn. However, the cost was too much at the time, when all of a sudden a check appeared.

“We didn’t ask for anyone, but we prayed about it and asked the Lord to provide, and two weeks later we had a $1,000 check,” Wifler said.

During that time, the podcast was gaining more followers each week, with listeners sending Jensen and Wifler questions and topics to discuss.

Over time, the two began getting inquiries from publishing companies about writing a book.

“What stood out to me was how thoughtful Emily and Laura were when talking about motherhood and parenting, and it just felt deeper than you would normally see,” said Kyle Hatfield, the acquisitions editor for children and family books at Harvest House Publishers.

“They were willing to go deep as they talked about different issues, and since we’re a Christian publisher, something that stood out was how they figured out how the Gospel can influence different areas of motherhood and parenting.”

They chose Harvest House Publishers because it allowed them to have a lot of creativity and freedom similar to the message they spread on their podcast, Wifler said.

Parallel to the rise in publicity, they began receiving more donations, which made the two ponder establishing either a business or non-profit organization.

“As the money kept coming in, we realized we could be real, and this is something much bigger than us,” Jensen said. “This isn’t about how we mother, but how you can uniquely have the freedom to be the mother you were created to be.”

Now after nearly a year as a non-profit, the organization has grown from Jensen and Wifler to a team of seven and five board members,

most of whom are Ames residents.

“We see the work as impacting future generations and that’s exciting to us,” Wifler said. “To help mothers understand the power of her role, and her immense influence that she has in her children is an amazing opportunity.”

About Wifler and Jensen Wifler, a mother of three, was born on the East Coast but moved to Ames in time for the third grade. A graduate of Gilbert High School and Iowa State University, she briefly left Ames and lived in Minneapolis and Chicago working in the public relations field. She returned to Ames in 2018.

Jensen, a mother of five, was raised in the Kansas City, Mo., area and devoted her life to special education. She married Wifler’s brother and moved to Ames in 2010.

“Risen Motherhood” hit the shelves in September, but, prior to writing a novel, Laura Wifler and Emily Jensen started a podcast. Contributed photo by Risen Motherhood

FACETS | DECEMBER 2019 | 7

Spotlight Feature

Story County could officially be ‘Bird Friendly’ by February

By Robbie Sequeira Gannett

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ccording to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, there are 322 bird species that live in Story County — from ducks wading in a pond to snowy owls perching precariously on a tree branch.

In February 2020, Story County could officially become one of the first in the nation to earn the status of a “Bird Friendly County.”

On Oct. 22, the Story County Board of Supervisors approved a request from Story County Conservation to apply for a designation as a bird-friendly county through the inaugural program from the statewide habitat group, Bird Friendly Iowa.

“Who doesn’t like birds? We have seen the environmental, economic and qualitative impacts that birds

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bring to the county,” said Erica Place, outreach coordinator for Story County Conservation. “We hope through this designation, we can provide educational and outreach opportunities to help people learn and care more about the birds in our county.”

The program is a community action program that helps educate and mobilize the public to appreciate the beauty of birds, but also help preserve species and population, as they face a wealth of environmental obstacles.

In September, Science Magazine reported that bird populations have starkly declined since 1970 across nearly all habitats, dropping by nearly three billion across North America — an overall decline of 29 percent from 1970.

The lead author of the report noted that the magnitude

A Canada goose flies over a body of water in Ames in April of 2016. Gannett file photo

Spotlight of the decline could pose significant threats to the continent’s food webs and ecosystems.

“Birds are facing many challenges, from destruction of habitat destruction and pollution and pesticides,” Place said.

“They are vulnerable to issues of ecosystem and we want to make sure that we are a county that is doing our job is providing them adequate protections, both environmentally and from invasive species and predators.”

Place said that before submitting an application, which is due in December, the county is going to assess its current bird-friendly programs and areas for improvement.

There is a minimum for criteria in categories of protection, threat reduction and education that counties must adhere to in order to participate and earn a designation, according to Iowa Bird Friendly.

For protection standards, eligible counties will have public land that has been acquired or managed as priority habitat for native birds or public information programs regarding the removal and control of invasive plant species.

For threat reduction efforts, eligible counties have regulations on free-roaming cats, efforts to reduce non-toxic

ammunition on public hunting areas, or support bird-friendly construction methods.

And for education and engagement programs, counties earn eligibility through county-sponsored bird volunteering efforts, citizen-bird monitoring programs, or developing structures that encourage bird-nesting throughout the county.

While no Iowa counties have received bird-friendly designation yet, two cities have received bird-friendly distinction — Des Moines and Waterloo.

“We have our fingers crossed that we earn this designation, because I think Story County benefits greatly from our thriving bird populations,” Place said. “We hope that this is the start of our work in making life in the county as friendly and non-threatening for them as possible.”

