Omaha Magazine - June 2023 - The Annual Food Issue

SPEZIA

HOME SWEET OMAHA:

C ho C olate -D ippe D an D S prinkle D with G enero S ity

It’s little secret that the metro’s food scene is among the nation’s best especially after Wine and Food Magazine listed Omaha in its inaugural “Next Great Food Cities” issue last year. In this editor’s humble opinion, and as droves of College World Series visitors are likely to attest a few weeks from now, Omaha is a great food city, bu t I digress…

While variety is a hallmark of the metro’s culinary appeal with Chef Ashish Satyhan serving up Kerala-style meals at Kinaara in Regency, to the old-world delights of St. John’s Greek Orthodox Church helmed by kitchen matriarchs, ‘the Helens’ our main feature is for the sweet tooth, or perhaps even the intrepid dieter who wants to test their resolve (we won’t tel l, promise!)

Like a box of chocolates, we’ve managed to fit 18 of the metro’s sweet spots into six pages of luscious eye candy, from the Old Market to Papillion and everywhere in between. The list not only features Omaha staples like Ted & Wally’s and their “ultra-premium” ice cream, but also newer favorites like Melissa Stephens’ Cordial Cherry out west. But don’t worry, once the sugar high wears off, there’s plenty more to indulge in.

Omaha isn’t just rich in sugar content, it’s rich in heart and its food-based nonprofits are the perfect palate (and conscience) cleanser. Community garden projects like North Omaha’s Healing Roots and Sacred Seed at the Tri-Faith Initiative not only preserve heritage, but bring citizens together. Meanwhile, the Omaha chapter of nonprofit Lasagna Love provides warm meals to those in need, one baking pan at a time.

Additionally, our June ‘Food Issue’ features a number of zesty personalities, including: Dan Hoppen of the “Restaurant Hoppen” podcast, the implacable Grant Triplett of taxi diver notoriety, and Guinness World Record holder Duane Hansen, who braved 38 miles of the Mighty Mo paddling a giant, home-gr own pumpkin.

If you’ve made it this far, I’m impressed. Personally, I’ve worked up quite the appetite just writing this letter. I thank you on behalf of the Omaha Magazine staff, and also the fine chefs, bakers, and cooks of all backgrounds for making this issue and Omaha’s culinary scene so vibrant. Without further adieu, feast your eyes on the pages to follow and dig in. Bo n Appétit!

*Note: The hotel edition of Omaha Magazine cover and does not include all of the editorial content included in the magazine’s full city edition. For more information on our city edition, visit OmahaMagazine.com.

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THE USUAL SUSPECTS

003 From the Editor Home Sweet Omaha

006 Between the Lines

007 Calendar of Events

028 Adventure Breaking (Pumpkin) World Records with Duane Hansen

044 History

The TV Dinner’s Nebraska Origins

065 Obviously Omaha Ethnic Grocery Stores

083 Explore!

088 Not Funny SALT

ARTS + CULTURE

014 Visual Art Ceramics Artist Sarah Hummel Jones

016 Video/Photo

Brad Iwen’s Midwest Food Stories

020 Radio

The Restaurant Hoppen Podcast with Dan Hoppen

022 Author For a Good Time, Call: Author Grant Triplett

PEOPLE

026 Profile Candy Engineer Tessa Porter

030 Gen O Eli Vedral’s Kookaburra Cookie Co.

046 Sports Max Roseland Races Ahead with Resilience

GIVING

050 Calendar

054 Feature Layers of (Lasagna) Love

Listen to the entire issue here. Open the camera on your smart device and hover over the QR code.

60PLUS IN OMAHA

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Layers of gelatin span the visible light spectrum in food stylist Sarah Jane Hunt’s ode to “spring renewal” and the vibrant desserts of the Omaha metro.

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THE LINES Between

A LOOK AT THREE OMAHA MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTORS

CAROL NIGRELLI Contrib uting Writer

Carol Nigrelli, and her husband, Craig, are thrilled to be back in the city they love after a four-year absence that took them to Wichita and Lakeland, Florida. Now in her “forever home,” Carol has transitioned easily and gratefully back into Omaha life playing cello at St. John’s Church on the Creighton University campus and writing for Omaha Magazine about the people, places, and things that make the Midlands so unique. Her perspective comes from the (often) nomadic lifestyle of a broadcast journalist. The Philadelphia native spent 30 years in radio and TV news, hopscotching across Pennsylvania before landing in Buffalo, New York, as the main anchor at the CBS affiliate for over two decades. In 2002, after marrying colleague Craig Nigrelli, Carol left broadcasting and embarked on a print media career that included stops in Albuquerque, Minneapolis, Kansas City, and then Omaha for 11 years. Carol has two daughters and a grandson, and remains a die-hard Red Sox fan.

LEXI SHUCK Edit Intern

Lexi, 17, attends Sandy Creek High School in Fairfield, Nebraska. SCHS provides a program called NCAPS that allows students to be mentored in a career field they wish to learn more about. Falling in love with English at an early age and joining journalism her sophomore year, Lexi decided to pursue a short internship at Omaha Magazine. She loves to read in her free time and listen to music, usually Taylor Swift or Fleetwood Mac. Writing has always been a passion of hers, and taking this chance has been a learning process for her. After interning, Lexi thinks that journalism could be a good choice for her future.

DAVE TROUBA Ad Tra ffic Manager

Joining Omaha Magazine in 2020 as ad traffic manager, Trouba works as liason between the sales and design teams to get all ads designed, approved, and placed for each of the 17 publications that Omaha Publications produces. A graduate of Westside High School (1980) and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism (1985), Trouba worked as a freelance photojournalist and graphic designer in California for five years before moving to Kansas City and working as a product and publication designer for Hallmark Cards. Returning to Nebraska in 2000, he and his wife, Susan, settled in Papillion and raised their three children plus a variety of cats and corgis. In his free time, Trouba is an avid golfer, gardener, cook, and cribbage player and enjoys Irish music, whiskey, and the occasional cigar.

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor

JULIUS FREDRICK

Senior Editor

LINDA PERSIGEHL

Senior Staff Writer

KIM CARPENTER

Editorial Intern

LEXI SHUCK

Contributing Writers

LEO ADAM BIGA · TAMSEN BUTLER · OLIVIA GREENE

CHRIS HATCH · SARA LOCKE · CAROL CRISSEY NIGRELLI

CHASE MURPHY · WILLIAM RISCHLING · LEXI SHUCK

DOUGLAS “OTIS TWELVE” WESSELMANN · MIKE WHYE

SARA WIEBOLD · DAVE ZORKO

CREATIVE

Creative Director

MATT WIECZOREK

Graphic Designer II

RENEÉ LUDWICK

Graphic Designer I

RACHEL BIRDSALL

Contributing Photographer

SARAH LEMKE

SALES DEPARTMENT

Executive Vice President

Sales & Marketing

GIL COHEN

Branding Specialists

DAWN DENNIS · GEORGE IDELMAN

Contributing Branding Specialists

GREG BRUNS · TIM McCORMACK

Publisher’s Assistant & OmahaHome Contributing Editor

SANDY MATSON

Senior Sales Coordinator

ALICIA HOLLINS

Sales Coordinator

SANDI M cCORMACK

OPERATIONS

Business Manager KYLE FISHER

Ad Traffic Manager

DAVID TROUBA

Digital Manager

LUIS DE LA TOBA

Distribution Manager & Explore!

STAY IN THE KNOMAHA!

There are so many exciting things to do in the metro, it’s hard to keep track of them all. Here are our definitive picks for what to do in June plus a listing of what else is on offer throughout June. Summer has arrived—let’s enjoy it!

ART: OMAHA SUMMER ARTS FESTIVAL

Aksarben Village

June 9—11

free

S. 67th Street summerarts.org

Forget June 21, summer always seems to kick off officially when the annual Omaha Summer Arts Festival takes place. The 49th annual family-friendly OSAF, which turns Aksarben Village’s main road into a pedestrian zone, features 135 local, regional, and national artists with a broad range of artistic mediums, including: sculpture, ceramics, painting, printmaking, fiber, jewelry, textile, photography, mixed media, metal, drawing, graphics, wood, leather, and glass. Dedicated to fostering a love of art from a young age and supporting young talent, OSAF includes a hands-on Children’s Fair and Young Artist Exhibition. Not confi ned solely to the visual arts, the festival also stages dozens of local musicians, who provide entertainment throughout the three-day event, with TasteFest off ering a broad blend of cuisine via food trucks and stalls. Plus, don’t miss the return of the popular mural cubes for selfie backdrops as well as new surprises like colorful chalk art and more. 10am to 9pm Friday and Saturday; 10am to 4pm Sunday.

MILTON WOLSKY: A MID-CENTURY NEBRASKA ARTIST

Gallery 1516

June 9—August 20

free

1516 Leavenworth St. gallery1516.org

Born in Omaha in 1916, Milton Wolsky had an astonishing career that spanned not just styles and mediums but also the globe. An illustrator and modern artist, he worked in both Omaha and New York City from the 1940s into the 1980s. Th is exhibition highlights work from throughout his career, giving visitors insight into his evolving and genre-spanning talents. He began as an illustrator for the Bozell & Jacobs advertising agency. In 1942, his artistic trajectory changed when he was drafted into the military where he served as a war artist documenting the rebuilding of Japan during World War II. After the war, Wolsky moved to New York City where he launched a career as a magazine illustrator and became regarded as one of the top 20 illustrators at the time. His work was published in major publications like The Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping, McCall’s, Redbook, and Collier’s. In 1954, Wolsky returned to Omaha and purchased El Paraiso, the studio of his late art mentor J. Laurie Wallace. After his career in New York, Wolsky’s work was in high demand, and he received commissions from prominent clients such as the Northern Natural Gas Company. He also enjoyed a career as a painter of fi ne art, focusing on the Modernist movement he had encountered in New York. Wolsky also amassed an outstanding collection of artwork, including work by Hans Hofmann, Julian Levi, Paul Klee, and others, which he later donated to the Joslyn Art Museum. 11 am to 5pm Tuesday—Sunday. (Appointments preferred.) 531.375.6643.

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» EXHIBITIONS «

IN THE BEGINNING: THE ARTIST SAMUEL BAK

rough June 4 at the Samuel Bak Museum: e Learning Center, University of Nebraska-Omaha, 2289 S 67 St. Th is selection of Bak’s paintings and drawings from 1946 through 2022 showcases the arc of his career over eight decades and features watercolors and drawings done in the Vilna ghetto during the Nazi occupation of the city, abstract works from the sixties, and his renowned metaphysical paintings. 10am to 4pm Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; 10am to 6pm Thursday; noon to 4 pm Sunday. Admission: free. 402.554.6100. —unomaha.edu

ANCIENT DIVA: CHRISTINE STORMBERG

rough July 1 at the Union for Contemporary Art, 2423 North 24th St. Features new paintings and sculptures by the Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist and performer, who explores portals to forgotten cosmos through fantasy, myth, body, and the study of flowers. Tuesday—Thursday, 1-8pm; Friday & Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Admission: free. 402.933.3161. —u-ca.org

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EVENTS

JAMES SURLS: NIGHTSHADE AND REDBONE

rough August 13 at KANEKO, 1111 Jones St. Th e solo exhibition features work by the internationally recognized sculptor, one of the most preeminent artists living and working in the United States, whose sculptures, drawings, and prints reflect his unique sensibility regarding natural forms. 11am to 5pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; 11am to 8pm Thursday. Admission: free for members; $10 general admission. 402.341.3800.

—thekaneko.org

TRAJES MEXICANOS/MEXICAN COSTUMES

rough August 12 at El Museo Latino, 4701 S 25th St. Th e exhibition features a selection of prints from the 1940s by Guatemalan artist Carlos Mérida, who was one of the fi rst artists to fuse European modern painting to Latin American themes, especially those related to Guatemala and Mexico. 11am to 5pm Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday; 11am to 2pm Saturday. Admission varies. 402.731.1137.

—elmuseolatino.org

THE LUNCHBOX: PACKED WITH POP CULTURE

rough Sept. 3 at Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. Featuring hundreds of lunchboxes from the 1950s through the 1980s as well as oneof-a-kind original paintings on loan from local lunchbox collector Mark Kelehan, the display provides an overview of the history of lunchboxes, insight into the production process, and an educational introduction into the dynamic world of collecting. Noon to 4pm Sunday; 10am to 4pm Tuesday—Saturday. 402.444.5071. —durhammuseum.org

PRESENCE IN THE PAUSE: INTERIORITY AND ITS RADICAL IMMANENCE

rough September 17 at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th St. Th is group exhibition features work focusing on the complexity of our everyday relationships through portraits and domestic scenes that examine personhood, memories, and the speeding up and slowing down of contemporary life. 11am to 5pm Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; 11am to 9pm Thursday. Admission: free. 402.341.7130.

—bemiscenter.org

LANDSCAPES BY REAGAN D. PUFALL

June 1—July 23 at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St.

Documenting landscapes has long been a reason for artists to explore their country. While focusing on the roads, fields, and vistas rather than on buildings or fi gures, Pufall’s photographs acknowledge the presence and infl uence of humanity. Open daily, 9am to 5pm. Admission: free with garden membership or paid admission. 402.346.4002.

—lauritzengardens.org

COLLECTIVE VISIONS II

June 2—25 at Hot Shops, Nicholas Street Gallery, 1301 Nicholas St.

Th is group exhibition features the work of 14 photographers and their personal explorations of the artistic medium. Opening reception: June 2, 6 to 9pm. Monday—Friday, 10am to 6pm; Saturday & Sunday, 11am to 5pm. Admission: free. 402.342.6452.

—hotshopsartcenter.com

COUNTRYSIDE VILLAGE ART FAIR

June 3—4 at Countryside Village, 8722 Countryside Plaza, 87th & Pacifi c streets. The 52nd Celebration of the Countryside Village Art Fair is a two-day event that features a wide array of artistic mediums, including ceramics, drawing, fiber, textiles, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and wood. 10am to 6pm Saturday; 10am to 5pm Sunday. 403.391.2200.

—countryside-village.com

// 8 // JUNE 2023

Five venues, five unique celebration experiences Hosting events for 100 - 1,000 guests, Omaha Event Group boasts 15 years of experience with over 300 events each year, including Omaha Fashion Week Schedule a consultation with our team of experts today

ART FLUID OPEN STUDIO NIGHT

June 23, 5 to 8pm at Hot Shops, Nicholas Street Gallery, 1301 Nicholas St.

Th is happy hour, open studio night focuses on experiencing the creative process through the center’s artists. Admission: free. 402.342.6452. —hotshopsartcenter.com

STAGE PERFORMANCES

HAIRSPRAY

June 6–11 at the Orpheum eater, 409 S. 16th St. Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon is back on tour. Based on the 1988 John Waters fi lm of the same name, the production tells the story of 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad during 1960’s Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular program, "The Corny Collins Show." She scores a spot and becomes an overnight sensation, leading her to become a leading beacon for racial integration on the show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world? The winner of eight Tony Awards, including “Best Musical,” the show is known for taking on challenging social and racially charged themes. Showtimes vary. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

WOMEN PLAYING HAMLET

June 22—24 at Florence City Hall, 2864 State St. In Shakespeare's day, men played the women's roles. In this new comedy by William Missouri Downs, women play all the men's roles. It's the story of Jessica, an actress who has been cast to play Hamlet in New York. After accidentally interrupting a performance of Hamlet starring Sir Patrick Stewart, Jessica thinks Stewart is stalking her; she also faces an uphill battle through a maze of self-important humanities professors, Freudian psychiatrists, and a Danish mother only to discover she doesn’t understand Hamlet or herself. The ensuing search for identity is the theme as Jessica takes on her emotional baggage and an existential overload, as well as her self-doubt and disdain for Danish fondue. 7pm Saturday and Sunday; 2 & 7pm Monday. 402.455.6341.

PRACTICE HOUSE

ough June 2 at Yates Illuminates, 3260 Davenport St. Rachel Carnes based this world premiere on a real chapter in American education, in which babies were leased from local orphanages for the purpose of training women in the new and improved “scientifi c parenting methods.” 7:30pm. 402.370.8259.

—gptcplays.com

DANCE NATION

rough June 25 at the Bluebarn eatre, 1106 S 10th St. A 2019 Pulitzer Prize fi nalist for drama, this production is a stark, unrelenting exploration of female power featuring a multigenerational cast of women portraying 13-year-old heroines. 402.345.1576.

—bluebarn.org

DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

June 2—25 at the Rose eater, 2001 Farnam St. Join Belle, Lumiere, Cogsworth, and all of your other favorite characters in the Beast’s castle for an escape to a world where redemption starts with learning how to love and how to be loved. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, the stage version includes all of the wonderful fi lm songs written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, including “Be Our Guest,” “Gaston,” and “Beauty and the Beast.” 402.345.4849.

—rosetheater.org

RESPECT: THE WOMEN, THEIR MUSIC, THEIR STORIES

June 2—25 at Omaha Community Playhouse 6915 Cass St. Follow the journey that spans the 1960-1980s music era and honors several of its most iconic women. 402.553-0800. —communityplayhouse.com

MADAGASCAR—THE MUSICAL

June 17 at the Orpheum eater, 409 S. 16th St. Are you ready to "Move It, Move It”? Join Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria as they bound out of the zoo and onto the Orpheum stage in this live musical spectacular. 2pm. 402.345.0606. —ticketomaha.com

CONCERTS

BRAHMS & MAHLER 5

June 2 & 3 at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Th e Omaha Symphony ends its season by welcoming two of the American classical music world’s most dynamic young artists: composer Carlos Simon and violinist Stella Chen. Atlanta native Carlos Simon has made a name for himself in the world of composition, with Th e Philadelphia Enquirer lauding his music as “perfectly engaging and propulsive.” Th e Omaha Symphony performs with Simon for the fi rst time, bringing his 2020 work, “Fate Now Conquers,” to life. Emerging star Stella Chen makes her Omaha debut with Brahms’ stormy yet lyrical “Violin Concerto.” Finally, the orchestra performs Mahler under the baton of Maestro Ankush Kumar Bahl for the fi rst time. “The Symphony No. 5,” like his other symphonies, is a tour de force, requiring an expanded orchestra. 7:30pm. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA

June 12 at the Holland Performing Arts Center, Holland Music Club, 1200 Douglas St. “A band ought to have a sound all of its own,” Glenn Miller once said. “It ought to have a personality.” The Glenn Miller Orchestra, founded in the legendary band leader’s name in 1956, has more than enough. Featuring 18 members, lead singers, and a vocal group, the touring act performs its catalog of big band classics just the way they would have over 80 years ago when Miller stood in front of his band. Omahans can take some home state pride away from the show. Th is show highlights Miller’s wide-ranging catalogue, which includes 17 Top 10 hits such as “Sunrise Serenade,” “Stairway to the Stars,” and “Blue Orchids.” Tinged with nostalgia, this is a concert certain to put audiences “In the Mood.” 7:30pm. 402.345.0606.

THE FLAMING LIPS: YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOTS TOUR

June 16 at Steelhouse Omaha, 1114 Dodge St. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of their album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, The Flaming Lips will play the album, released in 2002 to great critical acclaim, in full. It demonstrated more use of electronic instruments and computer manipulation than the band’s previous release, Th e Soft Bulletin , and emerged as the group’s fi rst critical and commercial success after nearly twenty years as a band. The album’s lyrics touched on wide-ranging subject matter, including melancholy pondering about love, deception, artificial emotion, pacifi sm, and mortality. The fi nal track on the album, “Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia)," earned a 2003 Grammy Award for 'Best Rock Instrumental Performance,' with the album reaching certified gold in 2006. 8:30pm. 402.345.0606.

—steelhouseomaha.com

BROOKS & DUNN REBOOT TOUR

June 1 at the CHI Health Center, 455 N 10th St. Where do all the cowboy folk go to boot scootin' boogie? They'll be in Omaha, where Brooks & Dunn play hits spanning three decades. 7pm. Ticket prices vary.402.341.1500.

—chihealthcenteromaha.com

BAD OMENS

June 1 at e Admiral 2234 S 13th St. Features the band, whose lyrical content since its debut revolves mostly around despair, mental health struggles, and addiction. 8pm. 402.706.2205. —the admiral.com

SATURDAYS AT STINSON CONCERT SERIES WITH NEBRASKA ALL STAR ROCK & ROLL BAND

June 3 at Stinson Park, Aksarben Village, 2285 S 67th St. Features popular hits from the 1960s and ‘70s. 7pm.

—aksarbenvillage.com

BACKROADS MUSIC FESTIVAL

June 3 at Country Drive Golf Course, 951 County Rd. 4, Ashland. Features 10 bands, including Soda Spill, John Rogers, Backroads Lullaby, Cooper James, Square Wave Jerks, Getchasum, Sonic Diversion, Ancient Greek Godz, Charm School Dropouts, The 70's Band, and more. Also includes classic cars, local vendors, food, and family fun. 12pm to 12am. 402.944.2333.

—countrydrivelive.com

RED HOTT MOTLEY CRUE TRIBUTE

June 3 at Dream on the Green, 7402 F St. Features the Motley Crue tribute band with special guest. 9pm. 402.677.9999.

—americandreambar.com

ACOUSTIC THIEVES

June 7 at Country Drive Golf Course, 951 County Rd. 4, Ashland. Features live music, food, drinks, and country sunsets. 6:30pm. 402.944.2333. —countrydrivelive.com

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

June 7 at e Admiral 2234 S 13th St. The American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997 and rose from being a side project to becoming one of the most exciting groups to emerge from the indie rock scene of the ’00s. They have been nominated for eight Grammy Awards. 8pm. 402.706.2205. —theadmiral.com

MATCHBOX TWENTY SLOW DREAM TOUR

June 8 at CHI Health Center Omaha, 455 N. 10th St. The American rock band consisting of Rob Th omas (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Brian Yale (bass guitar), Paul Doucette (drums, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), and Kyle Cook (lead guitar, vocals) takes to CHI’s stage for this one-night-only show. 7:30pm. 402.341.1500. —chihealthcenteromaha.com

JAKE OWEN

June 10 at Harrah’s Casino Stir Concert Cove, 1 Harrah’s Blvd., Council Bluff s, IA. Owens performs from his catalogue, which includes eight #1 songs such as “Made For You,” “I Was Jack (You Were Diane),” and his most recent hit, “Homemade.” 8pm. 712.329.6000.

