Rebuilt, Reimagined & Resilient

Cedar Rapids embraces the opportunity to reinvent itself and thrive.

By Ann Thelen | Photos by Joseph L. Murphy

The Cedar River. It’s the genesis of how Cedar Rapids was named – for the rapids of the river and the red cedar trees that flank the banks of the waterway. It’s what helped build Cedar Rapids into Iowa's second-largest city and establish it as a thriving grain and livestock market. In 2008, it’s also what threatened to halt the city’s vitality when the river reached a record 31.12 feet, surpassing the 500-year flood plain.

At a critical juncture for the city, leaders and residents rose to the occasion. Their unwavering passion, dedication and commitment inspired a transformation. The billions of dollars in damage affected 561 city blocks. Since then, Cedar Rapids’ recovery has been nothing short of incredible.

Throughout Cedar Rapids, lions are an unmistakable symbol and nod to the city’s rich Czech history and influence.

“Cedar Rapids is a vibrant, up and coming city,” says Jennifer Pickar, director of communications and marketing for the city’s tourism office. “After the flood, our community came together and rebuilt better than before. We know it’s been our chance to reinvent ourselves while uniting the pillars of our past with a future vision.”

Cedar Rapids is making it happen. The Cedar River has been embraced, and it’s inspired a natural exuberance. No matter where you turn, the food, entertainment, arts and culture scenes are exploding with energy and creativity. For first-time or frequent visitors, families or friends, foodies or nature lovers – there is something for everyone in this All-America city.

WORLD FAME BEGINS WITH AGRICULTURE

At the epicenter of Cedar Rapids is the grain processing industry, with Quaker Oats and General Mills serving as the steadfast icons. It’s one of the largest cities in the world for corn processing, which directly results in 4,000 jobs in the community.

Every day, 1.2 million bushels of corn are processed and 100 semitrailer trucks leave with finished products. The Cedar Rapids Quaker Oats plant is the largest cereal plant in the world, producing grocery cart favorites, such as Life, Quaker Oats oatmeal and Aunt Jemima syrup.

Quaker Oats

General Mills is the hub for Cheerios and Fruit by the Foot production. In fact, 1.3 billion feet of the popular fruit snack is made every year – that’s enough to wrap around the earth 10 times!

With 1,300 semi-truckloads of corn coming to Cedar Rapids every day, it’s no wonder 540 million gallons of clean-burning ethanol are produced every year at three ethanol plants.

Another famous icon in the heart of Cedar Rapids is Brucemore. The park-like, 26-acre estate is Iowa’s only National Trust Historic Site. Built between 1884 and 1886 by Caroline Sinclair, widow of pioneer industrialist T.M. Sinclair, it’s the site of a Queen Anne-style mansion and various gardens. The estate is available for tours and was featured by CNN to give a flavor for the Downton Abbey lifestyle and mansions within America.

Brucemore National Trust Historic Site

The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art possesses the world’s most extensive collection of works by Grant Wood, with a selection regularly on display. The Cedar Rapids native is one of the world’s most famous artists, mainly for painting the legendary American Gothic. Fans of the artist can see where he lived and worked when he painted some of his renowned artwork.

CZECH INFLUENCE: A CATALYST FOR ENTREPRENEURS

Throughout the city, lions are an unmistakable symbol and nod to the city’s rich Czech history and influence. When Cedar Rapids incorporated in 1856, a quarter of its 1,600 residents were Czech immigrants.

Today, the Czech Village and New Bohemia areas, just east of the Cedar River and adjacent to the downtown area, are propelling a surge of entrepreneurial vigor across the arts, entertainment and culinary scenes.

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

“The NewBo City Market and National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library are the two anchors and have brought so much momentum to this district,” Pickar says. “The concept for the market came from friends brainstorming over a glass of wine.”

Since its opening in 2012, NewBo City Market has been the heartbeat of the New Bohemia District. As a gathering place, business incubator and event center, NewBo City Market is a diverse hub. It is home to unique food and retail business start-ups; farmers’ and artisans’ markets; and numerous community arts, entertainment and educational events.

The market acknowledges the history that is the bedrock of the area. In the late 1800s, this section was an agricultural and manufacturing hub, home to a meatpacking plant that stood for over a century. The NewBo City Market building was originally a warehouse and metalworking facility for Iowa Manufacturing and later Quality Chef Foods.