FACETS | DECEMBER 2019 | 9

Feature

The reception held each January publicly acknowledges the accomplishments of the honorees and allows their friends and family to gather and celebrate. Photo courtesy of Kristine Perkins, Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics

Women Impacting ISU honorees announced

By Kiley Wellendorf Gannett

T

welve women from Iowa State University were selected for the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics’ 14th-annual “Women Impacting ISU” calendar. The honorees, who will be recognized for their accomplishments at the university in January, include two ISU students, four faculty members and six staff members.

A total of 62 nominations came in for the 2020 calendar, according to Kristine Perkins, who has overseen the program since 2012 and also serves as the public relations and student programming coordinator for the Catt Center. On average, the program receives around 70 nominations each year.

Honorees are then chosen by a committee made of six students, two faculty, and six professional and scientific employees, according to a media release from ISU. The committees are typically made up of around 15 judges each year, Perkins said, and judges are often past recipients of the award.

“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what we’re looking for,” said Perkins, regarding honoree criteria. “Mainly because the selection committee is different every year.”

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The recipients: ISU students Martha Broadnax, senior in political science.

Kelsey Culbertson, senior in environmental science.

ISU faculty members Heather Bolles, associate teaching professor in mathematics.

Dawn Bratsch-Prince, associate provost for faculty, Office of the Senior Vice-President and Provost.

Cynthia Fletcher, professor in human development and family studies and resource management state specialist for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Angela Shaw, associate professor and Extension and Outreach specialist of food microbiology/safety in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.

ISU staff members Joyce Hagley, secretary II, TRIO Student Support Services Program.

Larissa Holtmyer Jones, CEO, Iowa State University Foundation.

Angie Hunt, interim director, News Service.

Audrey Kennis, student retention coordinator, College

WOMEN IMPACTING ISU, continued from page 10

of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Janet Krengel, secretary III, philosophy and religious studies.

Allie Parrott, assistant director, Program for Women in Science and Engineering.

In order to be selected, an application has to be filled out for the nominee, which includes two letters of recommendation and an optional resume, Perkins said. Applications are open in spring, but typically arrive in mass during the start of the semester.

The deadline falls on the last Friday of September, according to Perkins.

“Everybody is kind of looking at what (honorees) have impact on their peers, their classrooms, what are they doing outside of the classrooms, what are they doing above and beyond their title or their job description,” Perkins said.

According to Morgan Fritz, an ISU sophomore studying political science, judging for the applications took place during two separate committee meetings in October, with the top applicants selected at the final meeting on Oct. 29.

“It was an incredibly difficult process because every single application was so strong,” Fritz said.

Those chosen will be recognized during a reception from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 15, in the Sun Room at Memorial Union.

Following the presentation, free calendars will be made accessible for attendees.

“We have a PowerPoint presentation that starts at 4 p.m., and that’s just where we typically have students associated with Catt Center read a little bit about each of the honorees to be publicly recognized,” Perkins said.

Martha Broadnax, a student honoree and an ISU senior in political science, said she had not heard about the nomination prior and felt honored to be selected.

“When I received the news, I felt extremely honored to be one

of only two students selected,” Broadnax said. “I am very proud to be part of the Iowa State community, so it was validating to be recognized by this community that helped shape the person I am today.”

Faculty recipient Cynthia Fletcher, who is a professor in human development and family studies, first joined ISU in 1976. Today, her work is focused on supporting Iowa State cooperative extension work, and she is the resource management state specialist for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

“I have been a very long-time member of the faculty at Iowa State,” Fletcher said. “In many ways, what I really like about my job is every day can be quite different depending upon the work that is going on.”

Upon hearing of her nomination, Fletcher said she was shocked.

“To be honest, I was very surprised because I was not aware that I had been nominated,” Fletcher said. “It really is an honor and it’s humbling because there are so many people at Iowa State that do such valuable work.”

Nominations are encouraged for next year’s round, Perkins said.

“I always stress that it’s a competitive process,” Perkins said. “For nominators, please continue to nominate your nominee.”

Honorees for 2018 (from left) LeQuetia Ancar, Kayla Sander and Emily Barske sign copies of the free poster-sized calendar.

Photo courtesy of Kristine Perkins, Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics

Grace Tuzik, public relations and events planning intern at the Catt Center, poses with the 2019 calendar she designed during the calendar reception on Jan. 16 in the Memorial Union’s Sun Room. Photo courtesy of Kristine Perkins, Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics

FACETS | DECEMBER 2019 | 11

Spotlight

ISU professor finds ‘life’s work’ in ongoing art project

By Kiley Wellendorf Gannett

A

n Iowa State University assistant professor and artist is seeking to highlight “the good” for an upcoming paint project.

Coming back from a background of storytellers, Jennifer Drinkwater believes she has found her life’s work in her ongoing project that dives into the lives of residents of Mississippi.

“Growing up in Mississippi in the south, storytelling is so important,” Drinkwater said about the project. “I’ve always been drawn to stories.”