—caesars.com/harrahs-council-bluff s

BENSON BOONE

June 14 at e Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Features a show by the American Idol and TikTok personality, singer-songwriter, and multi instrumentalist. 8pm. 402.884.5353. —waitingroomlounge.com

TEQUILA BROTHERS

June 14 at Country Drive Golf Course, 951 County Rd . 4, Ashland . Features live music, food, and beverages. 6:30pm. 402.944.2333. —countrydrivelive.com

RIVAL SONS

June 16 at e Admiral, 2234 S 13th St. The night includes Rival Sons, the Black Angels, and Starcrawler. 7pm. 402.706.2205. —the admiral.com

LOUIS TOMLINSON

June 17 at Harrah’s Casino Stir Concert Cove, One Harrah’s Blvd., Council Bluff s, IA. Tomlinson performs for his Faith in the Future World Tour 2023. Tomlinson exhibits the full capability of his talents while never refraining from sounding unapologetically like him for a nanosecond. 8pm. 712.329.6000.

—caesars.com/harrahs-council-bluff s

JESSE MALIN

June 20 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. Features the American rock musician, guitarist, and songwriter alongside Anthony D’Amato. 8pm. 402.884.5707.

—reverblounge.com

INTOCABLE

June 22 at the Orpheum eater, 409 S. 16th St. One of the most influential groups in the Tejano/ Norteno music scene today, Intocable crafts a unique and extraordinary style of music that expertly fuses Tejano conjunto music, Norteno folk rhythms, pop ballads, and rock. 8pm. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

CHARLEY CROCKET

June 22 at e Admiral, 2234 S 13th St. By synthesizing country, blues, soul, Cajun, R&B, and other pieces of American Roots music, the country star produces an inimitable sound. 8pm. 402.706.2205.

—the admiral.com

TYRESE

AND TREY SONGZ A NIGHT 2 REMEMBER TOUR

June 10 at the CHI Health Center, 455 N 10th St. Tyrese and Trey Songz headline this tour stopping with special guests 112, H-Town, and J. Holiday. 7pm. Ticket prices vary. 402.341.1500. —chihealthcenteromaha.com

COUNTING CROWS

June 13 at Steelhouse Omaha, 1114 Dodge St. Features the Grammy and Academy Award-nominated rock band and their intensely soulful and intricate take on timeless rock & roll. Exploding onto the music scene in 1993 with their multi-platinum breakout album, August and Everything After, the band has gone on to release seven studio albums, selling more than 20 million records worldwide. 7:30pm. 402.345.0606. —steelhouseomaha.com

JACKSON BROWNE

June 13 at the Orpheum eater 409 S. 16th St. Features a show by the American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million records in the United States throughout his career, which has spanned decades. 7pm. 402.345.0606. —ticketomaha.com

ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS: WE’RE ALL GOING ON A SUMMER HOLIDAY TOUR

June 21 at Steelhouse Omaha, 1114 Dodge St. Th e music legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee performs with Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets alongside special guest Texas guitarist Charlie Sexton. Listed as number 80 on Rolling Stone’s 2010 list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time,” Costello will play a wide-ranging set of his lauded catalogue. 7:30pm. 402.345.0606.

—steelhouseomaha.com

BOB LOG III

June 21 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave.

The American slide guitar one-man band plays old Silvertone archtop guitars and wears a fullbody human cannonball suit and a helmet wired to a telephone receiver, which allows him to devote his hands and feet to guitar and drums. 8pm. 402.884.5707.

—reverblounge.com

THE 502S

June 22 at e Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Formed by Ed Isola, the American indie folk band from Maitland, Florida, has a sound that’s been described as a "folk orchestra" and as a blend of roots, rock, and bluegrass. 8pm. 402.884.5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

SATURDAYS AT STINSON CONCERT SERIES WITH TAXI DRIVER

June 24 at Stinson Park, Aksarben Village, 2285 S 67th St. Features covers of all genres, including Motown, classic and modern rock, country, pop, dance, and current hits. 7pm.

—aksarbenvillage.com

FESTIVAL OMAHA

June 24 at Upland Park, 3104 Jeff erson St. Features Cuban music such as Latin Jazz, Danzón, Son, Guaracha, Cha Cha Cha, Guaguanco, and more. 8:45pm. 402.444.5900.

—Andywilliam87music.com

OFF WITH THEIR HEADS

June 27 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. Features the American punk rock band formed in 2002 in Minneapolis, with opening act, Single Mothers. 8pm. 402.884.5707.

—reverblounge.com

MARGO PRICE: ’TIL THE WHEELS FALL OFF TOUR

June 28 at e Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Price performs music from her her new album Strays, which sees the artist navigating her way through worth of loss, lies, failures, and substance abuse. 8pm. 402.884.5353. —waitingroomlounge.com

JOSHUA RAY WALKER

June 30 at e Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. With character-driven songs and an anti-Nashville look, Joshua Ray Walker has been winning hearts and ears since his debut in 2019 by fearlessly breaking the country music mold. 7:30pm. 402.884.5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

FAMILY, COMMUNITY, & MORE

TOWERS OF TOMORROW WITH LEGO® BRICKS

rough Sept. 3 at Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. Th e traveling exhibition features 20 iconic skyscrapers from North America, Asia, and Australia constructed in breathtaking architectural detail by Ryan McNaught, one of only 12 LEGO®-certified professionals in the world, and his award-winning team. Towers include such global famous architectural wonders as the Central Park Tower and the Chrysler Building. A placard accompanies each LEGO® model tower describing the building—its height, location, architect, and completion date alongside the model's height, hours under construction, and number of LEGO® bricks. Visitors can also create their own towers of tomorrow with over 200,000 loose LEGO® bricks available in hands-on construction areas. Noon to 4pm Sunday; 10am to 4pm Tuesday—Saturday. 402.444.5071. —durhammuseum.org

JURASSIC ADVENTURE

rough October 1 at Lee G. Simmons Conservation & Wildlife Safari Park, 16406 292nd St., Ashland . Th is all-new added experience features some of the world's largest and most life-like robotic dinosaurs, which are located throughout the park. The adventure includes full-sized dinosaurs and handmade animatronics created with scientific supervision. Visitors can dig in fossil pits and can consult a Jurassic Adventure Guide Map identifying all the things to learn, see, and do at the park. Visitors can see a variety of animals in their natural habitats, including more than 60 American elk spread across the 50-acre Elk Meadow, 10 White-tailed deer, prairie dogs, grey wolves, American black bears, American white pelicans, Sandhill cranes, trumpeter swans, pygmy goats, eagles, and bison. There are also two miles of hiking trails to enjoy. Admission prices vary. 402.944.9453. —wildlifesafaripark.com

JURASSIC NEBRASKA

rough January 7, 2024 at Omaha Children’s Museum, 500 S 20th St. Experience what life would be like if dinosaurs were around in our everyday life; toss a football against some ferocious defenders, explore and discover fossils in a giant dig pit, climb Chimney Rock to look a T-Rex in the eye, and more. 9am to 4pm Tuesday—Friday; 9am to 5pm Saturday & Sunday. 402.342.6164. — ocm.org.

TASTE OF OMAHA

June 2—4 at Liberty First Arena, e Granary, Ralston. Now in the 26th year, the popular event features food from many of Omaha's top restaurants, good entertainment, and family activities for the kids. 402.346.8003

—showofficeonline.com/TasteHome

ELKHORN DAYS

June 8—11, times vary, downtown Elkhorn, 20801 Elkhorn Dr. Th e annual celebration includes a parade, fi reworks, corn hole tournament, the TahaZouka Music Festival, the West O Car Show, and more.

—elkhorndays.com

BELLEVUE ROCKS! RIVERFRONT FESTIVAL 2023

June 8—11 at American Heroes Park, County Hwy H10, Bellevue. Th e four-day event features live music, headlined by Country Rocker Uncle Kracker, and the return of the large, family-friendly, famous Heart of America Carnival to Bellevue’s Riverfront with rides and attractions. Times vary.

—bellevuerockstheriverfront.com

LITFEST: UNDER THE STARS

June 10 at 24645 Pacifi c St., Waterloo. Includes a female empowerment dinner, shopping, networking, and self-healing workshop. 5pm to 1am.

—nelitinc.com

NCAA MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 16—26 at Charles Schwab Field, 1200 Mike Fahey St. The top eight college baseball teams in the nation compete for the NCAA Division I Men’s Baseball Championship, also known as “the Greatest Show on Dirt.” Times vary. 402.554.4422.

—NCAA.com/CWS

OMAHA FREEDOM FESTIVAL: A CELEBRATION OF JUNETEENTH

June 17 at Malcolm X Memorial Foundation, 3448 Evans St. The event provides for cultural and historical celebration in addition to education, entertainment, and exposure to resources with a concert later in the day featuring Musiq Soulchild, Lyfe Jennings, Enjoli & Timeless, Josh Jones, and DJ Chain. 12pm to 12am.

—omahafreedomfestival.com

ANNUAL TESTICLE FESTIVAL

June 17 at Round the Bend Steakhouse, 30801 E park Hwy. Ashland. The 29th annual event includes beef fries, cold beverages, live music, and a Ball Eating Contest. 11am to 11pm. 402.944.9974.

—roundthebendsteakhouse.com/festival

DINOSAUR DOMINION

FAMILY FUN WEEKEND

June 3—5, at Omaha Children’s Museum, 500 S 20th St. Includes themed activities and a chance to explore the new exhibition, Jurassic Nebraska 9 am to 4 pm Friday; 9am to 5pm Saturday & Sunday. 402.342.6164.

— ocm.org.

OMAHA KITE FESTIVAL

June 24 at Concordia Jr.—Sr. High School, 15656 Fort St. Witness some of the largest, most colorful kites in the nation. The event includes free face painting and balloon twisting for kids. Guests should bring lawn chairs or blankets for open lawn seating. 11am to 4pm.

FESTIVAL OMAHA

June 24 at 3104 Jeff erson St. Features diff erent types of Cuban music such as Latin Jazz, Danzón, Son, Guaracha, Cha Cha Cha, Guaguanco, and more. 3:45pm. 402.800.5107.

—andywilliamallstarband.com

MEMORIAL PARK CONCERT

June 30 at Memorial Park, 6005 Underwood Ave. Presented by the City of Omaha, the event includes local bands, national acts, and one of the region's largest fi reworks displays. Headlined by Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Melissa Etheridge with special guests Herman's Hermits led by Peter Noone. Presented by City of Omaha. People can begin staking out their spots with blankets at 5am. Concert begins at 6pm.

—memorialparkconcert.com

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Food for

Sarah Hummel Jones molds clay to shape, glaze, and fi re iconic American cuisine—ceramic pretzels, fried eggs, and pizza slices. Yet, each piece’s title hints at a subtext bubbling just beneath the surface: the malleability of perception. The food Hummel Jones chooses to sculpt is based on what that item can “be transformed into.”

“I like [to make] stuff you would see every day, but maybe you're not paying attention to it as closely as I am,” Hummel Jones said.

Her brand, Clay Club Ceramics, is represented by what appears to be a haphazard doodle; upon closer inspection, the image of a flower in bloom materializes. This logo encapsulates the free-formed, yet highly intentional, style of Hummel Jones.

“I call it elementary drawing, as opposed to a more realistic form. Grad school can be so uniform and strict, and I was making pieces to break from that practice,” she said.

When Hummel Jones sits at the wheel, often with Kendrick Lamar albums playing in the background, she brings a bucket of water, a small circular sponge, and a wooden pottery knife. She prepares to throw anywhere between one and 10 pieces at a time, flow-state permitting.

“I would turn on music and then just sit down in my space and get started. I often take breaks because I've got a pretty short attention span that I think that’s important to mention,” Hummel Jones explained. “I think a lot of people have the idea that I'm in for like, hours on end nonstop, but I often take pretty frequent breaks…[in part] for peace of mind.”

After the clay has been thrown and kneaded to satisfaction, the glazing process begins. The glazes she uses are either applied in a traditional dipping fashion, or are carefully applied with a squeeze bottle to form precise, fi ligreed designs. She has a natural proclivity for bright, eff usive colors—though more subdued complexions, such as neutral earth tones, are often used in work to be sold to the public at pop-ups.

Thought

Artist Sarah Hummel Jones Explores the Space Between Comfort and Change

“If I couldn’t draw, I don’t know what I would be able to do; I’d probably just be staring at a bl ank wall,”

-Sarah Hummel Jones

STORY BY OLIVIA GREENE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY RENEE LUDWICK

“I've tried to incorporate colors that other people might like.Green, red, or brown tones and whites… for those who like neutrals,” she said.

At past art shows, Hummel Jones has inspired a sense of wonder in those who may not have considered the unrefi ned, yet intricate composition of a pretzel. Her 2019 installation “I can't remember” is composed of over 20 pretzels—all vaguely similar in appearance, yet challenging observers to look closer and get lost in the subtle variations between each snack.

“At that time, I was really interested in creating multiples that were on a smaller scale that could then create a piece that was much larger,” Hummel Jones noted. “I also love making the same thing over and over again because producing ceramics is fun and enticing to me.”

The pretzels are mostly glazed in salmon pinks and mustard yellows, while the baguettes and dinner rolls sold to the public are precisely shade-matched to a realistic ‘bread loaf' beige.’

Hummel Jones’ Instagram followers can’t seem to get enough of the cupcakes, pancakes, and especially the fried eggs.

“I've been picking fried eggs for a while, but then recently went vegan. So now I write the hashtag vegan on the back,” she said.

Many Americans can relate to the impulse of looking to food for comfort. Hummel Jones likes to form sculptures out of the mundane, but she also relates these items to the experience of being human and the struggles inherent to everyday life—and how practicing mindfulness, embracing new perspectives, and engaging one’s creative side can break the spell of routine.

“If I couldn’t draw, I don’t know what I would be able to do; I’d probably just be staring at a blank wall,” Hummel Jones confessed.

The inward experience of mental health struggles is turned outward by Hummel Jones, into something to be held and considered. What might be interpreted as American ‘junk food' is something more than meets the eye: comfort, yes, but also, personal transformation.

“When you speak of it in terms like that, it really hits some other strings,” Hummel Jones said. “There is a mundaneness to the experience of living, while at the same time, there is limitless possibility.”

At time of writing, Hummel Jones is working on a line of functional ceramic pottery, including planters, vases, bud vases, cups, mugs, and plates.

To browse, commission, and support her work, visit clayclubceramics.com or her Instagram page @clayclubceramics.

“

There is a mundaneness to the experience of living while at the same time, there is limitless possibility.”

-Sarah Hummel Jones

MIDWEST'S B

Content Creator Brad

Iwen Chronicles the Wild, Uninhibited Plates of the Heartland

hotographer, filmmaker, content producer, and adventurer Brad Iwen covers food culture in his Midwest Food Stories docuseries.

He fi rst became enamored with “the magic of the darkroom” at Omaha Public Schools' career center.

“It really changed my life,” Iwen said. “I knew I needed to figure out some way to become a photographer for a career.”

He landed his fi rst commercial assignment at age 18 shooting a Merrill Osmond fan club gathering in Branson, Missouri. Then, he headed for Colorado.

“I got a job running fi lm for a company that took pictures of people rafting down the Arkansas River. I would drive a four-wheeler to a trailhead, then run down a canyon trail to the river, where a photographer shot rafters. I decided I wanted to be the photographer,” he recalled. “The next summer I got that job but got really bored…so I trained to be a white water rafting guide. I did that for almost 10 years.”

In his free time, however, Iwen continued to hone his lens-craft.

“I developed commercial clients working at a photo lab in Bozeman, Montana. I met National Geographic photographers,” he said. “I processed their fi lm and heard their stories—that pushed me to go further.”

At the Brooks Institute of Photography In Santa Barbara, California, he learned motion storytelling. He later opened a midtown Omaha studio, traveling from his heartland headquarters to jobs spanning both coasts.

“I’m open to doing stories anywhere,” Iwen affirmed.

All the while, the aspiring foodie nourished his appetite for good grub.

“Traveling around the country, it always became my goal to fi nd something interesting food-wise,” he said. “Everywhere I went, it became a game or challenge exploring different food.”

Always on the hunt for inspired people and dishes, he plugged into Omaha’s burgeoning food scene for inspiration.

“In 2016 I started inviting chefs to my studio. It was an open concept for them to create a seminal dish that inspired them to be a chef or that took them back to their childhood,” Iwen said. “We’d spend the day together, share a glass of wine or beer, eat an amazing meal, and I did my best to tell t heir story.”

Breaking bread with others is a “very important” social contract he pays homage to throughout his project.

“In doing these stories we have great fellowship over shared meals. Th at’s the root of Midwest Food Stories,” he said. “I was so happy with some of that early work, I made prints for a gal lery show.”

To accompany the show, he designed a catalogue displaying the featured chefs’ recipes. Th at led to expanding the project into the field, or “connecting a chef, a producer, the land, and ingredients.”

“Th at’s really what opened everything up for me,” Iwen noted.

Wanderlust and a passion for narrative sent him road-tripping for stories.

“Something sparks my interest in either a location or a chef or a type of food. I get out on the road and ramble. It’s where I do my best thinking,” he said. “I gather a small crew. We spend a day or two days on a ranch or farm. Often, the producer makes us a huge breakfast with a lot of their products. Then it’s learning as much about the producer and their process as possible.”

Leon and Tami Svoboda raise Mangalitsa pigs in northeast Nebraska. Iwen invited Omaha culinary instructor and chef Brian O’Malley to enjoy t heir spread.

“I try to bring a chef with me to the ranchfarm, and then bring the producer into the kitchen with the chef to see their product crafted into beautiful things,” Iwen said. “The Svobodas saw how much love, care, and dedication Chef O’Malley and his students at the Institute for Culinary Arts put into their product.”

“Brad gets to the heart of the authentic very quickly. He has an incredible energy that he harnesses to tell intimate stories in grand ways,” O’Malley said.

Iwen coaxed Omaha food writer Summer Miller and chef Bryce Coulton to make an appearance at Dave Hutchinson’s Custer County, Nebraska, bison ranch. Miller returned with some prime meat to perfect his take on bison stew.

“Getting out into the middle of the Sandhills is a really inspiring thing. It is a wild place in many ways, and its culture has been there a long time,” said Iwen, who’s gone Sandhill cranes watching with his father on the Platte River since he was a boy.

Iwen chronicled chef Michael Glissman as he prepared three from-scratch family meals in Dodge, Nebraska, where he opened the village’s Eat Restaurant.

When Iwen learned Omaha chef Nick Strawhecker loved hunting waterfowl, he caravanned with him to a hunting lodge near the banks of the Niobrara River—specifically, where a farmer and a wildlife biologist conduct research at the nexus of several overlapping ecosystems.

Such adventures underlie Iwen’s desire to bring together people with a shared passion for locally sourced, sustainable, and farm-fresh food.

“It’s all these stories that make this ecosystem. Being in these natural places, meeting the people, seeing the process, hearing stories, and just doing my best to do justice to them is really important,” Iwen said. “I meet really cool people doing cool things—there’s nothing better than that. Food is the core or glue that holds these stories together, but they are about so much more than food.”

Once, for a story he chronicled in Minnesota, Iwen connected a pig farmer, a chef, a commercial fi sherman, and a fi sh smokehouse operator, resulting in a greater sense of community and delicious plates.

“Working on that project I fell in love with the area. I brought my family many times and they fell in love with it, too,” he reflected. So in love, in fact, that the Iwens moved to Duluth, Minnesot a, in 2021.

“It’s been amazing to live up here and experience a totally different culture and landscape,” he said.

Still, despite the natural allure of his new home, Iwen isn’t immune to the the pull of the open road.

“I have notebooks fi lled with ideas for stories in every Midwestern state. Nebraska is still my home,” Iwen said. “I have family, great friendships, and contacts there. I have ideas for food stories I want to work on there. It’ll always be a part of what I do.”

Visit midwestfoodstories.com for more information.

Traveling around the country, it always became my goal to find something interesting food-wise. Everywhere I went it became a game or challenge exploring different food.

—Brad Iwen

“My mom was a super g d home c k. I think that’s where my love of f d

developed, I was exposed to great f d early on because we gathered for di er every night.”

-Dan Ho en

Exploring Dan Hoppen’s Passion and Empathy for omaha’s Dining Scene

Few things are as fundamentally vital to humans as food. Beyond providing sustenance, food is a central aspect of every culture, connecting people through shared experience. It can be easy to forget how much joy there is in the world of gastronomy, especially in the fast-paced modern world, wherein the consumption of calories is often relegated to yet another daily chore. Thankfully there are avenues of escape from such mundane mastication, a fact that Dan Hoppen shares enthusiastically via his website and podcast, Restaurant Hoppen.

Omaha Magazine met Dan Hoppen on a Friday morning at a small Mexican eatery downtown called Mexitili Restaurant, which began as a food truck before establishing a fi xed location. He spoke with the server, the friendly Alberto Cardenas, about the transition to downtown and his preferred menu items. His appreciation for food and those who prepare it was plain to see.

“My mom was a super good home cook. I think that’s where my love of food developed. I was exposed to great food early on because we gathered for dinner every night,” Hoppen explained. “Food was a special thing for [our family]. It just kinda grew as I got out of the house and went out on my own. I'm not a good cook myself, so if I want a really good meal, I'm typically going out, and I'm getting it—and I really, really prioritize fi nding something that's really good, something that is maybe a little outside what people are expecting or what they're lo oking for.”

Hoppen uses his website to promote restaurants in and around the Omaha area that he believes deserve recognition. Like many passion projects, Restaurant Hoppen was not created with a grand strategy in mind.

“I started this WordPress blog, and it was really lame, and I was a lot more critical of restaurants back then. But it just kind of, for whatever reason, gained a following. I would write these blog posts and then put them out on Twitter, and it gained this following,” he recalled.

Compared to Restaurant Hoppen’s sleek, professional-looking homepage, its humble beginnings mark an inflection point in Hoppen’s culinary philosophy.

Hoppen said, “Matt Verzal is a former Husker player. He's been on the radio and everything. He got in touch with me and he was like, ‘Dude, you have a really cool platform. What are you going to do with it? Like, you have something here.’ And I was like, ‘I have no idea what I'm doing.’ He's like, ‘Let me handle it. I have some folks who are starting up a podcast studio. Would you be interested in talking with them?’ I said, ‘absolutely.’