LeShawn Smith of Shawnniecakes Bakery, pauses for a portrait at her business in NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids.

Steve Prochaska of the Sausage Foundry and Bohemian Grocer at NewBo City Market.

Shops at NewBo City Market

Jamie Jackson, bar manager at NewBo City Market

Artwork at NewBo City Market

Flavors of Cedar Rapids: Where Agriculture and Food Meet

“If you want high-end fine dining, burgers and craft beer, farm-to-table meals or ethnic diversity, we have dining options to suit all of those desires,” Pickar says. “We have a lot of food diversity right in the NewBo City Market that is wonderful; then it is scattered throughout the city.”

ALMOST FAMOUS POPCORN

Almost Famous Popcorn is an example of a booming business, which also had its start in the NewBo City Market.

Bill and Robyn Rieckhoff, owners of Almost Famous Popcorn, started the business because they wanted to teach their kids – then 9 and 13 – how to run a small business. Today, the popcorn and ice cream shop offers a place where people can come to enjoy a treat, relax and create memorable moments together.

“Since the beginning, we’ve been committed to delivering ‘Moments that Pop!’ to everyone who opens an Almost Famous bag or gift box,” Bill says. “We deliver our famous taste through premium ingredients crafted in small batches.”

In 2017, Orbitz named Almost Famous as one of the Top 5 popcorn shops in the country. Recently the company opened a 3,000-square foot distribution center and plans to expand to Des Moines and Coralville. Flavors include caramel cheddar, dill pickle, monster cookie, scotch-a-roo, pizza roll, bourbon-spiked salted caramel, bacon cheddar and a host of other unique, palate-enticing combinations.

The company is also the official popcorn for the University of Iowa Athletics with fans finding their delicious creations at Kinnick Stadium and Carver-Hawkeye Arena in addition to Casey’s, Fareway and Hy-Vee stores in the state.

Almost Famous Popcorn

RODINA

In Czech, “Rodina” means family. With a combined 27 years of restaurant experience, Samuel and Phoebe Charles aptly named their restaurant, which opened one year ago, Rodina.

Rodina offers Midwest comfort food to its patrons. The pair focuses on sourcing food from area farmers and builds the menu around locally available ingredients. In the winter, dishes with potatoes, squash and radishes are popular due to farmers’ abilities to cellar the latefall produce, which preserves it by keeping it cool.

“We often pair these items with pork,” Samuel says. “Iowa has the best pork in the world, and we’re proud to offer it on the menu.”

They also practice the age-old tradition of family-style service.

“Our passion is ingredient-driven food. We focus on simple food, done right,” Samuel explains. “We embrace the individual ingredients, and our dishes are mainly comprised of four to five items.”

Phoebe and Samuel Charles of Rodina offer Midwest comfort food to restaurant patrons.

COBBLE HILL EATERY & DISPENSARY

Cobble Hill Eatery & Dispensary is an upscale, fine dining restaurant and bar with an urban feel. Restaurant owners Andy and Carrie Schumacher, both University of Iowa graduates, offer patrons two enticing ways to enjoy boutique-style, from scratch, chef-driven menus, using local meat and vegetables.

“From a chef’s perspective, the quality of a dish begins with the highest-quality ingredients, Andy says.

“We’re proud to source many products from farmers who are passionate about growing unique and traditional food.”

Cobble Hill’s philosophy is simple; patrons don’t have to leave Iowa to eat like being in New York City. The restaurant is named after one of the local neighborhoods in Brooklyn, New York, where the Schumachers once lived. In 2015, Andy was a James Beard Semifinalist for Best Chef of the Midwest, an award recognizing culinary excellence.

Recently, the duo embarked on creating a casual dining experience modeled after Cobble Hill’s philosophy. Their new restaurant, called Caucho, serves up authentic Mexican in a trendy, modern atmosphere.

“We grateful to the Cedar Rapids region for so many styles of restaurants and for the leaders’ vision in making our community more attractive than ever before,” Andy says.

Whether it’s a visit for a day or a long weekend, Cedar Rapids offers a flawless intersection of agriculture, food, history and cultural diversity with dozens of additional destination points.

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