Prior to teaching art at Iowa State and working as a community art specialist for the Iowa State Extension, Drinkwater received her undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology and art, as well as her master’s in painting.

As an artist, Drinkwater said she focuses on how art is used in the world, often through storytelling.

Through her role at the Extension office, she’s found interest in “asset-based community development,” which essentially ties back to gratitude in the community, she said.

“Communities are more effective in problem-solving when it’s community-led and focused on the assets that exist in the community,” Drinkwater said. “It’s not ignoring the problems in a community; it’s recognizing that when you capitalize on the strengths that those strengths become stronger and that starts to fulfill and take care of the needs and challenges.

“That becomes the problem-solving mechanism versus just focusing on challenges.”

Her interest turned into the “What’s Good” project: A project where Drinkwater visits a community, learns more about the “community assets” by interviewing a subject, transcribes the interview and then turns the story into art — much like a visual archive, she said.

“It’s just kind of taken off,” Drinkwater said.

The first story featured her husband, Drinkwater said, after they visited Rathbun Lake in southern Iowa. The second story was Drinkwater’s contribution to the “20 Artists, 20 Parks” project by the Iowa DNR, she said, where artists were assigned to make art out of a park they were assigned to.

In her project, Drinkwater interviewed a park ranger at Pine Lake State Park to learn about “what’s good,” she said. Which later led to Drinkwater’s decision to focus on the Mississippi Delta — where she was born — and complete one interview in all of the 18 counties in the Delta.

“It’s the poorest area in the poorest state in the nation,” Drinkwater said. “Mississippi doesn’t get good press ever about anything on the national level, so I thought, ‘Look, I go down there all the time, we got married down there,’ and there are some amazing people doing amazing things to change those communities.”

So far,

Local artist Jennifer Drinkwater has found her life’s work in new “What’s Good” project. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Drinkwater

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Drinkwater has completed around four interviews, she said, where more are planned later this year. According to Drinkwater, after she interviews the subjects, the interview is transcribed and turned into around four paintings based off of the conversation.

“Usually I kind of know when I’m done,” Drinkwater said about the project. “I feel like this could be my life’s work — I don’t foresee this stopping anytime soon.

“There’s always stories and it just kind of spirals out. I don’t see myself getting tired of this.”

To learn more about Jennifer Drinkwater’s “What’s Good” project, read more on project’s website: www.whatsgoodproject.com.

FACETS | DECEMBER 2019 | 13

Feature

Lockwood Cafe is located at 4625 Reliable St. in Ames. Photo by Kylee Mullen/Gannett

Lockwood Cafe, located at 4625 Reliable St., opened its doors in Ames on Oct. 1, serving a variety of crepes, coffee and tea. Photo by Kylee Mullen/Gannett

Lockwood Cafe brings community, coffee and art together

By Kylee Mullen Gannett

L

ockwood Cafe, the newest addition to the Reliable Street project in northwest Ames, recently opened its doors to the community after more than three years of planning and construction.

The cafe’s owner, Sharon Stewart, of Ames, said she hopes the business will provide more than coffee and crepes, but also a space to enjoy artwork and an atmosphere that “feels like a second home.”

“The idea that someone can come in and feel like they are in their own living room or their own office is great. I hope parents can come in with their kids and play,” she said, “or sit down and enjoy a conversation with a friend.”

Stewart always dreamed of owning a coffee shop. She said, growing up, coffee shops were “a place where I’ve always found great connections,” and she aspired to create that connection for others.

“But wanting to do it my whole life did not mean that I necessarily had a direct plan of what I was going to do, or when I was going to do it,” she said.

Then, in early 2016, she joined the Reliable Street complex co-owners, Elliot Thompson and Lyndsay Nissen, for a walk through of the large former Doboy feed mill and warehouse along Reliable Street.

Nissen, a local artist, wanted to use the building to create a collective art space. She, along with Thompson, Stewart and a group of partners, purchased the building in December 2015.

When Thompson asked Stewart if she would be open to starting a business within the complex, “I didn’t even skip a beat, and I said ‘yes’ right away.”

Taking the Reliable Street complex, including the cafe, from vision to reality was — and continues to be — a long journey. The past three years, Nissen said, has largely consisted of bringing the building to code, handling permits and zoning with the city, and restoring the outdoor space to create a community garden.

“It’s a lifetime project, but it’s fun that way,” said Nissen, who also opened an art gallery connecting to Lockwood Cafe. “We are just doing it at our own pace.”

The cafe, which officially opened its doors at 4625 Reliable St. on Oct. 1, is part of the first phase of the project.

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Thompson said they plan to focus on the cafe and connected gallery space for now, and eventually they will continue restoring other areas of the property.

With two large garage doors letting light into the cafe, cracks along the concrete floors and chipped paint on the walls, Stewart hopes visitors will be able to see and appreciate the building’s history.

“The place is what it is because of all the things it has been, and we wanted to keep that exposed,” said Stewart, who also noted history is why the business is called Lockwood Cafe.