“I would bring my buddies on and we would talk about our favorite burger spots and what was the most overrated food and stuff. But then I had Nick Maestas from the Muchachos food truck on. Th at was the fi rst chef or owner that I had on [the podcast]. Th at kind of legitimized it a little bit. I've always been a huge fan of Block 16, and I had interacted with Jess and Paul Urban on social media a lot, but never had actually met them. I asked them to be on the podcast, and they were so gracious and they gave me my time. They got a babysitter and came in at night to record a podcast. After that it just exploded because they are so respected in the restaurant community.”

The podcast has gone on to host a variety of noteworthy guests, and now Hoppen’s name is practically synonymous with Omaha’s culinary scene.

Between bites of Mexitili's "Authentic Mexican Enchiladas," Hoppen returned to the topic of his critical approach early on.

“The pandemic made me a lot more empathetic to restaurant owners. Every restaurant was struggling so much that it was kind of like, you don’t need to kick a horse when it’s down,” he said. “There's no reason to point out all the little mistakes that a place is making when everyone is struggling. So I think I gained a lot of empathy during the pandemic.”

Th is empathy is evident on Hoppen’s blog, where he praises the passion of restaurateurs, established or otherwise.

“Mistakes happen. They happen in any job, any walk of life,” he continued. “But these people are legitimately trying so hard to make you happy and serve you a great meal that I'm not going to try and punch down on them.”

Upon cleaning his platter of enchiladas, Hoppen ordered a birria taco just to try it. Th is disregard for the limitations of the human stomach was impressive, and done in service to the diners of Omaha who follow his posts.

“I don't even know if hidden gems is the right word, but there are so many great restaurants out there. Just get out and try something. Like, even if it's just once a month, say, ‘You know what? We're going to go somewhere different,’” Hoppen encouraged. “It's not just going to be Cheddar's again. We're going to go to Dante instead. We're going to go to Via Farina. We're gonna check out Taqueria Tijuana.

“If you go out and try some of these locally owned restaurants, I think you're going to be surprised by just how delicious and how amazing this food can be.”

For those seeking to deviate from their daily routine of ham sandwiches and fast food, Dan Hoppen’s recommendations are eye-opening and palate-broadening—and a service to Omaha’s vibrant food scene.

For more information on Hoppen’s blog and podcast, visit restauranthoppen.com.

A+C AUTHOR // Story by Julius Fredrick //

Photography by Bill Sitzmann // Design by Matt Wieczorek

For a Good Time, Call:

Grant Triplett Cracks Beers, Jokes, and the Code to Omaha’s Greatest Dives

There’s no denying the rapture of a fine-dining experience—the genuflecting waiter ushering guests to a white-cloth table, the elegant menu with word likes ‘pan-seared’ and ‘braised’ in Baskerville typeface, the polished silver promising a bite of euphoria with every cut. Yet, for most folks, such occasions are a flash in the pan—and the ritual of it all, the pomp and spectacle, leaves little space for genuine interaction.

For that, dive bars are the people’s choice local watering holes where the drinks are cheap, the laughs free, and all manner of personalities converge in stunning disarray. Local author Grant Triplett is well acquainted with such locales he’s deciphered bathroom stall etchings, measured stale beer gas levels, and has organized expeditions to more than 50 Omaha dives. One part David Attenborough, one part Bill Burr (with a wedge of Hunter S. Thompson), Triplett published his findings in taxi diver: a compendium of omaha dive b ars in 2021.

In the book’s preamble (following the dedication and preface, and before the ‘note to the bars’ and ‘how to use this book’ sections), Triplett makes his inten tions clear:

For example, he writes of the Therapy Bar & Grill:

“

Any place that shows Cops, the 5’ o’clock news, or Jeopardy! automatically passed the Dive Test […] Wanna watch police beat the hell out of tweakers in bumf**k West Virginia while you sip an IPA? They got your back. ”

Grant initially developed his passion for (and crass style of) writing while attending the University of Nebraska Lincoln in 2006, penning columns for the Daily Nebraskan

“[The Daily Nebraskan ] hired me and then I wrote about whatever I wanted,” Triplett recalled. “I did one on drinking absinthe, and I got drunk on absinthe and talked about kissing my bed. I did one on sh*t

“I tried to write this in a manner that immerses the reader into dive culture. That is the reason it is crass, cheap, uncouth, and dim. The things you will read are things that are not uncommon to overhear at drinkeries. I love Omaha’s dive bars because you can witness such a vast array of splendid content. They are places where individuals can be untethered and unfiltered no matter how exotic, peculiar, or batsh*t crazy they are.”

Location doesn’t factor into Triplett’s selections from Joe’s Duck Inn in Millard, to the Leavenworth Bar near Midtown, to the Caddyshack Bar & Grill in West O. Rather, he narrowed down the featured bars based on firsthand experience, reputation, an d longevity.

“There’s a few bars that are 60 or 100 years old,” Triplett said. “I think The Happy Bar is the second oldest in the book, so that’s why I joked [in that chapter] that somebody was probably at this bar when Kennedy’s head explo ded, right?”

Each chapter follows the same structure: initial impressions, a “dive test,” and concluding thoughts. Points for the dive test are fairly subjective, but the underlying criteria is “a reason they are not a fancy, ritzy, otherwise cl assy joint. ”

breath just bad breath […] I did one on why I didn’t vote back in the day, and I remember I got a death threat. So, that was my first dose of negative criticism, whic h was fine.”

By the time of taxi diver’s release some 15 years later, Triplett was not only hardened to criticism he was e xpecting it.

“Sometimes you have to accept criticism, and that’s something I’ve learned over 20 years of writing. It comes with it it sucks, it never really doesn’t, but it gets easier,” Triplett explained. “Somebody thinks that you called their place sh*t, because you said it smells like mothballs and brimstone? But at the same time, it’s a net good thing are more people laughing than crying? Are more people happy than angry? I’ve had to have helped at least one or two businesses bring in a little bit of money […] and if not, at least th ey laughed.”

As for his focus on reviews, Triplett had been invited by a friend to the Omaha Food Lovers Facebook page in 2019, where he “lurked and lurked” until heartbreak inspired his first post.

“Kind of what reinvigorated my spark for writing was when I wrote something three years ago [on the Omaha Food Lovers page] about how I got stood up on Valentine’s Day for a date, and got a 40-ounce of Highlife and then got a Sonic meal, because I only eat fast food once a year,” Triplett said. “But I wrote about it and clicked, and then went about my day, drank the 40 […] and then I checked back about an hour later, and I had 600 notifications on my phone.

“Then I go ‘Oh God,’ the first thing I thought was ‘I must have said something offensive or pissed somebody off […] and it was just a bunch of ‘This is the funniest thing I’ve ever read’ and ‘This is hilarious, who are you?’ All this stuff…it kind of reinvigorated my desire f or writing.”

Afterward, Triplett began posting regularly, amassing a following over the 90 or so reviews he’s posted since. The end was result was Triplett’s sophomore book in 2022, the relatively tamer G’s Spots: A Guide to Omaha Eateries a collection of 60 of his posts and a bonus “March Madness” bracket pitting each restaurant “against each other in a battle to the death” to determine “t hee G spot.”

“Just because you get rid of the ‘F bombs’ doesn’t mean it’s not gonna be [crass],” Triplett noted of his second book. “I talk about it in the book, but my mom actually tasked me with I made too many poop references and diarrhea and sh*t references and she’s like ‘I want you to write one without one.’ So, four out of five now are sh*t free, but still, 20% of them have something to do with diarrhea.”

Needless to say, subtlety isn’t a strength (or perhaps, weakness) of Triplett’s. Whether reading taxi diver , G’s Spots , or listening to his podcast SMPL an acronym for Sh*t My Pants Laughing his content, and his goal, are as unfiltered as a hazy IPA.

“It’s to make people laugh and to help a business hopefully both at once,” Triplett said. “That’s the whole point of everything I’ve e ver done.”

Triplett’s books are available on Amazon, and his podcast on Spotify. Visit Omaha Food Lover’s page on Facebook for more information.

Growing up in Albion, Nebraska, food scientist Tessa Porter, 35, learned scratch baking from maternal grandmother Ann Kinzer, and an appreciation for natural ingredients from paternal grandmother, Norma Porter. Laying foundations for her father, construction contractor Randy Porter, steeled her work ethic.

Today, those lessons are infused in her candy development and manufacturing company, Sprinkk. Porter’s lab is based in Omaha, and a soon she’ll open factory in Albion her hometown as of 2020. She’s since collaborated with Norma on organic fruit snacks that hit store shelves last fall, while her dad is renovating a family-owned building for the new plant.

“Things really have fallen into place,” Porter said. “It’s not just about the candy, it’s about the people I grew up and worked with and the things I get to create and how it impa cts others.”

Curiosity and creativity have taken her far; though she never imagined becoming a real-life Willy Wonka.

“Even as a kid I always had this urge to make things out of nothing, whether cooking, crafting, [or] building ,” she said.

She and her sister discovered their love for confectionary in their grandmother’s cafe kitchen, where they were free to experiment with mixing, baking, and entre preneurship.

“I used to pretend I had a cooking show in her kitchen,” Porter said. “She taught us the right way to mix things and to make all these really rich, indulgent desserts. I had a side business making elaborate cheesecakes and building custom boxes for them.”

Porter worked as a waitress and cook, serving breakfast to construction crewmates. To forget the hours of hard labor, she recalled, “I used to pretend I was making brownie s or candy.”

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Porter weighed studying to be a chef before finding her interests lie in learning, particularly, “what goes into the food we create and how to make the products that stand on the shelves.”

“Food science is a combination of art and science,” Porter explained. “The science and the chemistry are how all the molecules interact. But then there’s the art of making it taste delicious. A lot of nuanced things go into it.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree at UNL, she completed her master’s at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was awarded the American Association of Candy Technologists scholarship more than once. Her entry in the male-dominated industry came via the iconic Hershey company.

“I learned a ton about the nitty-gritty chemistry of candy. I got to work with some really cool innovation there,” she said.

Mentor Michelle Frame connected her to Ferrara Candy Company in Chicago, where Porter’s R&D team concocted the first truly organic gummy, Black Forest Gummies. She also led the team for NERDS Gummy Clusters, earning awards at the national Sweets & Snacks Expo.

Porter briefly left Ferrara for a sports nutrition company, before being recruited back as head of innovation and technology to integrate brands and lines after several mergers. Having already reached her dream job in her 20s, she admitted, “I realized I need big ger goals.”

Returning home to shape those goals and spend time with family held st rong allure.

“Maybe more than making candy, I really love being an aunt. I was missing out on things. I knew I wanted to be closer to family,” Porter said.

Whether in Illinois or Nebraska, Porter is among the vanguard of female candy creators and she’s excited about what women can bring to the field.

“My generation is the first bringing femininity to the industry,” she noted. “There are only a few of us that really speciali ze in candy.

“Big companies can come up with new ideas but there’s really no place to test and manufacture them. Even at Ferrara we had all these great ideas that never saw the light of day because manufacturin g ran 24/7.”

That’s when she formulated candy startup Sprinkk, short for Sprinkles.

“Since I really have a love of creating things, figuring out processes, working in manufacturing I figured, ‘why don’t I create a flexible contract manufacturing facility where we can do development and run the first manufacturing tests?’” she said. “That way we can validate process-formula on a much smaller, lower-risk scale.”

“Tessa recognizes opportunities, and goes after them,” observed Frame, who admires that Porter helps other small candy makers find their place in t he industry.

Proof of concept came with turning grandma Norma’s elderberry syrup into a handcrafted fruit snack.

“Grandma Norma gave me the elderberry, the ginger, the cinnamon, the honey components, and I made that fruit snack happen,” Porter recalled. “I picked some rhubarb out of my mom’s garden and boiled it down. I kept the honey, the cinnamon, and other parts the same and created a strawberry rhubarb gummy. That’s how the two formulas came about.”

Her Hershey mentor, Mark Heim, is a big fan of Porter's Midwestern ethics and openness to learning.

“[She's] curious about everything confectionery,” Heim said, “she not only learns, but strives to understand. Seeing what she was able to do with her grandmother’s treat, turning it into a new product…makes her someone for the industry to kee p watching.”

“It’s a little overwhelming how much people like it,” Porter confessed. “People are really surprised by the uniqueness of the flavors. They’re a bit more sophisticated, adult-leaning. The elderberry ginger was a finalist for best new sweet snack at national products expo [in 2023]. Th at was huge.

“It’s been really rewarding to come back to start Sprinkk and launch a brand together with my grandmother. People love that there’s this organic, real story of our lives were putting into these products and building a candy factory together with my dad.”

Porter isn’t resting on her laurels, paying her success forward by cooking up ways to blend candy science with STEM education through various platforms.

“I love to use candy to teach science and to get students excited about science,” she said. “It is a surreal realization what I get to do and how I get to bring this back to my family and c ommunity.”

Visit sprinkk.com for more information.

“The science and the chemistry are how all the molecules interact. But then there’s the art of making it taste delicious. A lot of nuanced things go into it.”

-Tessa Porter

Tessa

PADDLING A PUMPKIN TO A WORLD RECORD

AN OTOE COUNTY MAN REIGNS SUPREME IN THE GUINNESS BOOK

"Hey! You’re that pumpkin guy!”

Duane Hansen can’t venture outside his Syracuse, Nebraska, home without somebody recognizing him, eager to engage in conversation about his “pumpkin ride down the Missouri.”

This improbable pumpkin tale occurred last year on August 27th, the morning after his 60th birthday. Hansen climbed into his homegrown, hollowed-out, 847-pound pumpkin at a public dock in the city of Bellevue and sat on a cooler filled with beer. For the next 11 hours, he paddled his way south down the ‘mighty Mo,’ determined to break the previous Guinness World Record of 25 miles set in 2016 by a man who navigated a pumpkin down the Red River between Minnesota and Nor th Dakota.

With his sister Yvonne, who flew in from San Diego for the event, his wife Allyson, and 30-year-old twins Colton Hansen and Morgan Hansen Buchholz riding in a boat behind him to chronicle and certify the journey, Hansen broke the record just before three that afternoon and continued to squash it all the way down to Nebraska City. He had paddled for a total of 37.5 miles, emerging from the pumpkin soaked, sore, and victorious.

“My knees ached for three days,” Hansen recalled. “I was crouching low in that pumpkin for over 11 hours and cou ldn’t move.”

The lingering effect of fatigued limbs paled in comparison to what happened next.

The morning after Hansen’s river adventure, he woke up to his neighbor banging on his door. Hansen remembers the ensuing conversat ion vividly:

“My neighbor said, ‘Hey, you want to do a Zoom interview in London?’ I said, ‘How did they even know how to get a hold of you?’ And he said, ‘Well, evidently they found out I was your neighbor, and you don’t answer your phone!’”

Hansen continued, “Well, all right, but I don’t know how to do Zoom. And he said, ‘That’s OK. I’ll do it for you.’”

And so it began days and days of fielding phone calls, giving interviews, and learning how to nav igate Zoom.

“It was crazy,” Hansen said. “Absolutely crazy.”

His wife, Allyson, added, “There were people here all the time just wanting to lo ok at him.”

Credit the power of the instant information age. Facebook posts from fascinated onlookers who lined the riverbank from Bellevue to Nebraska City, coupled with local media

coverage, lit a media firestorm that burned from Florida to Staten Island, from Boise to Bangor, then exploded worldwide. Hansen’s record-breaking ride appeared in London’s biggest newspapers, the Economic Times of India , on the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) and even netted a lengthy interview on a Canadian talk show. The Internet went berserk, as did YouTube. Even the woman who answered the phone at a seed catalog company recognize d his name.

“Oh, I can’t believe I’m talking to the person who went down the Missouri in a pumpkin,” she gushed to Hansen.

Hansen’s coworkers at the Omaha Public Power District plant in Nebraska City, where Hansen operates a 75-ton coal pusher, had to laugh whenever there was a 10-minute lull in the wheel dozer’s output. They knew Hansen was in the cab, giving another phone interview.

What was the catalyst for this pumpkin odyssey?

“Allyson and I went to a giant pumpkin-growing seminar in Oregon a few years ago and that’s where I first heard about floating a pumpkin down a river,” Hansen said. “I thought, ‘Well, that’s cool. I’m going to do that someday.’”

“Someday” took over five years. The master gardener, whose Syracuse property consists of rolling hills and several greenhouses where he also cultivates lemons, limes, and tomatoes, tried time and again to grow a pumpkin big enough to ship him down the Missouri. He knew it would have to be at least 800 pounds.

His determination paid off. Last summer, one seed he had planted in early April had grown into the biggest pumpkin of his life an ‘Atlantic Giant’ variant. With the pumpkin growing at a rate of 15 pounds per day, Hansen cut the vine in early August at 847 pounds. His daughter, Morgan, then scrambled to get the Guinness World Record application approved.

Most people thought Hansen was out of his gourd attempting such a risky voyage. But he wasn’t motivted by the accolades of breaking a world record as much as he welcomed the challenge of growing a personal-best pumpkin. For Hansen, the passion for cultivating vining crops began at an early age.

“My grandfather’s sisters grew pumpkins and gourds and watermelons in their Papillion garden, and I thought they were so beautiful,” he reflected. “I guess there was just something inside of me. I had to grow them, too.”

Hansen’s initial reaction after his ride was, “Never again!” And who could blame him? Danger lurked for 11 hours: hidden rocks, sandbars, and the wake from ‘lookie-loos’ in passing boats posed a constant tipping threat considering less than a foot of pumpkin appeared above t he surface.

“I never could stand up to get a beer,” Hansen laughed. “I had to hold on for dear life.”

But time brings a new perspective. Hansen’s goal now is to grow a pumpkin that weighs a ton big enough to fit two p eople. Why?

“Well, Morgan says two people have never gone down a river in a pumpkin, so…” Stay tuned.

His determination paid off...With the pumpkin growing at a rate of 15 pounds per day, Hansen cut the vine in early August at 847 pounds.

H O W THE COOKIE STR UMB LES

Eli Vedral never set out to be a cookie entrepreneur, but a strict one-snack rule from his childhood led him on an unexpected path to becoming a baked good mogul.

Describing how his parents enforced their snacking stipulation, the 22-year-old Creighton University graphic design major, said, “I somehow learned that if I made homemade chocolate chip cookies, they could not control how much I consumed or baked. If I wanted to have cookies, I would make them.”

Five cookies, for example, counted as one item, so Vedral was technically in the clear even without cleaning his dinner plate.

Little did he or his parents realize that Vedral’s loophole would grow into something much bigger: Kookaburra Cookies, a specialty gourmet cookie business, for which Vedral wears multiple hats as founder, owner, and baker.

Being an entrepreneur was never at the top of Vedral’s priorities as a busy college student (he also runs Division I track for Creighton’s men’s cross country team), but when COVID19 hit, he had difficulty finding a job he enjoyed. He asked his aunt, Stephanie Jarrett, co-founder of Bulu, a subscription box fulfillment company, for advice.

Jarrett told him, “I think you can start something for yourself in the middle of a pandemic we have nothing for you, and most businesses aren’t going to have anything.”

Vedral took inspiration from his aunt’s words as well as from a trip to Sydney, Australia, where he studied for a semester under Creighton’s Global Schola rs program.

“Living in Australia completely changed the way I thought about food, which was the concept of food fusion,” he explained.

Vedral recalled visiting restaurants and snack shops that offered unique food combinations, like sushi cheeseburgers and spicy gelatos. This culinary awakening sparked an idea to combine his two favorite things: muffin tops and crumbly cookies. "Strumble,” his trademarked portmanteau of “streusel and crumble,” was born.

His creation required an outlet, and Kookaburra Cookies followed so named, he explains on his website, for “an iconic bird native to Australia because they are known for spreading joy and making people smile. I want to channel that same energy through my cookies.”

Vedral put his graphic design degree to work by designing the whimsical bird that graces his packaging.

With the help of a cottage permit and a stand mixer in his parents’ Wahoo, Nebraska, kitchen, Vedral works toward perfecting his baked goods, which feature an array of flavors: lemon shortbread, cookies and cream, s’mores, coffee cake, birthday cake, and chocolate-peanut butter. Each cookie comes topped with strumble; the company’s tagline a cheeky invitation: “Are you ready to strumble?”

Kookaburra’s coffee cake strumble is what Vedral believed would initially entice customers: a cookie they could eat for breakfast.

“I’m a big cookies for breakfast advocate,” he chuckled. “It has brown sugar and cinnamon strumble a cinnamon swirl throughout the brown sugar cookie dough just a great cookie you can have at any point in the day.”

Jarrett isn’t surprised Vedral is making a name for himself in the baked goods industry.

“He’s always been entrepreneurial minded. He started baking cakes when he was in high school with his younger brother. They had this, like, side business any opportunity to be creative and to try something new, he was all over it,” she said.

The proud aunt also noted how seriously Vedral takes his trade, describing how he applies the science of baking to make his cookies taste better while adjusting for softness.

“Those cookies are truly a work of art,” Jarrett observed. “He understands not only the artistry that goes into making a cookie in terms of flavor profile, but he understands all of the science and chemistry behind it [as well].”

This, she continued, is what separates Kookaburra Cookies from other market options.

“A very standard, at best, cookie with some sort of novelty topping isn’t actually that creative or great,” Jarrett noted. “Eli really puts a lot of thought and care into the flavor profile. He’s not trying to pump out new toppings that are just kind of this random thing and calling it cookie of the week. He’s just really focused on making something good and keeping the integrity of his product.”

After graduating from Creighton, Vedral hopes to open a storefront for his business so he can see more of his customers in-person. The appearance of the storefront is anything but certain, but the young entrepreneur ha s a vision.

“I want it to be just like a space that is very inviting and welcoming, that has strong ties to the community it’s in,” he shared.

Three years into Kookaburra Cookies, Vedral continues to work on his recipes.

“One of the things I pride myself on is just the highest quality cookie possible,” he said.

Visit kookaburracookies.com for more information.

