Table for Two
Pull up a chair at the Table for Two. Join Jessica Dunker, President and CEO, of the Iowa Restaurant Association, on a tour of the state and spend time with some of Iowa’s award winning restaurateurs, chefs and hospitality professionals. You’ll hear the stories, inspirations and even a few secrets, behind your favorite eating and drinking establishments. You’ll be surprised when you learn which high profile operators say they chose the industry, and which claim the industry chose them. We talk traditions and trends, tastes and tactics– with some of Iowa’s most innovative entrepreneurs. Our conversations will entertain patrons, enlighten operators, and leave everyone hungry for more. Subscribe to Table for Two on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google or wherever you get your podcasts.
Episodes
25 episodes
Ep. 3- Making Lemonade: Yasmin Moreles on Hustle, Heart & The Lemonade Stand
Table for Two returns with a fresh new episode—and we’re kicking things off with an inspiring conversation you won’t want to miss.We're kicking off the season with Yasmin Moreles, founder of The Lemonade Stand in the Quad Cities. Jessica...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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50:39
Gloria Henriquez on Elevating Latino Cuisine & Community Impact
Gloria Henriquez left South America seeking safety and opportunity, but her heart always led her back to food and community. A former nurse turned restaurateur, she opened Tullpa in Urbandale, blending Ecuadorian, Peruvian, and Colombian flavor...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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38:09
Chef Anthony Nace on How He Keeps Things "Ducky"
As the Executive Chef at Hilton Des Moines Downtown, Anthony oversees Park Street Kitchen and Bar, 14,000 square feet of banquet space, and managing a team of about 20 culinary professionals. This native Iowan's culinary journey reflects hard w...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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54:50
4. From Gamer to Gourmet: Chef Jeremy Moskowitz
Hospitality may have been in the blood of 2020 Iowa Restaurant Association Chef of the Year Jeremy Moskowitz, but as a pre-teen it was his desire for a new video game that actually got him into the kitchen of his family’s restaurant. He s...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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36:42
3. Chef Lynn Pritchard: Reopened Table 128 Lures Suburban Residents Back to Des Moines Dining Scene
After a nearly three-year hiatus, Chef Lynn Pritchard has finally re-opened his award-winning restaurant Table 128. His one-time suburban destination now draws those in search of his famed farm-to-t...
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56:20
2. Taufeek Shah: Living the American Dream, One Spicy Drop at a Time
Taufeek Shah, founder of Lola’s Fine Hot Sauce, is not your typical small town Iowa boy, although he did grow up in Winthrop, Iowa. The son of immigrant parents—a Filipino mother and a Pakistani father—Taufeek was immersed in a world of d...
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43:32
1. Dave & Jean Thompson: The Legacy They Hope to Leave Behind
In the first episode of 2024, Jessica sits down at the Table for Two with Dave & Jean Thompson, of District 36, Urban Cellar, Urban Grill and Urban on the Square and the Association's 2023 Restaurateurs of the Year. Technically Dave & J...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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48:56
17. Chef Kevin Scharpf: A Top Chef’s Passion for the Heartland
Building upon both the recognition and reputation he garnered as a standout competitor on Bravo’s Top Chef program, Chef Kevin Scharpf could have easily capitalized on his success and opened a restaurant in a major metropolitan market....