The first business to open on the property was Lockwood Grain and Coal Company in 1898, according to the Ames History Museum. The three-story elevator and warehouse were destroyed by a fire in 1928.

Stewart said farmers would gather at the grain elevator to get prices, drink coffee and mingle, much like a coffee shop.

“Though the building is no longer here, we wanted to kind of acknowledge that and continue that relationship with the space,” Stewart said. “Lockwood Grain and Coal Company has been here and left, but now Lockwood Cafe is here.”

A small plant was built to replace the elevator following the fire. It was expanded occasionally, the Ames History Museum said, until a half-million dollar concrete feed mill was built in 1955.

Doughboy Industries bought the plant in 1963 and operated in the space until it was retired in 1979. Most recently, until the previous owner’s death in 2015, the mill was home to an automotive repair shop.

Though it took a lot of time to transform the cafe and gallery space to what it is today, Stewart said they had plenty of time to invest in making it what they dreamed it could be.

They couldn’t have done it all, Stewart said, without the community’s support.

After taking out a loan to cover construction costs for the cafe, Stewart said she and her husband realized they needed more funds to get the project where they wanted it to be. They started a Kickstarter — an online tool to gather financial backers for creative projects — with a goal to earn $8,000.

From May 8 until June 4, of this year, 120 backers

Feature

LOCKWOOD, continued from page 14

pledged $10,370 toward Lockwood Cafe’s creation. Many others, Stewart said, donated their time, artwork and building materials to bring the cafe to life.

“The kickstarter was the most humbling experience,” Stewart said.

“It really changed my perspective on what it means to be supported by the community. It was amazing to see how many people jumped in and helped.”

The community’s assistance can be seen throughout the cafe, from a counter hand-crafted from reclaimed wood and concrete, and a collection of secondhand furniture, to a wall covered with paintings by local artist Steve Nissen.

In crafting the cafe’s menu, which Stewart thought was vital due to a lack of other food amenities in the area, she took inspiration from a cafe she once worked at in Colorado.

“In the mornings, I would spin crepes for an hour, and I have such fond memories,” Stewart said. “It is something that can be made fresh, and the ingredients are not that expensive. We can use really high-quality ingredients and still provide a great product.”

The cafe, with a staff of seven, serves both sweet and savory crepes, including caprice, apple brie, banana Nutella and vegan parfait. Its drink menu highlights both coffee and tea, including Morning Bell Coffee and Little Woods Tea brands.

Both Stewart and Nissen hope community members will stop by to try the different menu options and to the explore the gallery’s artwork.

The cafe and gallery are open from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday.

Matt Pickering delivers two plates of crepes to customers at the recently opened Lockwood Cafe, located in the Reliable Street complex in northwest Ames. Photo by Kylee Mullen/Gannett

Lockwood Cafe, located at 4625 Reliable St., opened its doors in Ames on Oct. 1, serving a variety of crepes, coffee and tea. Photo by Kylee Mullen/Gannett

The Ames Reliable Feed Mill in 1935. Today, the building houses Lockwood Cafe and an art gallery. Photo from the private collection of Jerry Litzel, courtesy of Ames History Museum

FACETS | DECEMBER 2019 | 15

Spotlight

Cooks’ Emporium celebrates 40 years on Ames’ Main Street

By Kylee Mullen Gannett

C

ooks’ Emporium, an Ames Main Street staple selling kitchenware, celebrated 40 years of downtown business in October.

It all started, according to founder Margaret “Marg” Junkhan, with a quiche pan — or, rather, the lack of one.

Junkhan, of Ames, taught adult education classes in various forms of cooking in the late 1970s. At the time, American chef Julia Child was “on the scene,” bringing French cuisine to the spotlight with her cookbooks and television programs.

Junkhan said, as a result, French cooking classes were in high demand.

“Everybody wanted to do French cooking,” she said.

“Now, French is out. Back then, though, French cooking was big.”

When it came to making quiche, Junkhan said it was difficult finding a pan because “you couldn’t buy one in Iowa any place.” She used a pie pan instead, which “works just plain fine, but people wanted the real thing.”

Junkhan, who was about 45 at the time, said she saw there was a need for cooking tools in the community, and she started considering opening a store.

Women entrepreneurs were not unheard of back then, she said, but they also were not common. Women at Iowa State primarily studied home economics, had children while young and did not work outside of the home unless economically necessary, she said.

“When I was in school, a woman who was majoring in any of those things, like accounting or engineering, was looked at like they had two heads,” she said. “It was a different time, and women were only just starting to go into business for themselves. It was just one thing that a woman could do.”

At the same time, her kids were getting older and, she said, “I thought, ‘What am I going to do with the rest of my life? I’m still young.’”

“I kept having this feeling,” she said. “Ames wasn’t nearly as big then as it is now, and I wasn’t sure if we had enough population density for a cookware store, but I thought, ‘I’m gonna give it a try.’”