“THOSE COOKIES ARE TRULY A WORK OF ART. HE UNDERSTANDS NOT ONLY THE ARTISTRY THAT GOES INTO MAKING A COOKIE IN TERMS OF FLAVOR PROFILE, BUT HE UNDERSTANDS ALL OF THE SCIENCE AND CHEMISTRY BEHIND IT [AS WELL].” -STEPHANIE JARRETT

ELI VEDRAL’S KOOKABURRA COOKIES BRINGS CULINARY FUSION TO THE BAKING INDUSTRY

by Lexi Shuck PHOTOGRAPHY by Bill Sitzmann | DESIGN by Matt Wieczorek

FOOD STYLIST SARAH JANE HUNT

hoW SWEEt it iS!

hoW SWEEt it iS!

A TRIPLE SCOOP OF TED & WALLY’S ULTRA-PREMIUM ICE CREAM.

0Maha’S SWEET ScENE haS a

LITTLE SuGaR F0R EVERY0NE

IT WAS A SWEET JOB, BUT SOMEONE HAD TO DO IT. OMAHA MAGAZINE EXHAUSTED EVERY CORNER OF THE METRO IN SEARCH OF THE CITY’S MOST TANTALIZING DESSERTS AND DECADENT TREATS. WHETHER CHURNING ICE CREAM, BAKING BROWNIES, OR RISING TO THE LEVEL OF A PÂTISSIER OR CHOCOLATIER, THOSE WORKING IN THE LOCAL SWEET TREAT TRADE KNOW HOW TO CRAFT DESSERTS THAT DELIGHT EYES AND PALATES ALIKE. ITALIAN ACTOR MICHELE RENZULLO ONCE SAID, “NOTHING DESCRIBES US BETTER THAN THE SWEETS WE EAT.” IN THAT CASE, OMAHANS ARE AMONG THE SWEETEST PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY—SO SAMPLE, SAVOR, AND INDULGE!

OLD MARKET

TED & WALLY’S

1120 Jackson St ./Old Market Benson location: 60 2 3 Maple St. Sunday Thursday, 11am to 10pm; Friday & Saturday, 11am to 11pm teda ndwallys.com

An Old Market staple since 1984, this humble ice cream parlor lives up to its promise of dishing out “homemade ice cream made from scratch with hyper-local ingredients,” such as cream and milk produced by dairy farms within 100 miles of Omaha. Their old-school process, which involves churning butterfat and eggs in century-old White Mountain freezers with rock salt and ice, results in ultra-premium ice cream with a butterfat content of 20% or the highest butterfat ice cream that can be found anywhere in the nation. (Ultra-premium usually tops off at 16%.) Rich and creamy, dense and decadent, a cone or dish from Ted & Wally’s is perfect after dinner downtown or as a standalone when visiting the Old Market.

On average, 15 to 20 selections are offered daily, with flavors like Dutch chocolate, toffee coffee, caramel praline, or blueberry crisp prominent customer favorites. The more adventurous may opt for picks like pink peppercorn, sour apple, or lemon Oreo. For those with dietary considerations, vegan and keto ice creams are al so options.

BROWNIE BAR BAKERY

1217 Leavenworth St ./Old Market

Rockbrook location: 2821 S . 108th St. Wednesday Saturday, 12pm to 8pm; Sunday, 1 2pm to 5pm brownieb arbakery.com

Next to chocolate chip cookies, brownies are the ultimate comfort food, and the Brownie Bar kicks that comfort to the next level with a “build-your-own” approach. Choose from three types of brownie traditional, blonde, or dark chocolate which are whipped up from scratch with fresh ingredients that include butter, eggs, and real vanilla and chocolate. Toppings come next and run the gamut from peanut butter frosting and fudge sauce to compote and crushed nuts for sweet-meets-savory c ombinations.

Indecisive? Indulge in a “brownie flight,” which features all three flavors of brownie and up to eight toppings so you can mix, match, taste, and compare. Keeping with the “bar” theme, the bakery also offers six-packs and cases of 24 or 36

DOWNTOWN

PETTIT’S PASTRY

502 N. 16th St.

Monday Friday, 5am to 6pm; Saturday & Sunday, 5am to 12pm West Omaha location: 311 N. 114th St.

Tuesday & Wednesday, 6am to 1pm; Thursday & Frida y, 6am to4pm

Saturday & Sunday , 6am to 1pm pettitspas tryomaha.com

Baking for Omahans since 1954, Pettit’s Pastry maintains a simple menu: doughnuts, rolls, cakes, cupcakes, muffins, and cookies. But that’s where the simplicity ends. Masters of old-school piping and frosting, the bakers here create fanciful cakes, cupcakes, and other confections in just about any style desired. Do you want a cake fashioned to resemble an armadillo? This bakery has you covered.

If you’d like a pastry to accompany your morning coffee, try the apple fritters or turnovers. If you’d prefer something even more traditional, opt for one of their signature doughnuts. There’s a reason generations of families have been stopping by this bakery for close t o 70 years.

BUBBLY TART

3020 Leavenworth St./Downtown

Tuesday Thursday, 11am to 8pm; Friday & Saturday, 11am to 9pm; Sunday, 10am to 2pm thebu bblytart.com

Specializing in what it calls “boutique desserts,” the Bubbly Tart, one of the most recent additions to Omaha’s sweet scene, offers an impressive array of in-house developed baked goods and custom pastries. The business offers creative ways to package its treats. “Grazing boxes” come brimming with macarons, cakesicles, oatmeal creme pies, tarts, olive oil chocolate chip cookies, brownies, bars, cupcakes, and homemade caramel popcorn. “Bento boxes” contain six cupcakes and a small buttercream frosted cake in tempting flavors like marble, almond, lemon, red velvet, and coffee, with filling options including lemon curd, champagne custard, and choco late mousse.

Of course, there is also the selection of cupcakes, cookies, macarons, miniature cakes and more, all gorgeously decorated in a pleasing palette of pastel rainbow hues. The influence is decidedly French pastry meets an American approach, with a result that is almost too pretty to eat. Almost. Gluten-free and vegan are always m enu options.

CTRL COFFEE & CEREAL BAR

1016 S. 10th St.

Tuesday Thursday, 7am to 10pm; Friday Sunday, 7am to 3pm ct rlcoffee.com

“Life’s too short for boring” is this cafe’s tagline, so it’s unsurprising that they make patrons feel like kids again with their cereal bar, a nostalgic take on a childhood staple. Choose from 33 types of cereal, ranging from Coco Puffs to Cheerios, and mix and match them in a bowl for unique fl avor combos.

Cereals also come with your choice of two toppings. Did your parents ever tell you not to have too much sugar for breakfast? You no longer have to listen as you ladle marshmallows into your bowl. And it’s not the sugar rush that’s playing with your vision. The colorful interior really is that hippy-trippy. Sip, slurp, crunch to your hear t’s content.

MIDTOWN i AKSARBEN CONEFLOWER CREAMERY

3921 Farnam St./Blackst one District

1241 Millwork Ave./Mill work Commons

Tuesday Saturday, 12 pm to 10 pm; Sunday, 11am to 8pm coneflower creamery.com

Drive through the Blackstone District and you’ll inevitably see people queuing for Coneflower ice cream. For good reason. The “farm to cone” approach means ingredients are local and fresh with each purchase supporting community farmers. While standards like dark chocolate, salted caramel, and vanilla bean are always on offer, don’t miss speciality flavors like coffee, made with local partner, Archetype Coffee, and in-season sweet corn, truly a loving nod to the Cornhusker state. That latter is one of Coneflower’s signature menu items and a flavor even the most devoted ice cream aficionados don’t typically associate with the f rozen treat.

Toppings are both the usual suspects hot fudge, sprinkles, and the like as well as unexpected ones, like whipped coconut cream and Amarena cherries. Ice pops, floats, and artisan bottled sodas are also offered for those with dietary considerations. Also note: they opened their second location in Millwork Commo ns in April.

SOFRA CRÊPERIE

1911 S. 67th St.

Aksarben Village Inner Ra il Food Hall

S ofra Kitchen

220 S. 31st Ave./Midt own Crossing

Sunday Thursday, 11am to 8pm; Friday & Saturday, 11am to 9pm so fraomaha.com

Anyone who’s spent time in France knows the utter delight of walking up to a sidewalk crêperie and ordering an almost paper-thin crêpe piping hot off the griddle and filled with various sweet fillings. You don’t have to travel far to have the same experience. Pan-fried and eggier than a pancake, crêpes may be delicate, but still offer the ideal foundation for a wide variety of fillings. Omaha’s own Sofra offers savory and sweet crêpes alike, but it’s the latter option that always has us craving a return visit. Specialty crêpes include Nutella and graham cracker, chocolate peanut butter, s’mores, strawberry cheesecake, white chocolate, and, in an American spin on this very French speciality, peanut butter and jelly. Fresh bananas and strawberries often round out the flavors.

Whether you’re dining in or grabbing a crêpe on the go, you’ll understand why these easy-to-eat desserts are a favorite on the street s of Paris.

NORTH OMAHA

BUTTERED MARSHMALLOW

2515 N. 48th Ave.

Mondays Sundays, 9am to 11am butteredmar shmallow.com

With a tempting mélange of flavors like pink champagne, chocolate Zinfandel, orange coconut, pumpkin and cream, and of course, the eponymous buttered marshmallow, choosing just one type of cake is a true challenge in this modest bakery. Fortunately, there are “charcakerie” boards, which serve cake wedges, fillings, buttercreams, and garnishes for dipping, spreading, and sprinkling. Dessert boards similarly provide an opportunity to sample items like cookies, profiteroles, tarts, cake bombs, and sign ature cakes.

Decorated sugar cookies, sandwich cookies, and brownies provide for standard delights, while breakfast treats like apple strudel, poppyseed bread, and crumb cake offer perfect complements to morning tea or coffee. Then, there are pies (apple, cherry, key lime, and pecan, for starters) and tarts (chocolate, lemon, and cranberry.) The daily hours may be limited to mornings, but this is the kind of place that demands repeat visits for a representati ve sampling.

D&D FROZEN CAKES

262 6 Dewey Ave.

Friday, 2pm to 7pm; Saturday, 1pm to 5pm ddfro zencakes.com

This “daddy-daughter” -owned business started so that Freddy and Rose Perry could spend more time together. In doing so, they’ve also provided a way for more people to gather and linger over artful frozen cakes made from smooth, creamy premium ice cream. Cake flavors to order are limited to four, but what a rich four they are! Big brownie features vanilla and chocolate with a brownie top and bottom. Cookie dough and cookie and cream are each loaded with drizzle and chunks of their dominant c ookie types.

And the strawberry dream cake? It’s a fruity overload with strawberry ice cream, syrup, and crumble all paired with fresh strawberries a fitting way to celebrate the start to summer and strawberry picki ng season .

BUTTERED MARSHMALLOW’S SIGNATURE CAKE: WHITE CAKE WITH TORCHED, BUTTERED MARSHMALLOWS, DRIZZLED AND LAYERED WITH CARAMEL.

SOUTH OMAHA INTERNATIONAL BAKERY

5106 S. 24th St.

Monday Sunday, 7am to 9pm internationalbakery-bakery.business.site

The moment you cross the threshold into this neighborhood bakery, you’re greeted with the aroma of freshly baked, straightout-of-oven pastries and breads. Grab a tray and pair of tongs to serve yourself as your make your way to to the register, cafeteria style. (Keeping your tray reasonably piled is a challenge.) Prices start around 55 cents for single items, so the surprise at the register is usually how little so much costs.

Variety is the name of the game with everything from cakes, cookies, and pastries to doughnuts, stuffed breads, and croissants, and of course, Mexican baked specialties. Don’t miss the pay de queso (cheesecake) and marranitos (soft gingerbread pigshaped cookies). Unexpected sweet treats also include jalapeño and cream cheese rolls. This is a South O staple for a very dese rved reason.

TIPICO HELADO

5210 S. 21st St.

Monday, 1pm to 10pm; Tuesday Sunday, 11am to 10pm facebook.com/ TipicoHelado

This family-owned small business offers a variety of Mexican ice cream and sorbets in flavors that delight and refresh. The mangonadas, made with fresh mangos, are a perennial favorite and perfection on a steamy summer day, as is the cucumber ice cream not sweet, but hydrating. Fruit cups comprised of mango, melon, and watermelon are spiced with tajin and chamoy. The paletas are also a perennially popular option. These Mexican popsicles are made from fresh fruits such as strawberry and mango or rich ingredients like pistachio an d chocolate.

If you’re on the thirsty side, sample an agua fresca, or refreshing fruit beverage made from water, fruit, lime juice, and sweetener like sugar or agave. Other favorites include the piñon (pine nut) ice cream and the fresas con crema (strawberries and cream).

WEST OMAHA GRAND PATISSERIE

14451 W. Center Rd.

Monday Saturday, 10am to 7pm; Sunday, 10am to 4pm facebook.com/Omahagra ndpatisserie

Chocolate mousse and pistachio raspberry cake. Banana hazelnut mousse and almond pear tarts. And of course macarons upon macarons upon macarons all in vibrant primary colors and a variety of flavors. The French approach to pastries doesn’t just come from the business name; it’s evident in every flaky pastry and cakey crumb on display in this bakery’s glass cases. The swan choux, golden cream puffs filled with sweet cream, or galettes des rois, (“cakes of kings”), made from delicate puff pastry filled with frangipane almond cream, are just two examples of traditional French pâtisserie regular ly on offer.

For those who want something a little less grand, try the pains au chocolat, or chocolate croissants, the plain croissants, or the straightforward fruit tarts. Simple and uncomplicated, these items have a devout following, including among Omaha’s transplanted French community.

THE CORDIAL CHERRY

16939 Wright Plaza/The Sho ps of Legacy

Tuesday Friday, 12pm to 6pm; Saturday, 12pm to 4pm thecordi alcherry.com

As the name suggests, the business offers handmade cordial cherries and chocolate truffles created with breathtaking details that make these treats seem more like miniature works of art than something edible. Whether choosing a cherry dipped in chocolate for a special occasion like a birthday or Valentine’s Day or treating yourself simply “because,” a box from the Cordial Cherry is certain to delight.

Designer cherries, filled with made-from-scratch liquid syrup, are often holiday or season-themed, such as as the miniature baby rattles ideal for baby showers. Designer truffles, too, demonstrate the level of expertise that goes into every morsel of chocolate produced in the shop. The whimsical “Bee’s Knees” collection, for example, includes truffles crafted with rich, brown butter ganache that resemble bumble bee s and hives.

CENTRAL OMAHA

CAMILLE’S BAKERY

8717 Countryside Plaza/Country side Village

Monday, 9am to 2pm; Tuesday Friday, 9am to 4pm; Saturday, 9am to 3pm camill esbakery.com

Coconut macaroons, Russian teacakes, and chocolate meringues oh, my! Camille’s offers a delectable assortment of sweets that run the gamut from mousse cups and chocolate almond tortes to raspberry scones and lemon tartlets. A staple in Countryside Village, the business draws people from around the metro thanks to its eclectic range of baked goods.

The ever-changing selection of confections comes down to the bakery’s namesake, Camille, who draws inspiration from far and wide. Items might be as traditional as a basic pineapple upside down cake or cinnamon rolls the kinds your grandmother used to make or more elevated baked goods like German chocolate cakes and pro fiteroles

THE FLOAT, SUNDAE, AND SODA BAR AT GRALEY’S CREAMERY & CONFECTIONS.

LITHUANIAN BAKERY & KAFE

7427 Pacific St.

Monday Friday, 9:30am to 5pm; Saturday, 9am to 4pm

Lithuanian B akery & Deli

5217 S. 33rd Ave.

Monday Friday, 8am to 6pm; Saturday, 8am to 4pm lithuani anbakery.biz

Founded in 1962 by Lithuanian immigrants Vytautas Mackevicius and his wife, Stefanija, the Lithuanian Bakery has been baking its specialty tortes for over 40 years. Known for only two items the Napoleon and chocolate tortes the bakery consistently delivers a heritage product that has become beloved among generations of Omahans.

Why only two? The Napoleon torte takes three painstaking days to meld eight wafer layers with butter creams made from vanilla and lemon extracts, while the middle one contains a whisper of apricot. The chocolate, based on the original Napoleon and introduced to satisfy chocolate lovers, is similarly demanding to create and boasts mixed nuts and chocolat e sprinkles.

PAPILLION

GRALEY’S CREAMERY & CONFECTIONS

147 N. Wa shington St.

Monday Thursday, 11:30am to 8pm; Friday Saturday, 11:30am to 9pm; Sunday, 3pm to 8pm graleys creamery.com

Stopping into this old-fashioned ice cream parlor feels like a visit to the 1800s. From cones to floats, sundaes to banana splits, there’s a charm to enjoying one of the 24 flavors of home-churned super premium ice cream served by staff sporting kerchiefs, aprons, bowties, and spitfire caps. Flavors, blended from fresh, all-natural ingredients, are as traditional as butter brickle and butter pecan to more contemporary selections like piña colada and blood orange.

The creamery also specializes in old-fashioned sodas like brown and black cows. Nothing brings back childhood memories quite like combining root beer or cola with ice cream and a shot or two of choc olate syrup.

BELLEVUE

CHOCOLAT ABEILLE

555 Co rnhusker Rd.

Monday Friday, 10am to 5pm; Saturday, 9am to 4pm chocola tabeille.com

French for “chocolate bee,” this retail establishment created a buzz from the moment it opened with its artisan-crafted chocolates. Hand-painted with colored cocoa to create chocolates that are miniature works of art, five of its 21 signature pieces are combined with wildflower honey from the establishment’s own bees. Fanciful shapes include items like horseshoes, coffee pots, mushrooms, and roses with nuanced flavors like rosemary almond, orange blossom, saffron, and hazelnut honey crunch.

Seasonal assortments and chocolate art are often fanciful with offerings like chocolate shoes captivating cocoa connoisseurs. After all, who needs to cram a foot into a glass slipper when you can savor a stiletto made from chocolate?

POP-UP/ONLINE

Yuvi ’s Bake Shop

Lo cations vary yuvis bakeshop.com

The brainchild of Yuval Kolbar, or “Yuvi” for short, this regular pop-up features dessert tables laden with artisan global desserts and other assorted sundry pastries. The owner’s passion for travel inspires her offerings, which have a distinctive European flair. Crème brûlée puffs, Paris Brest, Basque cheesecake, and macarons all figure prominently on her thoughtfully cu rated menus.

While pop-up locations vary (Aksarben Village’s Inner Rail Food Court is a common one), giving Yuvi's a follow is well worth the watch.

Hours of operation and menu listings are correct at time of publication but subject to change. Omaha Magazine encourages readers to visit websites and/or call in advance before visiting a business.

ith the ground warming and planting season well upon us, Nebraska’s urban farmers are tending their plots, acreages, and gardens with gusto. While many have the privilege of simply walking into their backyard to find tenable soil to produce their favorite fruits and vegetables, it isn’t that simple for the majority of Omaha’s citizens. While food deserts have yawned across Omaha’s history, a growing number of organizations, foundations, and entrepreneurs are working to put everyone on equal, and ferti le, ground.

Healing and the Inheritanc e of History

Healing Roots founder Clarice Dombeck understands that gardening is about more than bringing her community closer to the earth. It’s about bringing the community itself closer. Closer to one another, to sustainable access to nutrient dense foods, and to the ir culture.

“Gardening and farming is ancestral to me,” Dombeck said. “Being a Black, biracial woman, my family was formerly enslaved. As enslaved people, we farmed. We kept gardens, raised animals, we foraged. I would say that Healing Roots really started with my ancestors, especially my grandmother. My grandmother was born in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, and was brought up as a sharecropper. My family worked land that someone else owned, and made a living doing so. Eventually, my grandmother moved to Chicago, and then Omaha. I would say she is the person who brought gardening into our family, and into my life. She always had a beautiful garden. She always grew peppers, tomatoes, peon y bushes.”

For an audio version of this story, open the camera on your smart device and hover over the QR code above.

Omaha’s Community Gardens Cultivate Strong Cultural Roots

A Growi ng Solution

When COVID hit, Dombeck was earning an undergraduate degree and working as a server. When the restaurant where she worked shut down during quarantine, she used the opportunity to dig deep and get her hands dirty.

“I suddenly had all of this time on my hands I wasn’t used to having, and I thought, ‘Okay, if I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it big,’” she recalled.

She expanded her backyard garden to include a medley of flowers, vegetables, and watermelon vines learning to cultivate and nurture the vibrant additions on the fly. She put her habits as a student to excellent use and soon learned what it would take to yield a bountif ul harvest.

“All of my friends and neighbors saw my Facebook posts about my garden, growing all of this beautiful, fresh food. I always had an abundance, and it brought a lot of attention,” Dombeck said. “I decided this needed to be more than just for me I could do a commun ity garden.”

In 2021 Dombeck connected with Manuel Cook, director of urban planning and design at community development nonprofit Spark, who tipped her off to eight available garden beds peppering a historic stretch of North 2 4th street.

“Manuel said that he was looking for someone to activate the community and to bring this project to life,” Dombeck said. “It was really divine that we connected in that way.”

Dombeck had just graduated with a degree in Black studies and sociology when the Spark team approached her with the project.

“That was when Healing Roots really started. It was a Facebook group, and as a group we were able to connect with The Big Garden,” she explained. “They donated a lot of plants, people were giving us seeds, and our group w as growing.”

Since then, Healing Roots has flourished offering canning and preservation workshops, working within the Hope Center’s after school program, and providing access to an online and in-person community that supports collaboration and communication through crop sharing, task delegation, and recip e swapping.

Ancest ral Harvests

Healing Roots is an African Diaspora Garden, connecting growers with the ingredients that have impacted their families and cultures as far back into history as can be traced.

“I have found there is a lot of misconception about soul food and African American cuisine,” Dombeck noted. “There’s this idea that our food is unhealthy or that it’s not nutritious. All of the greens (that are used in soul food) are superfoods. The greens we grow are just as healthy as kale and spinach. We grow mustard greens and collards, green tomatoes, and Paul Robeson tomatoes; all of our varieties are deeply connected with our history.”

Taylor Keen understands the importance of safeguarding ancestral practices, customs, and cuisine. A member of the Omaha Tribe and Cherokee Nation and Founder of Sacred Seeds Native American Garden Keen was compelled to act as the genes of heirloom and native seeds continued to dwindle, or disappear altogether.

“It’s about educating people about the long indigenous agricultural practices that have existed for thousands of years,” Keen said. “The way we ate, the way we planted is very different from European farming techniques. It’s about soil health, understanding the older indigenous agriculture systems, and the ‘Three Sisters’ planti ng systems.”

