Primrose

Upscale dining nestled in a rural community.

By Ann Clinton | Photos by Joseph L. Murphy

Nestled in Adams County in southwest Iowa, the town of Corning is a quintessential rural neighborhood. Flanked by rolling hills of soybean and corn fields, the local farming community is critical to the little town’s vitality. Semitrucks hauling grain often rumble through the city limits on their way to Poet, a nearby ethanol refinery.

However, something extraordinary sets this county-seat town apart from its counterparts in other areas of the state. Word has gotten out, as evidenced by the out-oftown license plates lining main street on any given weekend.

Omaha-native Joel Mahr and wife Jill Fulton opened Primrose, an upscale restaurant featuring a new menu each week, approximately three years ago in downtown Corning. The establishment became an instant success, and as popularity increased, the restaurant has transformed the perception of small-town dining.

“Townsfolk say they are glad we chose Corning, but the truth is, Corning chose us,” Mahr says.

Ray Gaesser, who farms near Corning, says for him and wife Elaine, it’s pretty terrific to have such a beautiful venue and highquality food in the small town.

“Primrose uses farm-fresh produce and locally sourced meats, which they highlight on their menu,” Ray says. “That’s a really positive message about agriculture for those who may not understand our industry very well.”

Making of a Chef

Mahr says he grew up learning his way around a kitchen from his grandmother. As the first grandchild, Mahr helped with Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, but it wasn’t until he was 26, after a fateful incident with a knife, that he started to cook professionally.

“I had to have a procedure done on my hand, and I was talking to the doctor who was going to do the surgery,” says Mahr. “I told him I could still hold a knife pretty well, and he said, ‘Oh, do you cook?’ I told him that I sure would like to. The doctor told me I should get in contact with a chef he knew in Elkhorn, Nebraska, and the rest is history.”

Mahr spent the next decade “hopping around,” working in the Omaha area at various restaurants, ranging from sushi bars to fine dining establishments. Mahr says he wanted to absorb as many experiences as he could while still young in his career.

Ultimately, Mahr landed a position as a head chef at an up-and-coming restaurant in west Omaha, which boasted a farm-to-table concept. He spent the next six years learning every aspect of the business, including food sourcing and employee management.

“With approximately 18 years of cooking experiences at all those places, I gained enough courage to open up my own place,” says Mahr. “So far, it has been working out well.”

Local farmers say Primrose promotes a positive message about agriculture.

Primrose blends upscale menu offerings with small-town charm.

An all-original tin ceiling creates warmth and ambiance inside Primrose.

Corning Stands Out

Mahr’s in-laws live 20 minutes away from Corning, near Nodaway, and grow nearly an acre of produce on their farm. Mahr and his wife knew they wanted to open a farm-to-table type of restaurant, and the concept of utilizing the freshest ingredients available held great appeal.

When an ad for a possible restaurant location was in the local newspaper, Mahr and his wife decided to take a look. That location didn’t ultimately work out, but as fate often works, another building in Corning that wasn’t even officially for sale caught their eye.

“It’s like when you’re buying a house, and you can walk into some and know they don’t feel right,” explains Mahr. “Then you walk into another, and you just know it is the one. That’s how it happened for us. We just knew.”

He adds, “We looked at the ceiling, and it was lined with all-original tin tiling. It just had that feeling of what I was used to already. It didn’t feel like it should be in a small town. So, we asked the guy if he wanted to sell it, and he gave us an offer we couldn’t refuse.”

A year later, after extensive renovations, the Primrose restaurant opened its doors.

Patrons will often drive an hour or more to eat at Primrose.

City Dining in a Small Town

Mahr has been humbled by the amount of support offered to Primrose.

“It’s shocking to me the amount of time our guests put in just to eat at our establishment,” says Mahr. “They will drive an hour or more to come here and enjoy themselves. It’s amazing because the cars that park out front are from all different counties and states. The new faces we see every day is really cool.”

Mahr knows how to create an experience that keeps patrons returning to Primrose. The menu, which changes every week, uses the produce grown on his in-law’s farm and locally sourced meat. “I love the opportunity to educate some of our guests about where their food comes from,” he says.

Primrose is not just a destination for out-of-towners; it has become a community mainstay for locals, too. On weekdays, it’s not unusual for the restaurant to serve nearly 90 lunches, which is impressive for a town of only 1,400 people.

“I encourage everyone to visit and try the restaurant because they will be coming back,” Gaesser says. “Joel and Jill are such wonderful people, and we are just so lucky to have them here.”

Primrose’s menu changes weekly and uses produce from the family’s farm and locally sourced meat.

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