She opened the store in October 1979, at 330 Main St. — which currently houses Threadit, a full-service tailor business that opened in 2016. After three years in that space, she moved across the street and stayed there for another three years.

“Business was good, and business kept getting better,” Junkhan said.

That is where Margaret Welder, of Madrid, was first introduced to Cook’s Emporium.

“It was about 40 years ago, when Marg was across the street, and I was looking for a specific cookie cutter,” said Welder, as she remembered the first time she visited the store. “I was in a gourmet group and we were following a

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Mindy Bergstrom, left, and Margaret Junkhan, right, stand in Cooks’ Emporium, located 313 Main St., as the business celebrated its 40th anniversary in October.

Photo by Kylee Mullen/Gannett theme, and Marg said, ‘Sure, I will order it for you.’ And she did.”

Welder said it was that kind of customer service which led her to continue shopping with, and eventually leading cooking demonstrations for, Cooks’ Emporium.

Then, in 1985, after Junkhan learned her lease in that space would not be renewed due to the building’s owners looking to open their own store, she found the property at 313 Main St., where the business remains today.

“I became aware of the fact that this building was for sale, but I really didn’t want to buy a building. I thought, ‘What do I want a whole building for? I am probably only going to be in this maybe another 10 or 20 years at the max,’” she said. “My husband and I talked about it, though, and we decided, ‘What the heck.’”

Before moving into the building at 313 Main, Junkhan remodeled the space with new carpet, new lighting and built a small kitchen in the back of the store for cooking demonstrations.

Junkhan said they limited the classes to 12 people and, for the most part, it was a small portion of the business.

However, as the business grew over the following years, so did the cooking demonstrations.

“People are a lot more interested in that now, where they weren’t then at all,” she said.

In February 1994, Cooks’ Emporium offered classes on making sourdough, French onion and minestrone soups, and Indian dishes. In 2003, those classes included quick pasta sauces, black forest torte and herbed chicken pot pie.

Welder attended one of the cooking demonstrations around that time and was impressed. She reached out to Junkhan to see if she could get involved and started leading her own classes for the business in 2005.

“Marg was a wonderful person to work with,” Welder

Spolight said. “I did demos, at least one to two a month, for all of those years.”

Junkhan said the store and its services gradually changed, as it constantly introduced the latest products and cooking styles. However, as the store adjusted with the times, she said it became harder and harder to do so herself.

“Technology was changing a lot in those years,” she said.

“I used to write orders by hand and mail them, and if I was in a hurry, I would telephone them. Then we got the fax machine and it was wonderful. … Now, everything is on the computer.”

She tried taking computer classes, but “I realized I did not know how to do that kind of stuff very well and it was becoming more of a problem.”

Plus, as an entrepreneur, she was constantly busy with bookkeeping, ordering products and handling the day-today, she said. So, even though she was in good health and having fun, she realized it was going to become less fun as she continued to get older.

She decided it was time to start considering retirement but wanted to ensure the business would go into the right hands before stepping down. That is when Mindy Bergstrom and her husband, Patrick, gave Junkhan a call.

Bergstrom had always wanted to own her own store, but the dream never became a reality while she was working in the Twin Cities. Her husband, an Ames native who grew up shopping with his parents at Cooks’ Emporium, decided to call Junkhan and ask if she would ever consider selling the store.

Junkhan said yes and, as Bergstrom previously told the Tribune, “It was just perfect timing.”

Bergstrom moved to Ames and began working with Junkhan to learn the ropes. She purchased the property in February 2018 and has since remodeled the space by upgrading the lighting, refinishing the wood floors and expanding the demonstration kitchen by three-times its original size.

She continues to work closely with Junkhan, who is now

enjoying her retirement but will still lead an occasional cooking demonstration — which has grown to become an integral part of the business.

“We’ve had a lot of fun with private events in the back kitchen, demonstrations and hands-on classes,” Bergstrom said about the business since reopening in April after the remodel. “Going forward, I see the business going more toward private events, as it becomes more about experiences, in addition to the retail store.”

Welder said that coming from a customer and demonstrator’s point of view, it is exciting to see the new concepts Bergstrom is bringing to the business.

“She has a lot of new ideas and that is absolutely wonderful,” she said. “Times are changing and it’s wonderful that she is bringing in families and other people to use the facility. I look forward to the business continuing because I think it is very valuable.”

Junkhan said she is proud to look back and see how far the business has come — from an idea inspired by a quiche pan to staple 40 years strong.

“It sort of proves that I was right, and that there is a demand for this sort of stuff. Although it has changed a great deal, especially as far as product, there are still a few things we carry that I had when we first opened,” Junkhan said.