Keen has focused his efforts on propagating a number of native seeds including the ‘Three Sisters’ of corn, beans, and squash, which all nurture each other and reviving those on the brink of extinction. Through a partnership with local seed ambassadors, Sacred Seeds grows Arikara Sunflower (the fourth sister), Arikara Melon, Cherokee Okra and White Corn, Arikara Sunflower and melon, and Cherokee Trail of Tears Beans at farms and grow houses across the Gr eat Plains.

Understanding the medicinal, historical, and cultural significance of heirloom and native plants and growing techniques is only the first step in providing protections. While Keen and the Sacred Seeds team emphasize the importance of educating the public on the connection between seed and cultural preservation, maintaining the garden requires diligence and hard work and for those who offer their time and sweat, the experience reaches far deeper than the topsoil.

The Cost of Di gging Deeper

An annual grant competition aiming to support projects and initiatives that improve a neighborhood’s appearance and livability took note of the pivotal role community gardens are playing in how residents are eating, connecting, and contributing to one another. Blazing Star Seed Cooperative received a $3,303 grant to promote the preservation and distribution of locally relevant seeds in 2022. Westgate Neighborhood Association received $4,680 to support their community garden. The Union for Contemporary Art received $4,750 for The Abundance Garden, which provides a free farm stand and hosts regular workshops on garden planning for seed saving throughout the grow ing season.

Community gardens and the teams of planners, designers, educators, and workers who keep them bountiful are doing more than cultivating sustainable access to healthy resources; they’re creating social sustainability. Organizations like Healing Roots, City Sprouts, and The Big Garden are a collaborative growing effort, not only in terms of the abundance of freshly grown produce they generate, but in the opportunity to connect participants with the knowledge and support of a community that cares about making a positive impact.

Cultivating Community

For those who are new to gardening, or to the concept of breed preservation, the Omaha Public Library is the plac e to start. This year marks 10 years of the Omaha Public Library’s seed share program, the Common Soil Seed Library. The program allows all library patrons (that means library cardholders in good standing) the opportunity to “check out” up to 15 seed packets a month. A first-time growers packet has been curated to make growing easy, and the library contains hundreds of varieties, from amaranth to zinnia and everything in between. Patrons are encouraged to save and donate seeds back to the library at the end of the growing season, but donating seeds is completely voluntary.

Visit

ram page

Cla rice Dombeck

“

All of my friends and neighbors saw my Facebook posts about my garden, growing all of this beautiful, fresh food. I always had an abundance...I decided this needed to be more than just for me I could do a commu nity garden.

-Cla rice Dombeck

HEAT -ANDEAT

the tv dinner’s nebraska roots run deep

hile it is accepted lore that the much beloved Reuben was conceptualized in 1920s Omaha, there is a significant amount of speculation and contention between metro establishments all claiming to have been the first to serve the salty sandwich. Similarly, the facts behind the creation of the TV dinner has been the subject matter of debate since the ’50s.

Carl Swanson immigrated at the age of 17 with his family from Karlskrona, Sweden, to Nebraska in 1896. From there, he settled among Omaha’s Swedish population, which occupied “Little Stockholm” from Cass to Cumming Streets, and the Gifford Park area. Swanson paid his dues learning English and working the land on a farm in Blair, Nebraska, before partnering with the Jerpe Commission Company in 1899. The company specialized in transporting eggs, milk, and dairy products from farmers to Omaha hotels and groc ery stores.

Swanson’s insights and work ethic bolstered company growth, and soon Jerpe expanded to chicken, turkey, and other meats. When Swanson’s sons, Gilbert and Clarke, were ready to enter the business, Carl purchased Jerpe and renamed the venture C.A. Swanson and Sons.

The story of how Swanson’s came to exist isn’t where the dispute lies determining how, exactly, frozen dinners came into the public lexicon is where the rub is.

innovation on ice

Innovator, inventor, and naturalist Clarence Birdseye discovered the benefits of flash-freezing after purchasing land in Muddy Bay (Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada). The Native population educated him in Inuit ice fishing techniques, where he learned that fish he caught in the -40° temps were freezing instantly, and that when thawed, maintained their freshness better than any seafood he had experienced living i n New York.

This inspired the trial-and-error invention of Birdseye’s signature food preservation and quick-freezing methods, including the double belt freezer. In 1929, Birdseye sold his business and his patents to what would eventually become General Foods. He continued to work with the company to develop preservative technology, and General Foods ultimately founded the Birds Eye Frozen Food Company in his honor.

While most households owned a refrigerator in the year 1930, not many of them came with ice boxes. Still, the company began to test consumer confidence in flash-frozen fruits, vegetables, and meats, and this relationship marked the official beginning of the direct-to-consumer retail frozen food phenomenon.

test flight

Birdseye’s double belt freezer was the key ingredient in Maxon Food System’s enthusiastic proposal to introduce complete frozen dinners to airlines in 1945. William L. Maxon, well known for his invention of the forced-convection oven, made the now popular air fryer possible. Despite his best efforts, however, he fell just short of being named the progenitor of the TV dinner.

His original intention was to improve the dining experience of servicemen traveling with the US Navy. His Sky Plate (or StratoPlate, according to some accounts) “blue plate specials” were partially cooked before being frozen, and he had expanded to offering ham, meatloaf, beef stew, franks and beans, steak, and veal cutlets. While the idea was well received, attempts to expand to retailers fell apart upon the death of Maxon’s founder, the irreplaceable William L. Maxon himself.

holiday on ice

The collision of Birdseye’s flash-freezing technology and Maxon’s heat-and-eat dining idea came about in 1953. A salesman for the Swanson company, Gerry Thomas, heard about a company frantically trying to preserve 260 tons of raw Thanksgiving turkey being shuttled back and forth between the Nebraska headquarters and the East Coast without a plan for unused product. At the time, refrigerated train cars only cooled while the train w as running.

Thomas had the idea to add other holiday staples like stuffing, vegetables, gravy, and sweet potatoes. Meanwhile, Swanson’s bacteriologist, Betty Cronin, cracked the code on how to heat the meat and vegetables at the same time, killing bacteria without resulting in a plate of soggy mush.

While many at the Swanson company attribute the invention of the TV dinner to Gilbert and Clarke Swanson, and the family’s heirs have long contested the account of Thomas’s discovery, most stories continue to cite Gerry Thomas’s recollection as the product’s t rue genesis.

The invention gained steam as women entered the work force in droves in the early ’50s. While wives and mothers had less time in the kitchen to prepare daily meals for their families, Swanson’s TV dinner made it possible for anyone even a 1950s husband to pop a tray into the oven and enjoy a hot meal just 25 minutes later.

fast food gets faster

Officially introduced in 1953, Swanson sold 5,000 trays upon launching. Just one full year into production, the company had reached ten million TV dinner sales. Two years later, Swanson’s was acquired by the Campbell Soup Company, and a year later, hit annual sales of over $13 million.

Soon, other companies were following Swanson’s lead and introducing their own frozen meals. Stouffer’s and Lean Cuisine took the lead on innovation, each using a new angle to attract busy families, from touting “international flavors” to advertising weight loss through portion control.

The introduction of microwavable trays made the convenience food a no-brainer as single parent households and dual-income families struggled to squeeze meals in between ever-increasing demands on family time. Today, freezer sections are filled with comfort classics, keto-compliant options, exotic dishes, and allergen-free fine foods, and while it is now rebranded as Hungry Man, the original Swanson’s turkey TV dinner survives frozen in time, unthawed at a moment ’s notice.

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MAX ROSELAND RACES AHEAD WITH RESILIENCE, FAMILY SUPPORT

»FUELING

SPORTS

STORY BY LEO ADAM BIGA

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

ighteen-year-old Max Roseland, of Carter Lake, Iowa, holds his own against adult drivers in IMCA (International Motor Contest Association) sanctioned sprint car races, impressing veterans of the sport.

Champion American Sprint Car Series driver Jack Dover has noticed the young racer’s potential, taking Max under his wing.

Few outside Max’s inner circle know he competes while dealing with severe food allergies that require vigilance around what and where he eats.

“It’s a testament to Max [that] he overcomes challenges just to get to the track, much less race,” said his father and pit crew chief, Chris Roseland. “Max is successful at what he does because he’s had to take responsibility at a really young age. He’s always been the first to do something at a younger age. Unfortunately, [that included] figuring out what he couldn’t eat that would put him in the hospital.”

Dealing with Max's wheat and peanut allergies is a team effort. His mother Amy’s learned to cook gluten-free meals. His dad packs safe food and scouts safe eateries for the road.

Living with severe allergies, Max said, “basically becomes a routine of knowing what I can eat and can’t eat, and what places I can and can’t go.”

Just as he’s steeped himself in health precautions, he’s done the same with racing.

“I love learning about racing,” Max beamed. “There’s levels of racing you can work your way up to. I definitely want to work my way up from where I’m right now.”

Competition drives him, both figuratively and on the racetrack.

“I don’t like to lose at anything I do. I want to win. It’s a huge adrenaline rush,” he said. “That’s my favorite thing.”

At 16, Max qualified for the pole position in a feature race at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Nebraska, where a few years before he competed on the kids' track.

“I was proud of myself. It was scary, a little nerve racking but I was just really excited for it,” Max reflected. “I definitely want to win at Eagle Raceway. That is one of my big goals.”

Reaching the coveted ‘Outlaws’ class is a nother goal.

Racing as Max “The Shocker” Roseland, he mostly competes in Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska but has traveled as far as Oklahoma and Texas for events. He’s sponsored by the family business, Backlund Plumbing. Social media posts and YouTube highlight reels of his runs have made fans of schoolmates.

“They think it’s really cool. They always want to see videos and stuff,” Max said. “They love it. It feels good seeing my name out there.”

He’s even signed a few autog raphs, too.

A recent Lewis Central High School graduate, Max has enjoyed the support of gear-head mentors in his father, Chris, and late grandfather, George, both of whom have carved a legacy on the racetrack. Grandpa George raced dirt tracks and became a Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee for his service to the sport.

As a third-generation driver, Max knows he’s carrying on a fam ily legacy.

“I’ve learned everything from them,” he said.

“You breathe, but not the entire time,” Max added. “It’s stressful yet fun. It keeps you on your toes.”

In lieu of a two-way radio, he and Chris communicate via coded ha nd signals.

Chris describes Max as “a calculated, fearless driver.”

“Some people run the bottom of the track, some run the middle,” Chris explained. “To win you need to run everywhere. Ripping the lip or running a few inches off the wall at a 100 miles an hour is not comfortable for many. Max has that comfort. When you’re that close, there’s not much room for error. He’s got the skill to be able to do that.”

“The older Max gets the more fearless he gets, and the faster he wants to go,” Amy added. “As a parent there’s all the feelings that go with it. But it is truly exciting to watch.”

Max has been in his share of wrecks, but the bruises are worth it, he attests.

“It’s almost like a rollercoaster,” he said. “You flip in the air and hit the ground really hard but you’re strapped in with the best safety equipment.”

He engages a race simulator at home to hone his skills. Wearing a VR headset, he jockeys with drivers on simulated tracks mirroring real ones generated online through drone imagery.

“That’s really fun. It builds hand-eye coordination,” Max said.

He may further hone his skills by attending Northwestern Ohio University in Lima, Ohio.

“It’s basically a sprint car college,” Max noted. “I’d attend over the winter and then race in t he summer.”

“It’s a bachelor [degree] program for learning about high performance motors and the race car world. It’s almost like a trades degree,” Chris said. “It’s what people are looking for to hire into that high performance world of NASCAR, or Indy racing.”

The Roselands share a race shop where they’ve built and maintain three high-performance vehicles. Max can do most everything from changing tires, fuel injectors, and air filters, to repairs a nd cleaning.

After COVID curtailed the 2020 and 2021 summer racing seasons, Max said, “Last year we hit it pretty hard. We entered 20 races. We gained a lot more knowledge. I’m proud we did that. I think this year it’s going to be even better.”

He appreciates going head to head with veterans for the “experience.”

He admires elite drivers like Kyle Larson, who started the way Max did. While saying it would be “pretty cool” to meet Larson, he added, “To race against him would be even cooler.”

Max hopes his story inspires others to achieve their dreams whatever challenges food-born, or otherwise they may face.

Visit imca.com for more information.

SUCCESS»

FROM FARMER(S)

NEBRASKA & IOWA GROWN, DELIVERED DAILY TO DANTE.

TO TABLE.

Pictured from le ft to right: Carl Glanzman, Nishnabotna Naturals: Salad Greens & Produce. Kendra Hudson, Central Nebraska Buffalo ll c: Buffalo.

Richard Westin, Leafy Green Organics: Basil. Leslie Hogbergrn: Ramps. Nick Strawhecker, Dante: Ch ef & Owner. Jodi & Mike Levine, Fruit of Levine: Honey, Duck Eggs & Produce. Logan Barr, Plum Creek Farms: All Chick en Products.

GIVING CALENDAR

JUNE 2023

FEATURED EVENT

BLOODY MARY FEST

Benefiting: Ronald McDonald House Charities Omaha & Omaha West Rotary Charitable Foundation

June 04

Area restaurants and bars present their best take on the “Sunday Funday” staple, competing in three categories—‘Best in Show,’ ‘Best Zest,’ and ‘Best Design’—for cash prizes and the title of the metro’s finest bloody mary mix of 2023. In addition to bloody mary samplings, attendees can enjoy on-site eats, live music, and the chance to win raffle items donated by local businesses and generous Rotarians. The three hour, 21 and over event kicks off at 12pm, June 4th at Werner Park. “Sunday Funday” never tasted, nor felt, so good with proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald House Charities Omaha and the Omaha West Rotary Charitable Foundation. Cheers! —omahawestrotary.org

June 1.

FORE POTENTIAL GOLD OUTING

Benefits: Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands Location: Tiburon Golf Club —bbbsomaha.org

June 2.

18TH ANNUAL MEN OF HONOR FUNDRAISER

Benefits: 100 Black Men of Omaha Location: Hilton Omaha —100blackmenomaha.org

June 2.

WINGS & WHEELS

Benefits: Ronald McDonald House Charities Omaha

Location: Silverhawk Aviation, Lincoln —rmhcomaha.org

June 02

June 3.

2023 BLAZING TRAILS FOR BRAIN INJURY 5K RUN, 1 MILE WALK/ROLL

Benefits: Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska

Location: Chalco Hills Recreation Area —biane.org

June 3.

2023 NEBRASKA WALK TO CURE ARTHRITIS

Benefits: Arthritis Foundation Nebraska and Iowa Location: Werner Park —arthritis.org

June 3.

MUDDY PAWS MEET AND GREET/BEER AND WINE FUNDRAISER

Benefits: Muddy Paws Second Chance Rescue Location: Vino Mas —muddypawssecondchancerescue.com

June 03

June 3.

VOLLEY AFTER DARK FOR A CURE

Benefits: Pink Bandana

Location: Sinnott’s Sand Bar —pinkbandana.org

June 4.

21ST ANNUAL TEE OFF & SUPPORT

WHEELCHAIR SPORTS GOLF

TOURNAMENT

Benefits: Paralyzed Veterans of America - Great Plains Chapter Location: Tiburon Golf Club —greatplainspva.org

June 5.

3RD ANNUAL CHRISTOPHER BREMER MEMORIAL FOUNDATION GOLF

TOURNAMENT

Benefits: Christopher Bremer

Memorial Foundation

Location: The Player’s Club Omaha —chrisbremerfoundation.org

June 6.

HEAL OMAHA FUNDRAISER

Benefits: HEAL (Health Equity in Action League) Omaha

Location: CEDAR, Countryside Village —healomaha.org

June 7.

2ND ANNUAL BAGS OF FUN

OMAHA GOLF TOURNAMENT

Benefits: Bags of Fun Omaha

June 07

Location: The Club at Indian Creek —bagsoffunomaha.org

June 9.

DINING WITH DOGS

Benefits: Nebraska Humane Society

Location: A View on State —nehumanesociety.org

June 11.

ANNUAL LOESS HILLS POKER RUN FOR LIFE & LEGACY CHARITIES

Benefits: B’nai Israel Living History Synagogue

Location: Council Bluffs, Iowa —cblhs.org

June 12.

24TH ANNUAL GOODWILL GOLF CLASSIC

Benefits: Goodwill Omaha

Location: The Player’s Club at Deer Creek —goodwillomaha.org

June 13.

PROJECT HARMONY GOLF INVITATIONAL

Benefits: Project Harmony Child

Advocacy Center Location: Indian Creek Golf Course —projectharmony.com

Tattoo Parlor

June 16.

FALLEN HEROES GOLF SCRAMBLE

Benefits: Honor and RememberNebraska Chapter

Location: Willow Lakes Golf Course, Bellevue

—honorandremembernebraska.org

June 16.

WALKRITE FOR RITECARE

Benefits: RiteCare of Nebraska

June 16

Location: Chalco Hills

Recreation Area

—ritecarene.org

June 17.

DEPRECIATING ASSETS CHARIOTS4HOPE

FUNDRAISER CAR SHOW

Benefits: Chariots4Hope (C4H)

OUR TOP PROVIDERS

Salina Anderson, APRN

Geraldine Alexis, LIMHP, PLADC

Julie Bierman, LCSW, LMHP

Chantel Bruha, LIMHP, LADC

Korrie Conners, LMHP, CSAT

Kirby Davis, LMHP

Peggy Deaver, LIMHP, CPC

Davin Dickerson, APRN

Beth Farrell, LCSW, LIMHP

Dumayi Gutierrez, PhD, LMHP

Lucy Hancock, MA

Charlene Hills, LCSW, LIMHP

KG Langdon, APRN

Mary Loftis, LMHP, CPC

Kim Mueller, LIMHP, CPC

Nicole Obrecht, LIMHP

Kara Schneider, BA

Marty Stoltenberg, APRN-BC

Kristi Tackett-Newburg, PhD, LIMHP

Greg Tvrdik, LIMHP, CPC

Sarah Wenzl, LMHP, CPC

* Counseling * Psychotherapy * Medication Management * EMDR Therapy * Online Therapy * Performance / Leadership / Emotional Wellness Coaching * Addiction Treatment * Substance Abuse Evaluations * Couples Therapy 9802 Nicholas Street, Unit 350, Omaha, NE 68114 402-932-2296 | appointments@ccaomaha.com | www.ccaomaha.com 2023 First Place Couples Counseling #1 Couples Counseling #1 Counseling Services Radio Talking Book Service 402.572.3003 | rtbs.org We bring the printed word to life! • Radio Application • Listen LIVE • Podcasts • Program Schedule • Audio Description • Volunteer • Donate RTBS is a nonprofit radio station that broadcasts print media read by volunteers to over 11,000 blind, low vision, or print impaired listeners across Nebraska and southwest Iowa.

Location: Chariots4Hope (2101 Woolworth Ave.)

—chariots4hope.org

June 19.

HOLE IN ONE FOR HOSPICE

FRIENDRAISER GOLF TOURNAMENT

Benefits: Endless Journey Hospice Care

Location: Pacific Springs Golf Course

—endlessjourneyhospice.com

June 24.

2023 MY HEART OF HAZEL ANNUAL SCRAMBLE

Benefits: Heart of Hazel

Location: Fox Run Golf Course, Council Bluffs

—HeartofHazel Facebook page

Dr. Kristi Tackett-Newburg Founder/Owner

Counseling Services

-7 YEARS

June 24.

AT EASE USA FORGE

AHEAD 5K

Benefits: AT EASE USAPTSD SUPPORT Location: Walnut Creek Recreation Area

June 24.

OMAHA TAKE STEPS 2023

Benefits: Crohns & Colitis Foundation

Location: Werner Park —crohnscolitisfoundation. org/chapters/iowanebraska

June 29.

36TH ANNUAL TRIBUTE TO WOMEN

Benefits Women’s Center for Advancement

Location: Omaha Marriott Downtown —wcaomaha.org

June 29.

DARE TO BELIEVE 13TH ANNUAL FUNDRAISING GALA & SYMPOSIUM

Benefits: Center for Holistic Development

Location: Scott Conference Center —chdomaha.org

Event times and details are correct as of presstime, but are subject to change.

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layers of love layers of love layers of love layers of love layers of love

LASAGNA LOVE

FEEDS FAMILIES, SPREADS KINDNESS, AND STRENGTHENS COMMUNITIES

Lasagna Love’s Local Leader in Omaha, Kath y Kirschner.

N N N N

othing warms the heart like a gooey, hot lasagna, layered and baked with love. That’s why the volunteers at the charity Lasagna Love make and deliver homemade lasagnas freely, expecting nothin g in return.

It’s likely that Rhiannon Menn didn’t set out to be the founder of a global nonprofit organization, but as many can attest the pandemic did peculiar things to people’s life plans.

“Our founder, Rhiannon Menn, kind of refers to herself as the ‘accidental founder,’” explained Kathy Kirschner, local leader for the Omaha area chapter of Lasagna Love. “She just felt really helpless at the start of the pandemic and started thinking of what she could do and was like, ‘I can make a meal.’ So she posted in her social group on Facebook that she was making a couple lasagnas today and that she can leave them on people’s front porch... just let her know who needs them. And that’s how it started, and I think some of her social circle said, ‘I can do that too, I want to help.’ It sort of bloomed from there.”

Nebraska is just one layer of this delicious movement all 50 states (and two countries outside the US) have Lasagna Love volunteers who make and deliver casseroles to people in their communities. According to its website, the organization has an estimated 35,000 volunteers; to date they've delivered 250,0 00 lasagnas.

The premise of the organization is simple: volunteers make lasagna and then deliver the dishes, contact-free, per request. It’s done out of a desire to “feed families, spread kindness, strengthen communities” the official mission of the organization.

Kirschner joined the organization after hearing about Lasagna Love from a friend in another state. She started as a volunteer, making and delivering lasagnas, but soon found herself presented with the local leader role. She seized the opportunity.

“It’s more than just providing a lasagna,” s he affirmed.

Amy Miller, Lasagna Love’s outreach coordinator for Nebraska, works alongside Kirschner and a group of hardworking volunteers to fulfill the many requests for meals. Miller started with the organization about two years ago, sharing her time as a way to help those in situations that once mirrored her own.