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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50:53
16. Robert Johnson: Fast and Quick are Not the Same
It was 1970 something when B-Bops Founder Robert Johnson and his cousin faced a dilemma. Both held car loans and had only one payment saved in the bank. They needed jobs fast and found two possibilities—one in insurance, the other a...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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29:28
15. Matt Johnson: Hospitality Advocate Creating Second Chances
Matt Johnson is a man who has both found, and given, opportunities in the hospitality industry. A director for both the Iowa and National Restaurant Association Boards, he passionately champions hospitality-related issues—from liquor liability ...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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38:55
14. Chef George Migliero: From Presidents to Pints Gastro Pub Brings “Cheers” to Iowa
With a culinary resume that would have made opening a fine dining restaurant a logical next step in an already illustrious career, Chef George Migliero surprised a few people. The award-winning chef, who studied under multiple Michelin-st...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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38:50
13. Ana McClain: Beyond Beer Lion Bridge Brewery Builds Community
Ana McClain hails from a family with a passion for food. Her sister is a television chef and her mother attended culinary school just for fun. However, it was the realm of food and beverage business that drew Ana, a native of Mexico...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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32:30
12. Stephanie Mehmen: How a Nearly Condemned Building Redefined the Term Black Sheep
The term black sheep doesn't have to be negative. When Stephanie Mehmen and her friend heard rumors of a century-old flood damaged building about to be demolished, they knew they had to do something. As she envisioned what kind of business it w...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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43:05
11. Chef Benjamin Smart- From Rocks to Recipes: An Award Winning Chefs Atypical Culinary Expedition
When he’s developing menu items Chef Benjamin Smart, Culinary Director for one of Iowa’s most popular breweries keeps one thought in mind – people may come for the beer, but let’s get them to stay for the food. That approach appears to...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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52:51
10. Nina Easley: Powdered Sugar Powers Rural Main Street Revival
Nina Easley wears many hats: mother, advocate for dyslexic students, and owner of a rural Iowa coffee shop that's helping revitalize her hometown's main street. With deep roots in Earlham, a tiny town just 20 miles west of Des Moines, Nina's de...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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37:10
9. Amy Walsh: Forget Essential Become Incidental
16 years ago, Amy and Andy Walsh had a vision for Mickey’s Irish Pub: a true pub environment with elevated beer and gastropub cuisine, where people actually talked to one another. The high school sweethearts had met while working in a restauran...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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37:30
8. Jeff Bruning: From Unconventional to Unmissable
Jeff Bruning calls himself an “insurance refugee.” He took a traditional path—graduating high school, then college, then getting a “grown up” job. But he quickly realized that being behind a desk was not the future he wanted. He too...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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49:13
7. Mike Whalen: From Iowa Eats to Country Music Beats
Mike Whalen, President, CEO, and Founder, of the Heart America Group, is well-known by Iowans for many things—his multi-location Machine Shed and Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse Restaurants, envisioning and then creating Wildwood Hills Ranch, an eq...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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49:00
6. Sammy Mila: From Famous Hands to Food Phenom
Sammy Mila once was described as having the “most famous hands on YouTube.” The one-time food stylist for publishing giant Meredith Corporation, Sammy’s hands have been featured in countless recipe videos. However, styling food for magazine pho...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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42:23
5. Bethany DeVries: Wine for the Rest of Us...
When biotech scientist Bethany DeVries left her corporate research position and purchased a boutique wine bar, she set out to replace any sense of wine pretentiousness with wine accessibility. The owner/operator of Iowa’s only self-serve wine b...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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39:05
4. LeShawn Smith: Divine Intervention from Stephen Colbert
LeShawn (Shawnnie) Smith took a leap of faith when she left the corporate world to start a boutique bakery in Cedar Rapids’ Newbo City Market. She quickly made her mark in the local food scene with toffee butter cookies and lemon pound ca...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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44:35
3. Chef George Formaro: Cheeseburgers Tell All
Award winning chef George Formaro has been speaking the language of food since he was child. He had the good fortune of being raised in an Italian American home where every dish had a story. But the culinary artist behind Des Moines favor...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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52:00
2. Chef Joe Tripp: The Journey from Fire Alarms to Five Stars
Five-time James Beard nominee and 2022 Iowa Chef of the year Joe Tripp takes a seat at the Iowa Restaurant Association’s Table for Two. The owner of Harbinger, Little Brother, and Basic Bird speaks with Jessica Dunker from one of his busy resta...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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40:02
1. Scott Carlson: Meet Me at the Beer Tent
Not all beer is created equal—at least anymore. Award winning Iowa restaurateur and craft brew aficionado Scott Carlson talks about how craft beer, craft cocktails and Iowa food culture need elevated places and spaces...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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42:46
Iowa Restaurant Association Presents: Table for Two
The Iowa Restaurant Association is proud to present Table for Two. Join our President and CEO, Jessica Dunker, as she sits down with some of Iowa's award-winning restaurateurs, chefs and hospitality professionals to talk traditions, trends, tas...
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Season 1
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1:15