Margaret Junkhan stands at the Cooks’ Emporium check-out desk in April 2000, after installing a new bridal registry system. In October, the business celebrated 40 years. Contributed photo

Mindy Bergstrom, left, and Margaret Junkhan, right, stand in Cooks’ Emporium as the business celebrated its 40th anniversary. Photo by Kylee Mullen/Gannett

FACETS | DECEMBER 2019 | 17

Spotlight

Fenceline reaches the finish line to open doors on Beer Lab

By Kylee Mullen Gannett

F

enceline Beer Lab is preparing to open its doors, bringing neighbors together over unique beer and food in downtown Huxley, after nearly two years of planning and construction.

According to owner and head brewer Susan Frantz, the nanobrewery and restaurant will open “hopefully within the next few weeks,” as finishing touches and final inspections are wrapped up.

It’s been a long road with a lot of hard work, said Frantz, who purchased the 5,000-square-foot building with her husband, Jonathan, in November 2017. They had been home-brewing for more than 20 years, she said, and opening their own brewery has been a long-held dream.

“It was always in our five-year plan, but we never really started the clock on that five years,” Frantz said. “It was always kind of the in the back of our minds that this is what we wanted to be doing.”

Frantz, who was working from her home in Ankeny as a web and graphic designer at the time, said she realized it was time to start that clock when her son, Henry, left for Iowa State University. The couple began looking at small towns in central Iowa, because “every small town needs a brewery.”

“Breweries are, to me, kind of replacing that neighborhood bar,” Frantz said. “It offers a place for families to congregate, and a third space that a lot of smaller towns are really in need of.”

They happened upon the building at 107 S. Main Ave., which was previously occupied by Blumster’s, a combination florist, cafe and furniture store. Frantz said its proximity to the Iowa Nature Trail, which is part of the Great American Rail Trail, made the decision easy, “given the bike and beer culture that is so great in Iowa.” Plus, as there are few businesses in the community offering a place to hang out, “it made sense.”

“It was one of those places where we walked through it, and we could just picture it. We knew we could make it work,” Frantz said. “We’ve been working on it ever since.”

They started by renovating a part of the building that is now occupied by Stallie’s Sweets, which opened last January. Then, they began piecing together the space that would become Fenceline, with the concept that “you can meet your neighbor at your fence line.”

“From there, it just evolved,” Frantz said.

The couple moved to Huxley and dove headfirst into the construction process, doing much of the work themselves — from wrapping barbed wire around the ceiling lights and crafting reclaimed flight paddles (boards used to carry samples of beer) from a fence, to building stand-up bars from a tree that stood in the back of the property and creating sound panels for the dining area.

Now, the space is nearly complete with a board game room in the front of the building and “plenty of nooks for

18 | FACETS | DECEMBER 2019

Susan Frantz, owner and head brewer of Fenceline Beer Lab in Huxley, said she was excited to open the nanobrewery and restaurant’s doors. Photo by Kylee Mullen/Gannett

According to Susan Frantz, owner and head brewer of Fenceline Beer Lab in Huxley, she and her husband, Jonathan, made reclaimed flight paddles from a fence that previously stood on the property. Photo by Kylee Mullen/Gannett people to get together, hang out and enjoy a great beer.”

The nanobrewery and restaurant will serve unique beer flavors in what Frantz calls the “Try øl series,” with the first series including regular stout, pomegranate stout and cherry stout. They are also kicking off their food menu with biscuit sliders, such as “When Rachel Met Reuben,” a rye biscuit with apple cabbage slaw and Swiss cheese, and “The Dutch,” a spent-grain biscuit with stout-candied bacon, Gouda cheese and tart apple compote.

They will also have a seasonal biscuits and gravy, with the flavors changing throughout the year, and desserts from the bakery next door.

“We like to explore different flavors, different cultures, and then bring it back and share it. That’s kind of the

FENCELINE, continued from page 18

Spolight

concept of Fenceline — exploring beyond the comforts of your home and then enjoying them with your neighbors,” Frantz said.

Once the doors open, the business will have regular hours from 4 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Frantz hopes to expand both the menu and the hours over time, bringing more people in to see what the space has to offer.

“A lot of conversations happen over a pint of beer, and we want this to be a place for the community to gather and have a good experience,” Frantz said. “People are definitely eager, though not as eager as we are to start sharing our beer. It’s exciting and we can’t wait to get started.”

Fenceline Beer Lab, located at 107 S. Main Ave. in Huxley, serves a range of unique beer flavors and food options. Photo by Kylee Mullen/Gannett

Fenceline Beer Lab is located at 107 S. Main Ave. in Huxley. Photo by Kylee Mullen/Gannett

A game room at Fenceline Beer Lab gives customers a space to relax, watch television and play board games while enjoying a beer and conversation. Photo by Kylee Mullen/Gannett

According to owner and head brewer Susan Frantz, Fenceline Beer Lab, located at 107 S. Main Ave. in Huxley, has been nearly two years in the making. Photo by Kylee Mullen/Gannett FACETS | DECEMBER 2019 | 19

Spotlight

Natural materials create model buildings in RG Express train display

By Gannett Staff

T

he RG Express holiday train has returned to Reiman Gardens in Ames! Running through Jan. 4, visitors young and old will be enchanted by this custom-built, garden-scale train.