When I was first becoming a mom, I struggled,” Miller revealed. “It was hard to find something not out of a box. So now that

I’m in a better place, I want to give back to people who might be working two jobs or just struggling. I want to help them with something I really enjoy doing. It’s really rewarding; it gives you that sense that I’m not only doing something I enjoy, but I’m spreading some kindness to somebody, and I don’t even need to know them, and I don’t even need to know why. It’s just my way to give back to the people who helped me when I w as younger.”

Anyone can request a lasagna for any reason from simply wanting a homecooked meal to needing help after surgery. The requests aren’t vetted; instead, they're put directly into a queue to be claimed by one of the many local volunteers who make the lasagna in their home kitchen and then deliver it, no ques tions asked.

The amount of time it takes to receive a lasagna varies, depending on the recipient's location and the number of volunteers takin g requests.

“We try to make it clear we’re not Uber Eats; you’re not getting it that same day,” Kirsc hner noted.

Though the volunteers would love nothing more than to get lasagnas out instantaneously, it’s simply not a reasonable goal. All lasagnas are homemade, and that takes time.

Kirschner said the number of pans made by volunteers in a given week varies. While some volunteers make lasagnas one-by-one as the requests come in, others stock up and freeze lasagnas for future use.

“I usually make them that day and deliver them that day,” she explained. “Some people are like, ‘As long as I’m making one, I’m going to make five, and I’ll have them ready for the next five matches.’ It just sort of depends on the volunteer and their fre ezer space.”

Additionally, requestors can ask for a contactles s delivery.

“Some of our volunteers do face-to-face interactions, but most of mine have been contactless,” Kirschner said. “I leave it outside their front door, I take a picture like Amazon does, say it was delivered, and then I drive off.”

Requestors can also specify dietary preferences for their lasagna. The online request form allows for specifying vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, nut allergy, and no dairy dishes. There’s also a box to request specific ingredients be left out, like 'no mushrooms' or 'no ricotta.'

“Lasagna is always an offering, but some volunteers choose to offer other things like a chicken broccoli casserole or spaghetti and meatballs,” Kirschner said. “Honestly, it just depends. I prefer lasagna. I’ve got the recipe memorized and, of all my deliveries, I’ve only given something different than that maybe two or three times and it was because of their die tary needs.”

Miller added, “I’ve been doing this for two years, and I like to cook, so I always have options. I look at what’s on sale. Especially in the summer, lasagna’s kind of heavy so I will offer pulled pork or grilled chicken. I’ve found people, especially repeat requestors, are happy to have a choice. Sometimes they’ll take the lasagna, but other times they’ll be like, ‘Oh yeah! Pulled pork sandwiches would be great because it’s 100° outside, and we don’t wa nt lasagna.'

“The only unfortunate thing is the wait times can be longer. Typically we have more requests than we have volunteers. My biggest focus as outreach coordinator is to find more help so we don’t have people waiting two and three months from the time they ask for help.”

“ IT’S REALLY REWARDING. IT GIVES YOU THAT SENSE THAT I’M NOT ONLY DOING SOMETHING I ENJOY, BUT I’M SPREADING SOME KINDNESS TO SOMEBODY, AND I DON’T EVEN NEED TO KNOW THEM. ”

AMY MILLER

HELPING FAMILIES PROTECT A LIFETIME OF WORK

At the time of this writing, there are approximately 70 families awaiting a lasagna delivery 60 of those are in the Omaha area. The further out of the metro requests are, the longer the wait time can be since the bulk of the state’s volunteers live within the city limits.

“I have volunteers in West Omaha and Elkhorn that don’t want to drive more than five miles,” Kirs chner said.

Recently, a group of Lasagna Love volunteers gathered and made 20 lasagnas to help reduce the number of requestors in queue. Volunteers are always needed (and appreciated) at Lasagna Love. It’s an easy and accommodating group to join a quick sign-up online is all it takes to get involved. Volunteers are then matched with requestors who live within the volunteer’s stated location of service.

When asked if they receive a lot of gratitude for their efforts, Kirschner and Miller both asserted that they’re not involved in the organization to seek gratitude.

“The ‘thank yous’ aren’t why we do it,” Kirschner answered. “If they’re brave enough to say they need help, I’m going deliver and they don’t have to thank me that’s not why I signed up.”

People who are intrigued by the mission of Lasagna Love, but who aren’t comfortable with cooking for others, can instead sign the “Kindness Pledge” online that allows people to serve their communities in whatever ways best suit their talents and time. This allows the organization’s mission to extend beyond the confines of a lasagna pan.

Those who sign the Kindness Pledge are asked to share it with others, helping spread the movement organically. Beyond signing the pledge or cooking lasagna, the organization also accepts monetary donations via their website.

When asked what the organization needs most, Kirschner responded, “I would say volunteers. Donations are fine, too. If someone wants to contribute but doesn’t have the time or skill, they can make a donation or there’s an option to sponsor a volunteer. They can basically sponsor the ingredients for a volunteer. Volunteers are great. It’s such a flexible opportunity, so whether you want to make one and be done or if you want make one a month or four a week, we’re happy for any cont ribution.”

Visit lasagnalove.org for more information.

Since the times of ancient Greece, when reality was saturated with myth and gods mingled with mortals, a cultural phenomenon called ‘xenia’ has remained in the hearts of the Greek people. While the term is derived from ‘Zeus Xenios,’ one of the thunder god’s many epithets in this case, the protector of travelers the concept itself is simple: generosity toward strangers. Though remote in time, distance, and belief from Mt. Olympus and its pantheon, xenia is not only alive at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Midtown Omaha, it’s palpable. And with ‘the Helens’ overseeing the parish kitchen, it’s even edible and served fresh with a dollop of tzatziki.

“You have to feed them...feed the strangers,” exclaimed Helen Nick, 90, on the importance of hospitality in her nat ive Greece.

“They bring a whole bunch of sweets on the table, and say ‘eat, eat, eat,” added Helen Amlin, 81.

“Exactly! My girls, when they’d be home from college, I’d say ‘eat, eat, eat’ and they’d call me ‘eat, eat, eat’ every time it was my name,” Nick laughed.

Both first-generation immigrants, Amlin was born on the island of Crete 100 miles south of mainland Greece, while Nick was born in Athens but grew up in the village of Kopanaki, nestled between the Tetrazio and Kyparissa

mountains in northwest Messenia. Nick learned the culinary staples of her homeland tending the village garden and helping her mother in the kitchen.

“Original from home we never learned anything from here (the United States), everything we cook is from home (Greece),” Nick said. “My mom was the head of the family and all of us by her side, she showed how to start and finish anything we needed done [for meals], and we grew our little garden. Every family back home, in small towns, they have their own gardens and grow the salads.”

“The lamb and the potatoes and the chicken, they’re prepared in a little

different way [in Crete], a little bit different seasonings and stuff,” Amlin noted of regional styles. “I learned mostly in church the way they do it here.”

The memories are bittersweet, the idylls of family life framed by a country embroiled in foreign conflict, economic stagnation, and a military coup in 1967 that saw Grecian civil liberties deteriorate under the dictatorial ‘Regime of the Generals.’

“Yes, life was tough in Greece in those days,” noted Mary Strom, church secretary. “My mom said I’ll never forget her saying this she said that she will ‘kiss the ground’ here in America for everything it has helped with.”

STORY BY JULIUS FREDRICK

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

DESIGN BY RENEE LUDWICK

HELEN AMLIN (LEFT) AND HELEN NICK (RIGHT)

The Hellenistic

riganato served during Omaha’s annual Greek Festival in August, Amlin and Nick are nearly always behind the knife ensuring each dish is not only authentic, but delicious.

Greek Orthodox Easter, or Pascha, includes the church’s most sacred religious feast of the year, wherein garlic-roasted lamb and tsoureki sweet bread provide a rich, tantalizing reward after 40 days of fasting. Needless to say, the Helens work holidays.

‘Dynamic Duo’

Helen Amlin and Helen Nick Bring

Xenia, Traditional Fare to St. John’s

“We have to honor this country,” echoed Nick. As political tensions rose, the women departed Greece only a few years before the junta, with Nick arriving stateside in 1962 and joining the St. John’s community by 1963 its ornate, Byzantine cupola representing the oldest, and frequently only, Greek Orthodox congregation in the city. Meanwhile, Amlin’s marriage to a US servicemen involved frequent moves when she arrived in the US in 1964, settling in Omaha after her husband’s retirement.

“I’ve been here [in Omaha] for 45 years, and for the last 30 I’ve been cooking [at St. John’s],” Amlin said.

“Who knows? Maybe over 25, 30 years?” Nick said. “I’ve only been [in Oma ha] for 61!”

While they aren’t alone in the kitchen fellow parishioners are eager to lend a helping hand, offloading heavy baking sheets or chopping greens the Helens’ command of temperatures, seasonings, and sides (especially baked goods) is u nparalleled.

Strom affectionately refers to the pair as the ‘dynamic duo,’ because “they’ve cooked for everything, for every meal, for years. They’re both excellent cooks, I can tell you that right now.”

Whether it be flaky cod and spanakopita during Lent, or everyday favorites like baklava and the lemon-roasted chicken

“For the lamb, we pour whole garlic in it, marinate it with salt and pepper and oregano,” Nick said. “Sometimes people put lemon in it, sometimes they don’t. And we cook it until it’s 260°, and then we slice and we have the roast potatoes the same way.”

“A lot of garlic,” Amlin added. “A lot of garlic and lemon juice and olive oil.”

“And of course, home made yogurt. And we make special milk pudding, galatopita!” Nic k exclaimed.

While feast days and festivals see the Helens at their busiest, Nick stressed the importance of preparing meals outside of church functions. As members of the Omaha chapter of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, all three women not only practice xenia, but something altogether more active: ‘philoptocos,’ or ‘love for the poor.’

“Somebody who doesn’t have a family? You always think of that,” Nick said. “Also, if you think somebody’s sick take them a dish. Any kind of occasion, not only for Easter. Just this year we sold koulourakia (Greek cookies), and the benefits went to the poor.”

To support St. John’s, the area Philoptocos chapter, and Omaha’s Greek community at large, Amlin and Nick encourage locals to attend the Omaha Greek Festival on August 19th at the St. John’s community fellowship hall. The event features live music and traditional dance performances, historic tours, kids activities, and of course, authentic Gr eek cuisine.

“You better come to the festival,” Nick encouraged. “I’m gonna be at the pastry booth…if I don’t break another leg!”

For more information, visit stjohnsgreekorthodox.org, greekfestomaha.com, and philopt ochos.org.

“A lot of garlic. A lot of garlic and lemon juice and olive oil.” -Helen Amlin

It’s one of the most famous and enduring advertising catchphrases of all time. We’ve all heard Tony the Tiger enthusiastically extoll the flavor of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, but while that booming voice is familiar, not many of us know that the man behind it was native Nebraskan Thurl Ravenscroft, a 6’5” singer and voice actor known for his distincti ve baritone.

Born in Norfolk in 1914, Ravenscroft was raised and educated in Nebraska before heading to California in 1933 to make his way in Hollywood. Succeed he did, and although his unusual moniker might not be a household name, his inimitable basso profondo became for many the voice of a collective childhood.

Within four years of his arrival on the West Coast, Ravenscroft became a member of the Sportsmen Quartet, which frequently performed with the likes of George Burns and Gracie Allen, Rudy Valle, and Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. The group also did work for Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons as well as Disney, with Ravenscroft providing voices for Fantasia and Pinocchio, both released in 1940, and two voices in Dumbo one year later.

World War II interrupted Ravenscroft’s rising career when he joined the Airport Transport Command in 1942. Stationed out of Washington, DC, he flew international missions, including one that involved transporting Winston Churchill to the Conference of Algiers and Bob Hope to entertain the troops. After the war, he wed his wife June, with whom he remained married for 53 years. The couple had tw o children.

Although Ravenscroft trained to become a pilot with airline TWA, he returned to Hollywood in 1948 and cofounded the group The Mellomen, which recorded backup for such legends as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, Peggy Lee, Arlo Guthrie, and Elvis Presley. Through The Melloman, Ravenscroft did more voice work for Disney, and his film credits included classics like Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins, and The Jungle Book , among numer ous others.

That wasn’t his only Disney work. Ravenscroft also provided the voice for many animated features at both Disney World and Disneyland and can still be heard at attractions such as the Pirates of the Caribbean, for which he played a drunken pirate, and the Haunted Mansion, where he was one of the singing busts. Even today, visitors often mistake his animatronic bust for Walt Disney, who, like Ravenscroft, sported a a pencil-th in mustache.

Keith Scott, an Australian cartoon voice actor, impressionist, comedian, and

animation historian, penned a two-volume chronicle of voice actors called Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, 1930 70 in 2022. His insider knowledge of the profession gives him keen insight into Ravenscroft’s success, and he understands well why the voice actor became such a mainstay for Disney parks, citing his “charismatic and truly distinct tones, that unique ‘bite’ Thurl had in his dee pest notes.”

Scott continued: “What made Thurl a legendary voice actor, as opposed to other straight bassos, was his gift for comic or dramatic interpretation. He was chosen to narrate or play characters at Disneyland attractions because he was flexible beyond his marvelous sin ging gifts.”

In 1953, Ravenscroft took a job as the voice of Tony the Tiger, the Frosted Flakes’ mascot. In an interview published posthumously in 2006 in Hogan’s Alley, a publication dedicated to cartoon arts, Ravenscroft said the line he was supposed to answer was “Tony, are Frosted Flakes any good?” The ad agency recommended that he play with the response. “So, I messed around and finally came up with ‘They’re Grr-eat!”

But it was more than just his inimitable delivery. “I made Tony a person,” he continued. “For me, Tony was real. I made him become a human being, and that affected the animation and everything.”

Ravenscroft went on to give the cerealloving feline a voice for over 50 years, or into his 90s. In 1996, he joked in an interview with The Orange County Register, “I’m the only man in the world that has made a career with one word: Grrrrreeeat!”

Ravenscroft even continued playing Tony through health complications. When corresponding with Scott during his later years, he confessed that he had finally quit smoking in his 80s, and although he’d had one lung removed, he kept going. The voice actor joked, “I just breathe twice as hard into my one good lung and say, ‘Okay! Let’s do another take!’”

Given this attitude, Scott isn’t surprised that Ravenscroft endured for so many decad es as Tony.

“A great voice actor is always trying for the truth in the words of a script, as opposed to people who think it is simply about distorting the vocal chords and making a strident or silly sound,” he reflected. “The

true voice actor knows about the character to be portrayed and, although animation is one of the main topics and a medium that is broadly caricatured by definition, the artistic voice actor will make a character fully believable as well as being rich ly amusing.”

Amusing Tony the Tiger certainly was, and thanks to Ravenscroft’s ineffable imprimatur, he continues to rank as one of the most recognizable advertising icons of all time, with news outlets like Business Insider placing the mascot at the top of their lists.

Ravenscroft also became famous to generations of children for his often uncredited rendition of the classic Christmas tune “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” from the 1966 TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas!,which was erroneously attributed to the show’s narrator, Boris Karloff. (Karloff, for his part, alongside Dr. Seuss author Theodor Geisel, felt terrible that Ravenscroft did not receive proper credit.)

Scott said that in addition to Tony, the Grinch, “spooky yet humorous,” is Ravenscroft’s most distinctive role, “simply because of the number of times it has been re-run worldwide…I know from speaking with Chuck Jones, who directed that TV special, that he and Thurl worked on a particular delivery of that song with author Ted Geisel’s input, so that Thurl’s bass voice was not only meant to be a bogeyman-style of singing voice but it also had to have a subtle comedic twi nkle in it.”

Ravenscroft continued working almost until the end of his life, finishing his tenure as Tony the Tiger in 2004. He died one year later in May 2005, and the following month, Kellogg’s ran an ad in the publication Advertising Age to memorialize the man who gave their mascot his personality, saying, “Behind every great character is an even g reater man.”

Scott agrees, and reflects on what Ravenscroft brought to the voice-actin g industry.

“Thurl’s legacy is very important. His unique quality and outstandingly oneof-a-kind vocal delivery was unmatched in his specialty area of the character bass man who could do any assignment from stentorian straight narration to comic bass singing…to his character voices like Tony and the Grinch,” he said. “He should be acknowledged for his incredibly long career and his one-off voice which is known throughout the world and which has never be en matched.”

For more information, visit keithsc ott.com.au.

‘They’re grrr-eat!”

A TRUE GRRR-EAT!

NEBRASKAN THURL RAVENSCROFT BROUGHT TONY THE TIGER (AND MORE) TO LIFE

(L to R) Owen Foral, Dustin Foral, Ed Foral, Skylar Inserra, Taylor Foral

Living Off the Land

The Foral Family ,s

Generational

Tradition of Sustenance Hunting

// story by Mike Whye // photography By Bill Sitzmann // design by r enee ludwick

or most people with a rumbling stomach, a trip to the supermarket or placing an order at a restaurant typically marks the extent of their ordeal. Ed Foral, however, prefers rustling up his own meals by carrying rifles and shotguns from Nebraska to Alaska, and casting fishing lines from the Missouri River to the Hawai ian coast.

Ed, who was born in Omaha in 1955, first developed a passion for hunting and fishing around age 6 with his father, Lou Foral, and grandfather, Pete Havlik, both of South Omaha. They were accompanied by his brothers, one older than Ed by 19 years, and the other by 10.

“Grandpa was the one who got Dad started and then it was Dad who got us started. Dad and Grandpa took us everywhere,” Ed reflected.

The outings continued when the family moved to Bellevue. Ed remembered hunting pheasants initially, which were more plentiful in the rural areas around Omaha until burgeoning developments and expanding farm fields reduced the birds’ natural habitat. With the pheasant population dwindling, Ed’s father took to hunting ducks and geese. Then, Ed decided to try his hand at hunting deer, discovering his ide al quarry.

“I got into [deer hunting] when I was about 16 ,” he said.

As he hunted deer, Ed knocked on the doors of rural houses, seeking permission to hunt on their expansive properties. He soon noticed that hunting on private land was growing more difficult and expensive with some property owners charging for the opportunity.

With this pay-to-hunt trend becoming ever commonplace, Ed saved the money he had earned through the construction company he’d started in Sarpy County, and bought some property of his ow n in 1996.

“I decided to do something that would make me money, so I started investing in farm ground that had a good return but also had good hunting on it, either deer or duck or both,” he said. Then he bought another farm and another and then another. “I just kept doing the same thing and bought multiple farms with great hunting,” recalled Ed, who today owns 11 farms encompassing nearly 1,500 acres.

Now enjoying retirement after 46 years working in construction, Ed lives with his wife, Diana, alongside a sandpit lake just south of Springfield, Nebraska, fishing rod close at hand. He still ventures out to hunt and fish beyond his property sometimes, including excursions to the hunt club he founded in northwest Missouri in the ’90s.

“The club is mostly for hunting ducks and geese,” Ed noted.

He has traveled to far-flung and remote locales in search of prime game hunting moose in Alaska, moose and caribou in Canada, and elk in New Mexico.

“There was jerky, and we ground some up as hamburger and had steaks, too,” Taylor said.

Ed’s daughter, Danielle Inserra, doesn’t partake in the family pastime, but her children have accompanied Taylor into the thicket on at least a fe w occasions.

“They’re starting to get into it,” their uncle Taylor said. “Her youngest is a junior and killed a pretty nice buck this year. I took her out for her first hunt two years ago and she got a nice buck then, too.”

It’s amazing the lessons learned by being with your family and friends, Taylor said, adding, “I’m pretty thankful that I’m able to hunt and didn’t get caught up in the wrong crowd. I was never thinking, ‘Oh, where am I going to party at tomorrow?’ That kept me out of a lot of t rouble.”

“I used to go to Colorado elk hunting every year and bow hunting deer, which I did back then. I hunted antelope in Wyoming, too. The Alaska moose hunt was pretty challenging as far as walking in the tundra because you have to deal with grizzly bears,” he explained, noting that no one in his party has shot a bear. “There are 1.75 bears per square mile, so we had to always be on alert. You didn’t go anywhere without a lo aded gun.”

Ed reminisced over one Alaska trip that began with a pilot shuttling his party to a remote patch of wilderness. As the hunt came to an end, a fierce winter storm struck, forcing the pilot to delay picking them up from the rendezvous point and leaving the intrepid companions stranded.

“We had nothing to do. I mean like, we were so bored that we were reading the directions on the toothpaste,” Ed recalled.

The last time he hunted far afield was in 2016, when he traveled to New Mexico to stalk elk with his, sons Taylor and Dusty, and son-in-law, Sam Inserra. They brought down three elk in total one bull in particular, taken by Sam, was “a monster” and a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, Ed said. Taylor, 36, said that after that trip, the families enjoyed elk meat for a long stretch, preparing the kill in a variet y of ways.

Ed’s wife, Diana, isn’t terribly keen on hunting either, nor of the spoils of Ed’s marksmanship once confessing she doesn’t enjoy the taste of deer all that much. Undeterred, Ed cooked burgers without telling Diana that he was using venison patties, and fed her one on the sly.

“She said it was okay but asked, ‘Why do you keep asking if I like it?’ I said, ‘That’s because it’s deer,’” he laughed. “She d idn’t know.”

While Dusty maintains a tight schedule around his children’s sports, Taylor continues to hunt and fish with his father in his free time. Together, on May 12, 2018, at a sand pit lake, they landed a flathead catfish that weighed 46 pounds, another whopper at 47 pounds, and a blue catfish that broke the scales at 78 the largest fish either man had reeled in. Staunch believers in catchand-release, Ed and Taylor returned the leviathan fish back to its domain.

“I do love fish but you know, but I’m not one to take advantage of them. I’ll catch some fish to put some good rations into my freezer and then let the rest of them go,” Taylor said. “The other day my girlfriend and I went crappie fishing. We caught 50 big ones and threw every single one of them back.”

However, in 2013 when Taylor caught the state’s record longnose gar measuring 55.5 inches long and weighing 23 pounds, 11 ounces he had it mounted as a trophy.

“I used to go to Colorado elk hunting every year and bow hunting deer, which I did back then. I hunted antelope in Wyoming, too. The Alaska moose hunt was pretty challenging as far as walking in the tundra because you have to deal with grizz ly bears.” -Ed Foral

Preferring to eat bluegill and flathead catfish, Taylor typically drops his lines into the Missouri River. His favorite stretch runs between Blair’s Cottonwood Cove Marina down to near Hamburg, Iowa.