This year features a brand new building, the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing at Reiman Gardens. Find this building along with many other historically significant buildings and bridges including those from the Iowa State University campus like Beardshear and the Marston Water Tower.

The entire display was created by Applied Imagination, an internationally recognized company whose train displays meld botanical design and architecture while using natural materials.

This holiday season Reiman Gardens will be open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays between Dec. 5 through Jan. 2 for visitors to shop at the Gift Shop and see the RG Express indoor holiday train display.

This is also a great opportunity to see the outdoor lights and decorations illuminated against the night sky.

Lit features include: scaled buildings in the train display, Christmas trees flanking the hallway as well as inside the Conservatory, and outside see starburst lights, pole trees, and wrapped lamp posts and containers.

The Thursday nights are Dec. 5, 12, 19, 26, and Jan. 2.

The RG Express holiday train exhibit has a new building this year: the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing. Contributed photo

Iconic Ames landmarks, constructed from natural materials, are featured at Reiman Gardens’ RG Express holiday train display. Contributed photo

The RG Express is a custom-built, garden-scale train, which runs through a landscape of plants, flowers and model buildings built with natural materials. Contributed photo 20 | FACETS | DECEMBER 2019

Savor

Holiday Red Sangria Punch. Photo by Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post

How to serve the best punch, eggnog, hot chocolate and more at your holiday party

By Becky Krystal The Washington Post

Festive drinks are as much a part of holiday celebrations this time of year as cookies, jolly music and awkward small talk. But with so many appealing options — and with so many people doing some of their only big entertaining of the year — choosing what beverages to serve can lead to decision paralysis.

If you want to go with your typical beer and wine strategy, by all means, proceed. If, however, you’re trying to figure out the best spirited batch drinks to share with a crowd, then these tips and advice are for you.

The first rule, according to Dan Searing, a mixologist, cocktail historian, author of “The Punch Bowl” and partner in Washington’s Room 11: “Know your crowd.” If you know your friends are mostly vodka drinkers, don’t make a rum or whiskey drink. If it’s a diverse group, start with a base (cider, hot chocolate) that can be spiked with your guests’ choice of spirits.

Or take the opposite approach and commit to something that is a full-on “experience,” such as the Scandinavian glögga friend introduced Searing to. Linking your beverage selection to a particular region, country or culture is fun and interesting. Searing suggests looking into others such as Atholl brose, a Scottish drink similar to eggnog that uses oat-infused water. He also recommends Mexican hot

chocolate (more on that below) and said he’s been intrigued by boilo, a Pennsylvania specialty that blends whiskey with honey, spices, fruit and for some people, a boiled-down soda syrup.

As far as practicalities go, Searing says plan on one or two servings per guest per hour. If you’re serving warm beverages, you can use a slow cooker or insulated urn to keep them hot. If you have to use the stove top, keep the heat very low or consider just warming small batches as you need them because the alcohol can easily cook off. Searing also suggests preheating the serving vessels and the cups with hot tap or boiling water.

An important reminder: “Hot drinks will sneak up on you,” Searing says. “A lot of people who like to drink warm drinks don’t normally drink.”

Now, a few specific tips for some of the season’s most popular genres of drinks: Punch Searing wrote a whole book about the topic, so clearly he’s got a passion for punch. You can always choose a good recipe, but if you’re up for creating your own, Searing recommends a 4-3-2-1 formula: 4 parts water or ice (you can maybe go down to 3 but not below unless you want everyone under the table pronto), 3 parts alcohol (such FACETS | DECEMBER 2019 | 21

Savor as one 750 ML bottle, or 3 cups, of wine), 2 parts syrup (i.e. grenadine or any other cool specialty product you like) and 1 part citrus (Searing prefers lemon or lime, because orange can add more sweetness than you want).

If you’re serving from a punch bowl, keep it cool with a large block of ice. Searing’s hack: Fill a half-gallon milk or juice carton with water, freeze and then cut away the paper for an impressive chunk. Oh, and be sure to serve punch in small glasses, such as those designed for sherry. “Be aware that punch is more like a cocktail than a highball in terms of its strength,” Searing warns.

“Punch is the legendary downfall of every holiday party that goes wrong.”

So encourage your guests to drink responsibly while sipping their punch.

Eggnog Make your eggnog at least a few days in advance to let the flavors meld. Searing says you can jazz up the holiday standard by doing a mix of spirits, such as brandy and rum. He also recommends considering Baltimore eggnog, which features Madeira.

Mulled beverages Hot cider is great for spiking, and Searing says rum, whiskey and flavored vodkas (pecan, anyone?) all work well. If you want to go the mulled route with wine or hard cider, though, it’s best to do a big batch that you construct yourself, since you need time to allow the flavors to infuse. Plus, your friends don’t need to spike beverages that already contain alcohol.