“Around Omaha in the lakes the fishing is mediocre, but the Missouri is the biggest body of water in Nebraska, and it’s probably got the best fish,” he observed. “Your opportunity is great, even though, just because it has a lot of fish doesn’t mean you’re going to catch what you want. In the lakes around Omaha, however, you go from one side to the other and you’re getting the same fish.”

includes duck, geese, pheasant, and quail. Tops for my tastes are elk, and then deer is really close below that.”

The Forals’ best advice for processing mammals is to begin working on the meat immediately after a kill, the sooner the better.

I try to get the hide off as soon as possible to release the heat from the animal and keep them cool. That is extremely key with wild game.”

While the thrill of the hunt is never far from his mind, Ed said he enjoys being outdoors regardless of the intent.

“I’m pretty thankful that I’m able to hunt and didn’t get caught up in the wrong crowd. I was never thinking, ‘Oh, where am I going to party at tomorrow?’ That kept me out of a lot of t rouble.” - Taylor Foral

“It’s enjoyable sitting there just watching everything when we’re in a deer blind or a duck blind,” he said. “There are things that we see that others don’t get to see, especially city people.”

Besides enjoying freshwater fish, Taylor said the Forals fill their plates with a variety of local delicacies.

“We’ve eaten everything from rabbit to deer to elk to bighorn sheep to snapping turtle,” he said. “We’ve eaten pretty well everything that’s edible in the state of Nebraska. That

“The biggest thing is keeping it clean and cool,” explained Taylor, who mentioned that if a hunter fails to control for temperature, wild game spoils fast and will taste gamey. That means gutting, skinning, deboning, freezing, and preparing the meat without delay.

“The second you kill that deer, it starts to deteriorate and grow bacteria,” Taylor continued. “So, you want to get the guts out of there and wash the blood off of them.

“There’s always something to do in the outdoors,” Taylor affirmed.

Visit outdoornebraska.gov/hunt/ for more information.

60 + A ctive living

STORY BY KIM CARPENTER DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

Bo n Appé t it, Chiah Hok! Bu en p rov e c h o , N

ebraska may be beef and corn country, but we have food from all over the globe thanks to independent grocers who bring the taste of their home regions to Omaha. Below, we list ethnic grocery stores that offer what you need to make everything from baba ganoush to fres h sashimi.

1. MEDITERRANEAN GROCERY STORE

8601 Blondo St. | 402.391.2546

mediterranean-grocery.business.site

The Mediterranean diet consistently ranks as one of the healthiest on the planet, and you’ll find everything you need to cook like you’re in Sicily at this speciality shop, which carries: sangak bread, olive oil, couscous, spices, teas, coffees, hookahs, hookah tobacco, halal chicken, goat, lamb, spanakopita, greek yogurt, kasseri, full-cream feta cheese, blood orange juice, royal rice, baklava, bakery sweets, plus much more. Also on offer is fresh pita bread baked weekly (Thursdays, typically) and fresh produce like cactus pears and persimmons. Want to make hummus? Grab a can of blended chickpeas to make the process easier. How about falafel? You can pick up the mix here. And that’s just for starters.

2. ASIAN MARKET

321 N. 76th St. | 402.391.2606

asianmarketomaha.com

With over 10,000 items available everyday, it’s no wonder this is one of Omaha’s favorite ethnic grocery stores. The primary stock here is Chinese, but shoppers can procure popular products from Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam, as well as an assortment of items from Africa, Burma, Europe, and India. The seafood counter, which carries live Dungeness crab, hardshell lobster, squid, and octopus, is a must visit. Aisles upon aisles are filled with items that are fresh, frozen, dry, and everything in between. In the mood for fresh sushi and sashimi? This market carries it. Asian snacks? Check. How about beauty products and kitchen wares? You’ll find them here, too. Bonus: their food court is the place to savor Asian specialties.

3. JACOBO’S GROCERY & DELI

4621 S. 24th St. | 402.733.9009

jacobos.com

People flock to this Omaha staple of nearly 50 years for a reason: the deli, where everything is made fresh from scratch. The homemade salsas, tortilla chips, carnitas, tamales, and more bring in the crowds week after week. But if you’re itching to cook authentic Mexican food yourself, this popular grocery store has you covered with ingredients like fresh cactus, Mexican vanilla, and masa, or corn dough. Make sure to bring cash, since cards and checks aren’t accepted, and don’t be surprised if the line starts in the parking lot.

4. OMAHA TROPICAL MARKET

2312 N. 72nd St. | 402.612.4035

omahatropicalmarket.com

The focus of this store is on African and Caribbean groceries, although some Hispanic goods are also in stock. Items such as fresh sugar cane, okra, and plantains abound, as do harder to find ingredients like alligator pepper, a West African seed pod spice. Whether you’re looking to replicate a recipe from Ghana or one from Zambia, the helpful staff will assist you with locating the grains, flours, spices, canned goods, and even the dried fish you’ll need for preparing traditional cuisine. Also on offer: African beauty products.

5. KONARK GROCERS

14128 Arbor St. | 402.905.9999

konarkgrocers.com

This one-stop shop for all things “Desi,” or pertaining to India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh, features fruits, vegetables, spices, and more. Bulk spices and grains are ideal for cooks looking to create Indian cuisine at home. Whether you’re whipping up a simple chana dal dish of split chickpeas or aloo gosht , a curry made from goat meat and potatoes, you’ll find the necessary ingredients here. Namkeen , small, savory snacks, are also available. If you develop a taste for Desi cuisine, inquire about discount customer loyalty cards to save when you shop.

6. JERUSALEM GROCERY

2455 S. 120th St. | 402.334.4172

facebook.com/people/Jerusalem-Grocery

From olives to eggplants, this family-owned specialty grocery specializes in Israeli, Middle Eastern, and Halal products. Whether you’re looking to make a lentil stew or tabbouli salad, a wide array of kosher ingredients are available to accommodate any recipe. Dry goods, especially the spices, are sold at a fraction of the price in mainstream grocery franchises. The mom-and-pop cafe on the premises offers authentic Mediterranean food, like falafel and gyros with tzatziki sauce—all made from scratch.

FARM-TO-TABLE DINNERS From D eep Roots to

HOW NELSON PRODUCE FARM CULTIVATES COMMUNITY

STORY BY CHRIS HATCH

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

Zucchini prosciutto rollups over a bed of spring mix salad , dressedwithbalsami c vinaigrette

As you might expect from a place with produce in the name, Nelson Produce Farm is about their roots.

Sometimes, they’re focused on the relatively shallow ones those first 12 inches of growth that reach into the soil like a firm Midwestern handshake tendrils gripping the ground with familiar affection. Those are the roots that allow the Nelson family to expand their burgeoning watermelon business, and around 400 acres of mixed produce.

But, perhaps most importantly, Pam and Ty Nelson, and their four daughters, emphasize a different kind of nourishment lifelines between farm and community that are visible above ground, present in the form of their produce stands and connections between the family and their community. This manifests in a variety of communal events, including their renowned farm-to-table meals served on-site

The evolution from pure agriculturalists to community benefactors initially took root in Pam Nelson’s desire to celebrate the commonalities found in urban, rural, and every mode of life in between.

“In 2019 we made the decision to open our farm to the public as a way to better represent our product as well as have more control of our market and connect people to farm life,” Pam said. “I have always had a dream of creating a destination market where people can come and shop quality, fresh home-grown produce, enjoy a day on the farm, and have lunch or coffee with friends and family.”

“The vision of our farm is to bridge the gap from urban to rural, educating our community on how food is grown, as well as create a place that encourages families to connect and create memories around simpler times,” added Michelle Hagen, marketing director. “From the start, just five years ago, we have expanded the farm to include festivals around each of the main crops we grow, farm camp, our Little Farmers educational area, field trips, pizza pie nights, seasonal events, and our personal favorite farm-to-table dinners.”

Running just one weekend a month from June to October, it didn’t take long for these al fresco dinners to explode in popularity and book up quickly.

“Farm-to-table was created through my love of creating spaces for people to step into a dream of a dinner party,” Pam explained. “We highlight new and classic ways of presenting fresh fruits, vegetables, and high-quality meats around a large table to make the perfect setting for making a memory.”

With offerings as diverse as farm-raised cornucopias of fruits and vegetables, Nelson Produce Farm has cultivated fraternity and openness among their guests.

“We wanted to create a space where people feel like they are stepping into a farm to table they have seen in a magazine or on their Pinterest boards,” Hagen said. “But also, a space that helps us open the door for conversations with our community about what is really happening in farming and the products they receive from our farm.”

“Ty and I love getting to visit with guests during our dinners and answering questions and sharing with them how farming has changed and how we are learning and growing as farmers and business partners,” Pam echoed.

When it comes to freshness, the farm-to-table dinners are represented by the barn windows, a quick gesture toward each roughly equivalent

to where the items on the table had been grown. There is little mystery here each block of the food pyramid has been quarried from the ground just below their guests’ feet.

“For our dinners, we work to incorporate as much fresh in-season produce as we can from our farm as well as surrounding local farms,” Pam explained. “We work alongside a handpicked group of local chefs to create a menu that matches the theme of each dinner. Our menus are not finalized until about two to three weeks before each dinner to ensure we are using the freshest ingredients from our farm, which often includes our home- raised beef.”

Besides their numerous on-site events which have come to include watermelon festivals, dog days, firework shows, and Halloween celebrations the farm-to-table dinners have quickly become a local staple; an event that many people mark in bold, circuitous lettering that exclaims: ‘If you know, you know!’

“We sell our farm-to-table tickets exclusively to our email list first and this year we completely sold out tickets just from our email list,” Hagen said. “Farm-to-table dinners have become a well-known part of the farm.”

“Farm-to-table dinners are something we look forward to every year. We even have friends traveling from Utah to come and experience the magic this year,” relayed regular farm-totable attendee, Jen Keller. A local resident and frequent farm-goer, she is one of many who revere Nelson Produce Farm as a special place.

“The farm-to-table dinners the Nelsons and their team put on are unlike anything else you can experience here in the Omaha area. We love visiting the farm with our family, but there is just something extra special about a date night on the farm.”

The past five years have seen Nelson Produce Farm become something more than their unassuming name might indicate. This isn’t a place that merely provides delicious, layered sustenance to the locals it’s more than the sum of its produce.

It has become a second home for many, a classroom for young Nebraskans, and a dynamic, thriving communal heartbeat for many more besides. It is a place where the year 1989 meets 2023; where dirt-splotched farmers pose for Instagram pictures. It’s where everyone is smiling the kind of silly, wide grins from finding themselves, perhaps by happy accident, somewhere special with those they love. In short, the soil is as alive as the people who visit it, and that feeling can only be described as ‘farm-to-table.’

Above or below shallow as the roots of their delicious watermelons, or as deep as the connection between a family and the place that they care for one thing is for certain: the roots of Nelson Produce Farm feed both the stomachs and the spirits of those lucky enough to find a seat at the table.

Visit nelsonproducefarm.com for more information.

FOR OUR DINNERS, WE WORK TO INCORPORATE AS MUCH FRESH IN-SEASON PRODUCE AS WE CAN FROM OUR FARM AS WELL AS SURROUNDING LOCAL FARMS. WE WORK ALONGSIDE A HANDPICKED GROUP OF LOCAL CHEFS TO CREATE A MENU THAT MATCHES THE THEME OF EACH DINNER.” PAM NELSON

red potatoes

farm fresh vegetables.

Balsamic rosemaryporkchopservedwithroasted

A Taste of Home

Chef Ashish Sath yan Combines Kerala Flavor with Local Connections

Even when the doors are closed you’ll often find a chef working behind the locks. Approaching those doors, hefting a box of supplies toward the warm scent of fragrant spices, is where Chef Ashish Sathyan connected with Omaha Magazine as warm rays pierced the broad windows of his restaurant Kinaara Indian Cuisine at Regency. Amid the restaurant’s fresh and inviting interior, Chef Sathyan spoke of the past, the present, and the future.

Sathyan’s childhood home and base of inspiration is the coastal Indian state of Kerala, where beef, coconuts, and fresh fish reign as essential cooking elements. He recalled his first interaction with food describing neighborhood children bringing ingredients from home and cooking together over a shared fire. No less significant were yearly visits from relatives outside of Sathyan’s home state. It was at these times his grandmother would prepare meals that differed from his usual fare, and Sathyan was always eager to lend a hand in the kitchen.

He recalled, “food [was] always involved in my childhood.”

Not only was cooking a part of growing up, but so was farming and fishing. His family home had tapioca, a Kerala signature, growing along with other vegetables, like okra and eggplant. The harvest was to the benefit of the entire community.

“Everybody [would] grow [something] different and [you’d] share it” he said, and adding his homeland remains the focus at Kinaara.

Sathyan brings familiar Indian offerings like butter chicken, and makes sure to represent his childhood home through menu options like fish pollichathu, featuring the state fish of Kerala, karimeen (a species of cichlid). This fresh water fish is swaddled in a banana leaf, treated with pollicha masala, and grilled until tender.

In a callback to his family farm, Sathyan likes to pull from Nebraska’s local bounty saying, “Kerala food is my favorite. That’s what I [grew] up eating, seeing my mom and my family cook. [It makes] me happy using the local ingredients, [to make] Kerala food, serve [it] to a customer, and see [a] happy face.”

However, cooking wasn’t always Sathyan’s main passion that belonged to his love of cricket, the bat-and-ball game popular in England and India. Sathyan’s cooking schedule allowed him to spend time on the pitch, where he played semi-professionally for the Winner Boys club, a team he cheered for growing up. Thankfully for the eventual benefit of Kinaara’s diners, Sathyan’s neighbor Jose Chakho, a server at the Taj Hotel, led Sathyan to the kitchen and ultimately a career in the culinary arts. Sathyan spent time at Kerala’s Consult Inn culinary school in 2002 and 2003, where he was trained in Italian, French, and Indian cuisine.

He then moved through higher end hotels, including the One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai, which Forbes christened a Dubai “best hotel oasis” in 2022. Sathyan had worked various jobs before deciding to obtain his visa and a one-way plane ticket to New York City. There, he began another adventure at Indian and Thai restaurant, Citrus, in 2012 as an appetizer chef for two years. In 2014, Sathyan decided to depart for the green pastures of the Midwest, cooking at a local Indian restaurant before a two-and-a-half year stint at The Taj in Omaha.

A key shift in possibilities occurred when Sathyan was approached by Mai Thai owner Preeda Joynoosaeng with a partnership opportunity opening Indian Bowl in Omaha’s Blackstone District where Sathyan could create, as he says, his “own recipes and style.”

The fast-casual restaurant only lasted a year, from 2018 to 2019, but becoming a stakeholder made a lasting impression on Sathyan. The experience led to confidence in taking calculated risks, before becoming his own boss with the opening of the original Kinaara location in Millard. Yet, right as the ribbon was cut in 2020, the global pandemic struck.

Sathyan quickly converted Kinaara’s main dining area into a parking lot full of satisfied drivers picking up their bundles of curries, biryanis, and naan. This timely pivot, and the warm reception to the even warmer flavors of Sathyan’s cuisine, allowed Kinaara to maintain a foothold until mandates were lifted. The community’s support never wavered, and Sathyan’s dream blossomed into to the current iteration of Kinaara in Regency. His business partner and wife, Kim, is often seen greeting diners and is a proud partner and advocate of her husband’s dishes.

“I’m like Ashish’s hype man, he likes to be modest, but no, he is so talented,” Kim said. Sathyan, in turn, is grateful to Kim for her evaluation of his dishes stating, “If [Kim] says it’s good [then] it’s true. She’s got a really good taste palate.”

Kim is far from chef Sathyan’s only fan; hungry diners, and those involved in Omaha’s rich food scene, have taken notice as well.

This includes the host of the popular “Restaurant Hoppen” Omaha food podcast, Dan Hoppen.

“Ashish is, in my opinion, one of the most talented chefs in Omaha. The flavors he creates are so unique and unlike any in the city. [His food] is absolutely delicious,” Hoppen noted. “Each time you visit Kinaara, your taste buds get another stamp on their passport.”

While Sathyan enjoys the high praise, his outlook remains grounded and enriched by his past.

“I want to highlight more Kerala cuisine…keep it simple, and showcase the best experience I [can] provide,” he affirmed.

Dave Zorko is the host of the Faturday Omaha podcast and radio show. Visit kinaaraomaha.com for more information.

by Bill Sitzmann | DESIGN by Matt Wieczorek

“Ashish is, in my opinion, one of the most talented chefs in Omaha.. Each time you visit Kinaara, your taste buds get another stamp on their passport.” Dan Hoppen

DELICIOUS, APPROACHABLE, HOSPITABLE

CRUDO: STRIPED BASS, KIWI, AND DILL IN A BASIN OF LECHE DE TIGRE.

IZAKAYA KOJI CUTS EVERYTHING BUT CORNERS FOR A TASTE OF PERFECTION

MATT WIECZOREK

Izakaya Koji consistently fulfilled my expectations during my visits; a traditional Japanese bar ambiance with a lively vibe, serving a variety of seafood and meat along with vegetarian/vegan small dishes, bites, and snacks. Koji represents Chef David Utterback’s third concept in Omaha, setting itself apart from its sister restaurants with its Asian street food variations, creative takes on familiar dishes, and a contemporar y aesthetic.

Koji utilizes high-end culinary precision to blend recognizable ingredients into novel, unexpected dishes that both challenge and delight the palette. Guests have many options, whether feeling spendy ordering several courses of beautifully plated Crudo, Aburi Wagyu, and Santa Barbara Uni or on a budget during Koji’s generous happy hour, which offers drink specials and discounted restaurant favorites. No matter the price, the experience is tantalizing and unforgettable.

On my first visit I stopped in for happy hour, which is not always something a restaurant can or necessarily, will execute effectively. When done properly it is a delicious trap, one for which I’m always willing to fall headlong for. I immediately noticed the volume of prep cooks working hard behind the sleek sushi bar that stretches into a petite open kitchen, and assured my guests we were in for something special. We were promptly seated, with a fan of menus to pour over. Happy hour consists of a short list of house staples starters, buns, and warm plates. When considering the individual quality of each dish, I found it’s arguably among the best deals in the city. While my thoughts drifted to Benson and the perfection that is the handcrafted sushi and nigiri menus at Yoshitomo and Ota, fear not…you will find them her e as well.

BUTA YAKITORI: TENDER, SKEWERED PORK BELLY SERVED WITH TARE.

KFC BUN: FRIED CHICKEN, GOCHUJANG, AND CABBAGE SLAW FOLDED BETWEEN STEAMED BUNS.

The selection of beverages will satisfy the seasoned imbiber who enjoys dabbling in different styles of sake, shochu, and aged Japanese whiskies, while also appealing to the less experienced with a mix of local, Asian beers and seasonal cocktails. We stuck with the sake list, ordering a bottle of Junmai Nigori, Tozai ‘Snow Maiden.’ Creamy on the palate and with notes of melon, cucumber, and a hint of citrus, it paired best with the Crudo (Striped Bass, Kiwi, Dill, and Leche de Tigre). Fresh, light, and a testament to the knife skills of the kitchen, dishes hit the table like art on a blank canvas, and the Crudo proved a masterpiece. Kani Miso (snow crab, crab fat, ikura, fried rice) was a a must-order for the table. The amount of flavor packed in each grain of rice is something we’ll be reminiscing about for weeks. At Koji it is presented as a hand roll, wrapped in seaweed. I’m not positive this description does it justice in my opinion, it should be savored, shared, and fought over family style with chopsticks, but I digress…

My second visit was a more intimate affair we arrived later in the evening and the ambiance was noticeably softer on the eyes. The lighting from the large front windows was subdued, though the hum of the kitchen unchanged. I felt like I was in a bustling Japanese metro instead of Pacific Street adjacent, my daydream escorted to the only open table.

Luckily for the lifelong Midwesterner who is seafood-abhorrent, Koji’s menu offers a sense of familiarity with steam buns inspired by Omaha’s infamous and abundant fast-food staples. The ‘Ranza’ and ‘KFC’ buns are delicious spins on their namesake drive-thru counterparts. The former is an elevated version of a beloved local classic; the latter smothered in Gochujang sauce and topped with cabbage slaw for a perfect balance of spice.

Yakitori is served bite-sized, grilled on a bamboo skewer. Featured are octopus, pork belly, broccolini, and several different cuts of chicken with altering preparations to enhance each in turn. I ordered the Mune (chicken breast, yuzu kosho) twice and found it to have different levels of spice each time, yet maintaining its distinct, delicious flavor. The ‘Buta’ (pork belly, tare) yakitori was a personal favorite. The marinade was tangy, cut with a perfect amount of fat, seared to perfection with a crispy crust, and it melted in my mouth.

The most exciting dish was the Carbonara. The newest addition to the menu, it takes the familiar cues, including the traditional name, then adds a spin. Chinese pulled noodles, pancetta, egg yolk, with chive kimchi are reminiscent of its namesake, however, completely different in texture via a combination of creamy and snappy freshness that courts the kimchi in an indulgent way.

The service complements the food, providing diners with a skilled rundown of the menu. Each server described new or popular dishes with a cadence that allowed for a better understanding and genuine, palpable excitement among the tables. Leading us on how to compartmentalize the large menu, they told us what to expect within each category and accurately answered any spitfire questions I

had. Overall, I would say my experiences at Koji exceeded my expectations a more casual option from one of the most talented chefs and culinary teams in Omaha, a different outlet to exercise creativity while goading a rare crowd of diners (selling seafood in the Midwest is not for the faint of heart), while also providing exciting pairings, innovative techniques like dry-aging fish, and carefully sourcing high-quality ingredients. In my opinion, Omaha is lucky to have Koji in the metro’s culinary scene.

P.S. Make a reservation. Cheers!

Visit izakayakoji.com for more information.

KANI MISO: TEMAKI (HAND ROLLED) SUSHI FILLED WITH SNOW CRAB, CRAB FAT, AND IKURA.

DINING GUIDE

AMERICAN

BARREL & VINE- $$

1311 South 203rd St., Omaha, NE 68130 - 402.504.1777

Barrel and Vine’s restaurant is an elevated food experience that is made from scratch daily with love in our kitchen. Our menu combines a mixture of Chef driven creative dishes, craveable comfort meals and premium Nebraska steaks. Barrel & Vine also doubles as a live music venue and offers a rooftop bar, outdoor patio with firepits, and dozens of high end bourbons, scotch, and over 100 wine selections. Come check out an experience that is like nothing else in Nebraska. Open 7 days a week. —bvomaha.com

DJ’S DUGOUT SPORTS BAR - $

Seven Metro Area Locations:

Bellevue - 10308 S. 23rd St.