Not sure where to start? Paul Taylor, head of bar concepts for Drink Company in Washington, says a rough guide to keep in mind is two parts wine to ¾ part cutting agent. So, for two 750-milliliter bottles of wine (50 ounces total), Taylor suggests 18 to 20 ounces of water, juice, etc. You can also add 3 to 4 ounces of your choice of spirits, such as cognac and Grand Marnier. If you’re using a white wine, pisco is a suitable addition.

Because cider typically has less alcohol-by-volume content than wine, you can tweak the ratios a bit, more like 2 parts cider to 1/2 part juice (or 50 ounces of cider to 12 or 13 ounces of juice when we’re sticking with the same amounts as above).

Hot chocolate You can also let your friends spike their hot chocolate. Nutbased liqueurs (amaretto, Frangelico) are always nice. Less obvious: Chartreuse, whose herbal notes Searing says complement the chocolate well. It’s possible to have an interesting alcohol-free version, too, made with very good chocolate and some warming spices, if that’s what you like. ^

Mexican-Style Sipping Chocolate

By Goran Kosanovic for The Washington Post Dried chiles bring a slow heat to this party-friendly, slow cooker beverage. If you aren’t a fan of spicy, cut back the chiles by 1.

You’ll need a slow cooker with a capacity of at least 6 quarts.

Serve with biscotti, for dunking.

Make Ahead: The chocolate takes 3 hours to cook and can be made a day in advance and reheated on LOW or WARM. SERVINGS: Tested size: 8-16 servings; makes 8 cups INGREDIENTS 22 | FACETS | DECEMBER 2019

8 cups whole milk 3 whole dried guajillo chiles (see headnote) One 3-inch cinnamon stick 2 1/2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks, preferably Guittard brand 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper DIRECTIONS Combine the milk, guajillo chiles and cinnamon stick in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours.

Uncover and whisk in the chocolate and cayenne pepper, until the chocolate has melted. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour; the sipping chocolate will be quite thick.

Discard the cinnamon stick and the chiles, if desired. Whisk well before serving. ^

Mexican-Style Sipping Hot Chocolate.

Photo by Goran Kosanovic for The Washington Post

Baltimore Eggnog

Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post You can find this 19th century recipe in many incarnations, including batched in a large punch bowl, but Jason Wilson is of the opinion that it is best mixed and served by the glass.

The trick of this version is to shake the egg, sugar and booze with a little bit of light cream first, then to add the milk afterward in the glass — which should be filled with ice cubes, another trick that makes the drink brighter and less goopy.

For the Madeira, be sure to use a dry one such as Blandy’s 5 year old Sercial. When making cocktails with eggs, be sure to first do a quick “dry shake” to mix the liquids, and then add the ice and continue shaking for another 30 seconds.

Where to Buy: This recipe calls for a raw egg. If you are concerned about the risk of salmonella, buy pasteurized eggs, available in select supermarkets.

SERVINGS: 1 INGREDIENTS 1/4 ounce light cream 1 large egg

Savor 1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar 3/4 ounce dry Madeira 3/4 ounce brandy, preferably cognac or Armagnac 3/4 ounce aged rum Ice 2 to 2 1/2 ounces whole milk Whole nutmeg

DIRECTIONS Combine the cream, egg, sugar, Madeira, brandy and rum in a cocktail shaker. Shake to mix well, then add ice cubes and shake for 30 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice cubes.

Fill the glass with the milk and stir gently. Grate a little of the nutmeg on the surface. ^

Baltimore Eggnog.

Photo by Deb Lindsey For The Washington Post

FACETS | DECEMBER 2019 | 23

Holiday Red Sangria Punch

Adapted from Kelsey Rood at Cafe Citron in Dupont Circle In Spain, traditional New Year’s Eve celebrations are not complete without grapes. When the clock strikes midnight, custom calls for eating 12 grapes in short order to ensure good fortune in the coming year.

Make Ahead: This can be made up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated, without the ice.

Servings: 6 - 8 Ingredients 5 tablespoons sugar Ice 1 bottle (750 milliliters) red wine, such as a merlot or cabernet 5 ounces apple-flavored liqueur 7 1/2 ounces orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier 1 cup orange juice 1 cup ginger ale 3 tablespoons lemon juice 12 seedless red grapes 4 medium red apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 3 medium oranges, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes Place the sugar in a 48-ounce pitcher. Fill 3/4 full with ice cubes or crushed ice. Add the wine and the apple- and orange-flavored liqueurs, stirring to combine. Add the orange juice, ginger ale and lemon juice, then the grapes and cut-up fruit. If you have a similarsize pitcher, pour the sangria back and forth 4 times to blend; or use a long-handled spoon to stir the drink well. Let the sangria sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then serve.

Holiday Red Sangria Punch. Photo by Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post