- 402.292.9096

Miracle Hills - 777 N. 114th St. - 402.498.8855

Downtown - 1003 Capitol Ave. - 402.763.9974

Aksarben - 2102 S. 67th St. - 402.933.3533

Millard - 17666 Welch Plaza - 402.933.8844

Elkhorn - 19020 Evans St. - 402.315.1985

Plattsmouth - 2405 Oak Hill Rd. - 402.298.4166

Voted Omaha’s #1 Sports Bar, DJ’s Dugout is locally and Vietnam Veteran owned. DJ’s Dugout features delicious burgers, wings,

wraps, salads, sandwiches and an impressive drink menu. Plus, DJ’s has huge media walls full of HD TVs and projector screens. Catch all the action at DJ’s seven Omaha-area locations. Dig In... At The Dugout! —djsdugout.co m

JAMS- $$ 7814 Dodge St. - 402.399.8300 17070 Wright Plz, Ste. 100 - 402.810.9600 1101 Harney St. in the OldMarket - 402.614.9333

Jams is an Omaha restaurant legacy, an “American Grill” that offers a melting pot of different styles and varieties. The dishes are made with high-quality ingredients that pair well with award-winning wines or creative cocktails. —jamseats.com

LE PEEP - $ 69th & Pacific - 402.933.2776

177th and Center St. - 402.934.9914

156th St. & W. Dodge Rd. - 402.408.1728

120th and Blondo St. - 402.991.8222

Le Peep puts a wholesome perspective on your favorite neighborhood breakfast and lunch spot. Fresh. Simple. Elegant. Inviting. We put the emphasis on people, both patrons and staff. We focus on providing each of our guests the fresh food and friendly service that they have come to expect. Open daily 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. —lepeepomaha.co m

STELLA’S - $

106 S. Galvin Road, Bellevue - 402.291.6088

Since 1936, we’ve been making our world-famous Stella’s hamburgers the same way. The family secrets have been handed down to each owner, ensuring that your burger is the same as the one you fell in love with the first time you tried Stella’s. And if it’s your first time, we know you’ll be back! Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., closed Sunday. —stellasbarandgrill.com

T ED AND WALLY’S - $

1120 Jackson St. - 402.341.5827

Come experience the true taste of homemade ice cream in the Old Market. Since 1986, we’ve created gourmet ice cream flavors in small batches using rock salt and ice. We offer your favorites, plus unique flavors like margarita, green tea, Guinness, and French toast. Special orders available. Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.- Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday. Noon-10 p.m. —tedandwallys.com

VARSITY SPORTS CAFE - $$

Ralston - 9735 Q St. - 402.339.1944

Bellevue - 3504 Samson Way - 402.932.1944

Millard - 14529 F St. - 402.505.6660

Ralston, Bellevue and Millard. We are truly grateful to have been welcomed into each of these communities and welcome you in for good food, a cold drink and a comfy seat to enjoy the sport of your choosing! Determined to bring only the freshest ingredients, homemade dough and our specialty sauces to the table, we have worked hard to perfect our craft for you. Our goal is to bring the best food service to the area and show the best sports events that you want to see. Pick up and Delivery availalble. Please check website for hours of operation. —varsityromancoinpizza.com

ITALIAN

PASTA AMORE - $$

11027 Prairie Brook Rd. - 402.391.2585

Pastas are made fresh daily, including tortellini, fettuccine, and capellini. Daily specials and menu items include a variety of fresh seafood and regional Italian dishes, such as linguini amore and calamari steak, penne Florentine, gnocchi, spaghetti puttanesca, and osso buco. Filet mignon is also offered for those who appreciate nationally renowned Nebraska beef. To complement your dining experience, the restaurant offers a full bar and extensive wine list. Be sure to leave room for homemade desserts, like the tiramisu and cannoli. Monday-Thursday 9 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 10 p.m. Reservations recommended. —pastaamore.co m

S PEZIA - $$$

3125 S. 72nd St. - 402.391.2950

Choose Spezia for lunch or dinner, where you’ll find a casual elegance that’s perfect for business guests, get-togethers, or any special occasion. Exceptional food, wine, and service, with a delectable menu: fresh seafood, certified Angus steaks, innovative pasta, risotto, gnocchi, cioppino, lamb, entrée salads, Mediterranean chicken, flatbreads, and fresh salmon daily. Enjoy a full bar, Italian and California wines, Anniversary/ Lovers’ Booth (call to reserve), private dining rooms, and woodfired grill. Open Monday-Sunday. Cocktail hour 4-6 p.m., when all cocktails, glasses of wine, and beers are half price. Evening reservations recommended. —speziarestaurant.com

3825

Omaha

DINING GUIDE

MEXICAN

FERNANDO’S - $

7555 Pacific St.

- 402.339.8006.

380 N. 114th St.

- 402.330.5707

Featuring Sonoran-style cooking made fresh daily. Catering and party rooms also available.

Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.- 11 p.m., Sunday 4-9 p.m. —fernandosomaha.com

LA MESA - $$

158th St. and W. Maple Rd.

- 402.557.6130

156th and Q streets

- 402.763.2555

110th St. and W. Maple Rd.

- 402.496.1101

Fort Crook Rd. and Hwy 370

- 402.733.8754

84th St. and Tara Plaza

- 402.593.0983

Lake Manawa Exit

- 712.256.2762

Enjoy awesome appetizers, excellent enchilada’s, fabulous fajitas, seafood specialties, mouthwatering margaritas and much more at La Mesa! Come see why La Mesa has been voted Best of Omaha’s 20 Years in a Row!

Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Thursday-Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. lamesaomaha.co m

ROMEO’S MEXICAN FOOD AND PIZZA - $

90th and Blondo streets

- 402.391.8870

146th St. and W. Center Rd.

- 402.330.4160

96th and L streets

- 402.331.5656

Galvin and Avery roads

- 402.292.2028

29th and Farnam steets

- 402.346.1110

Romeo’s is your friendly, family Mexican food and pizza restaurant. We take real pride in serving our guests generous portions of the freshest, most flavorful dishes made with the finest ingredients available. Zesty seasonings and the freshest ingredients combine to ensure the ultimate in flavor. Our savory taco meat is prepared every morning at each location. Make sure to try our chimichangas; they’re the best in town. —romeosomaha.com

SPECIAL DINING

CRESCENT MOON ALE HOUSE - $ 3578 Farnam St.

- 402.345.1708

Founded in 1996, we’ve grown into Beer Corner USA with the additions of The Huber Haus German Beer Hall, Max and Joe’s Belgian Beer Tavern, and Beertopia—Omaha’s Ultimate Beer Store. With more than 60 beers on tap and Omaha’s best Reuben sandwich, we are a Midtown beer-lover’s destination. Hours:

MODERN COCKTAILS MIXED WITH AMERICA’S MUSIC

zen coffee co. zen coffee co.

GREEK ISLANDS - $ 3821 Center St. - 402.346.1528

Greek cuisine with specials every day at reasonable prices. We are well-known for our gyro sandwiches and salads. We cater and can accommodate a party for 65 guests. Carry-out and delivery available. Monday-Thursday

11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday

11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. —greekislandsomaha.co m

SAGE STUDENT BISTRO INSTITUTE FOR THE CULINARY ARTS - $ 5300 N. 30th St. Fort Omaha Campus, Building 22

At the Metropolitan Community College Sage Student Bistro, culinary and hospitality students learn hustle, fundamentals, community service and stewardship — all from scratch. Explore dishes from around the world during lunch, or celebrate the contributions of American culinary sages at dinner. For reservations, visit: —mccneb.edu/Bistro

ZEN COFFEE COMPANY - $

West - 132nd and Center

Downtown - 25th and Farnam

One Pacific Place

- Drive Thru Kiosk next to Trader Joes

Zen features over 50 popular drink options including Butter Beer, Honey Bee, Lavender Lady and Sunshine Daydream. Choose from hot or iced lattes, blenders, fruit smoothies and teas! Grab a flight or double cup to try the seasonal features! Delicious pastries and toasts made in house daily. —zencoffeecompany.com

STEAKHOUSES

CASCIO’S - $$

1620 S. 10th St. - 402-345-8313

C ascio’s is Omaha’s No. 1 steakhouse. We have been serving Omaha for 69 years. We feature steaks, chops, seafood, and Italian specialties. We have seven private party rooms, seating for up to 400 people, and plenty of parking. —casciossteakhouse.co m

T HE DROVER RESTAURANT & LOUNGE - $$$

2121 S. 73rd St.

- 402-391-7440

Famous for the original Whiskey Steak. Truly a one-of-a-kind Midwestern experience. Excellent food, wine, service, and value. Rare...and very well done. Open Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m., Dinner nightly at 5 p.m. —droverrestaurant.com

Mon-Fri 11:00am - 10:30pm, Sat-Sun 4:00pm - 10:30pm

Home of the Whiskey Steak

and

explore.

PLAN A ROAD TRIP!

NEBRASKA

THE DINNER DETECTIVE May 13—June 24 at the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln. Attendees solve a hilarious mystery while you enjoying on a fantastic dinner. The culprit is hiding in plain sight somewhere in the room, and guests may find themselves as a prime suspect. Throughout the night, a crime will occur, hidden clues will be revealed, and detectives will help everyone try to crack the case. In the end, a Prize Package awaits the top sleuth who provides the best answer before the killer is unmasked! This results in a fun, social, and interactive evening suitable for all adults. —visitnebraska.com

ALL IN THE TIMING June 1-4 at the World Theater in Kearny. Laugh until it hurts with this comedy filled with wit, intellect, and just plain fun! All in the Timing is a collection of comedies that will have you laughing out loud! Presented at the World Theatre, it’s a show filled with quick banter, hilarious scenarios, and plenty of laughter! —cranerivertheater.org

SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER AT EAGLE

RACEWAY June 3 at The Eagle Raceway in Eagle. IMCA Racing featuring: Twin Rivers Sprint Cars, Nebraska Lottery Modifieds, Avid Realty SportMods, A1 Iron Stock Cars, and Valentino’s Hobby Stocks. Track, State, Regional & National Points. Don’t miss out on the famous school bus race after the last feature! —lincoln.org

MYSTERY AT THE MANSION - MURDER AT DEADWOOD SALOON June 2 at the Arbor Lodge Mansion in Nebraska City. An evening of murder and mayhem in the Wild West awaits those brave enough to enter the Arbor Lodge Mansion as it transforms into the Deadwood Saloon. It’s an old-fashioned whodunnit in a magnificent setting! Guests are invited to solve clues, look for evidence, and break the case while mingling with new friends. —arbordayfarm.org

OFFICE BAR BLOCK PARTY June 3 at the Office Bar in Norfolk. 2nd Annual Block Party at Office Bar! Live music, food Trucks, and tasty drinks outdoors. —visitnorfolkne.com

June 1-1

BUZZ ABOUT BEES AT THE TREE ADVENTURE June 3 at the Arbor Day Tree Farm in Nebraska City. Discover the wonderful world of bees and how much people rely on them! Attendees are encouraged to take part in a variety of activities and see our demonstration hive up close. Bee experts will be on hand to help guests learn about this very important little insect. —arbordayfarm.org

SIDNEY GOLD RUSH DAYS June 9—11 at Legion Park in Sidney. Sidney Gold Rush Days is a family-oriented outdoor festival. The festival emphasizes the history of the Sidney to Deadwood Gold Rush Trail in the late 1870’s. Plenty of activities are

June 02

provided for children. Activities include: free entertainment, quick draw competitions, wagon rides, hands-on gold panning demonstrations, and much more. Numerous craftsmen will be onsite to demonstrate blacksmithing, weaving, spinning, woodworking, leather tanning, and more. —sidneygoldrushdays.org

BREWS AT THE ZOO June 10 at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Lincoln. Adults 21 and over can enjoy a night at the Zoo! The Lincoln Children’s zoo invites guests to an evening of live music, visits from animal ambassadors, and delicious craft beer from local breweries. Live music performed by the Mezcal Brothers. —lincoln.org

FALLS CITY HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL June 17 at Brenner Field in Falls City. Festival begins with a kite show, the the balloon lift off, followed by an amazing fireworks show. Live music, food trucks, and beer and wine will be available. —fallscityareachamber.com

FATHER’S DAY FUN AT THE TREE ADVENTURE June 18 at the Arbor Day Tree Farm in Nebraska City. Dads and children are invited to enjoy a special day of exploring trails and playing among the trees. Mud painting and a nature scavenger hunt that will take visitors throughout the Tree Adventure. Guests can even build your own nature boat and race it down the South Table Creek. —arbordayfarm.org

COMPILED BY Damian Ingersoll

126TH ANNUAL DILLER PICNIC June 22-24 in Diller. A few of the events this year include: Nebraska Bush Pullers on Thursday at 7pm., Extreme Bull Riding Friday at 8pm. and Saturday is Mid-States Mud Drags at 11am. Car show inclusive of motorcycles and other vehicles. Big Parade at 7pm. and the All American Display Fireworks Show at 10:30pm with bingo all three nights. —visitnebraska.com

POTTER CARBOWL June 24 in Downtown Potter. Car Show, bowling tournament, BBQ contest, craft show, live music, and more. —visitnebraska.com

BERT KREISCHER’S FULLY LOADED

COMEDY FESTIVAL June 25 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. Back by popular demand, Bert “The Machine” Kreischer will be starting the party back up this summer with his second annual Fully Loaded Comedy Festival. The biggest comedy event of the year with a “Fully Loaded” line-up at Pinnacle Bank Arena that includes Bert Kreischer, Tiffany Haddish, Fortune Feimster, Big Jay Oakerson, Jay Pharoah, and Chad Daniels. —pinnaclebankarena.com

June

BOOMFEST June 30—July 1 at the Skyview Lake in Norfolk. The weekend will kick off Friday right with a Wing Fest competition coordinated by the Stanton Ribfest organizers. Norfolk Area Rod and Custom is also sponsoring a Car Show N Shine.  Live music will take the stage sponsored by 94 Rock. Saturday, BoomFest will once again include an inflatable midway, military static displays, food vendors, music, and the largest, most spectacular fireworks display in Northeast Nebraska to cap off the night. —visitnebraska.com

IOWA

WEBSTER CITY MARKET NIGHTS - RACE

NIGHT June 1 at the Availa Bank Plaza in Webster City. Join us each Thursday evening at the Webster City Market Nights . Centered around the Availa Bank Plaza from 5:30-7:30pm. each Thursday in June, July, and August. Attendees can enjoy a variety of homegrown vendors, live music, and delicious food while supporting local businesses. Drinks from beer garden for adults or family friendly activities and games

through out the evening. June 1st is Race Night as the Hamilton County Speedway. —traveliowa.com

TASTE OF SUMMER June 1 at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque. Guests are invited to attend this after-hours event in the boatyard and plaza areas on campus. Live music, food trucks, and a beer/seltzer stand will have items for sale. Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to use; however, a limited number of picnic tables will be available. —traveliowa.com

June 01

MANCHESTER RIVER DAYS June 1—3 in Manchester. Thursday, June 1st Music on the Maquoketa Friday, June 2nd Manchester Friday Night farmers market with food & Music, and a 5K through Manchester. Saturday, June 3rd float parade, kids activities, food trucks, vendors, music bingo, bags tournament, downtown street party, and jams by a live DJ. As part of Manchester River Days, attendees could win a “Free Weekend in Manchester”. That will include: Twonight stay in the King Jacuzzi Suite at Cobblestone Inn & Suites in Manchester. —traveliowa.com

MOVIES ON MAIN STREET June 2 in Washington. Visitors can enjoy a flick at Central Park for Movies on Main Street. Lawn-chairs welcome as guests enjoy the free family-friendly film rolling at 8:30pm. Main Street Washington will have concessions available, including: popcorn, drinks, and boxed candy for purchase. —traveliowa.com

DES MOINES CON June 3—4 Hy-Vee Hall at Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Des Moines Con is a celebration of comics, toys, TV, film, art, cosplay, games, and all things nerdy. For fans of Batman, the Avengers, Doctor Who, Star Wars, LEGO, Disney, Star Trek, the Walking Dead, Power Rangers, Game of Thrones, etc., there’s plenty to take in and marvel at during DMC. —traveliowa.com

2023 MISS IOWA PAGEANT June 8—11 at the Downtown Des Moines Marriott in Des Moines. The Downtown Des Moines Marriott will host the 2023 National American Miss Iowa Pageant on June 8th through the 11th and will feature the region’s most accomplished young women, ages 4—24. Each year, the National American Miss Pageants awards 1.5 Million dollars in prizes to recognize and assist the development of young women

nationwide. The Miss Iowa Pageant is the official state preliminary to the National Pageant held in sunny Orlando, Florida. —traveliowa.com

ICE CREAM DAYS June 14 in Downtown Le Mars. Known as the Ice Cream Capital of the World, Le Mars is dedicated to making the Ice Cream Days festival an unforgettable, fun-filled family trip, because they truly believe that the best days include ice cream! People won’t want to miss this one-of-a-kind ‘chill-a-bration’ and scoops of pure yum in Le Mars. —icecreamdays.com

BANDS & BREWS June 16 at River Place Plaza in Cedar Falls. Support Iowa Public Radio by attending this fundraiser— featuring feature beer tastings provided by 20+ Iowa breweries along with music from The Get Up Get Down band and James Tutson and the Rollback. —iowapublicradio.org

CAJUN FEST June 17 at Cowles

Commons in Des Moines. From 11am to 7pm at Cowles Commons in downtown Des Moines becomes flavor town with tried and true classics, including gumbo and jambalaya, crawfish flown in straight from Louisiana, Camp Cajun, and returning bands NOLA jazz band and The Swampland Jewels. Some new and exciting pieces will be tossed into the mix with The Matt Woods Band, a spicy food contest, crawfish races, and the event’s inaugural crowning of the Cajun King and Queen! —cajunfestiowa.com

COCKTAILS AND CARDBOARD June 22 at The New Northwestern Cocktail & Wine Bar in Des Moines. Every other Thursday at the New Northwestern cocktails are served over cardboard. Great games abound, whether it’s for date night or getting together with friends after work. Dealt Hand game events are designed to make it easy for guests to sit down and try something new—the staff will help newcomers find a great game, walk them through setup, and teach them how to play. —traveliowa.com

DES MOINES ARTS FESTIVAL June

25 at Western Gateway Park in Des Moines. The Des Moines Arts Festival is Iowa’s largest and most prestigious arts and cultural event for 25 years. It is a free, three-day festival featuring 190 professional visual artists, their original work in a variety of mediums reflects the very best after having been juried from approximately 1,000 applicants. Live music, performing arts, and strolling

street theatre add non-stop entertainment while culinary offerings are provided by local and regional restaurants, breweries, and mobile food vendors. Come see why this festival has been awarded over 300 awards and was named the best festival in the world by the International Festivals and Events Association. —desmoinesartfestival.org

KANSAS

JUNE JAUNT FESTIVAL June 2—4 at the Great Bend Convention & Visitors Bureau Jack Kilby Square in Great Bend. The 12th Annual Great Bend June Jaunt features crafts, delectable cuisine, live music and much more. —travelks.com

ANNUAL CHINGAWASSA DAYS June

three basketball, dodgeball, volleyball, bingo, beer garden, watermelon feed, pancake feed, Texas hold’em, and many other fun events. The whole family as there is something for everyone. —travelks.com

SMOKE ON THE PLAINS DERBY BBQ & MUSIC FESTIVAL June 9 at High Park in Derby. The event features country music concert Friday night, ’80’s rock concert Saturday night, Peoples Choice contest (tasting kits are $5), Kids’ Corner, 5k, car show, and lots of good drinks and competitive BBQ. —travelks.com

June 17

2—3 at Central Park in Marion. Annual festival that takes place the first weekend in June in Central Park downtown Marion, Kansas. Featuring concerts Friday and Saturday nights. The weekend is filled with events such as a color run, three on

June 2-3

BREWS ON THE BRICKS CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL June 10 at Downtown Hays. Brews on The Bricks Craft Beer Festival is an annual event hosted in Downtown Hays. It is a premier craft beer event that enables breweries from across the country to showcase their beers. It also features a wide variety of food vendors, live music, and games. —travelks.com

EXPLORE CALENDAR

TACOS AND TEQUILA June 17 at Legends Field in Kansas City. Tacos and Tequila KC is back and bigger than ever. Year three of tacos, tequila, and throwbacks is arriving Saturday, June 17th at Legends Field. festival attendees will enjoy chefinspired Tacos, tequila tastings, and craft margaritas. Attendees will also experience live music performances from throwback artists, authentic Lucha Libre wrestling art installations, and MORE! —kctacosandtequila.com

MISSOURI

KIDSFEST June 3 at Riverside Park in Jefferson City. KidsFest is a fun-filled day dedicated to children and families. Young children through tweens will enjoy games, demonstrations, and activities. —visitjeffersoncity.com

THE OLD TIME MUSIC, OZARK HERITAGE FESTIVAL June

2—3 at the Civic Center in West Plains. Attendees are invited to celebrate old time music and the distinctive culture of the Ozarks Highlands. Old-Time music will be performed from our stages, featuring outstanding local and regional artists representing the musical traditions of the Ozarks. —oldtimemusic.org

June 2-3

HEART OF THE OZARKS FAIR June 6—10 at the Heart of the Ozark fairgrounds in West Plains. The Heart of the Ozarks Fair features a full-scale carnival, agricultural and other exhibits, and grandstand entertainment. —heartoftheozarksfair.net

SIKESTON HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL June 16—18 at the Sikeston Rodeo Grounds in Sikeston. The Sikeston Hot Air Balloon Festival is reaching new heights. Tethered ballon rides, balloon glows, balloon flight over Sikeston, arts and crafts vendors, beer and wine garden, food trucks and live music. —visitmo.com

EVENT TIMES AND DETAILS MAY CHANGE. Visit omahamagazine.com

SALT

About 700 years ago there was a place that was so far away from other places that it became a synonym for “far away.”

My dad would refer to it whenever I dared to ask for a ride to the Overland movie theater on a Saturday morning. “I’m not driving you from here to Timbuktu every time you get a craving for popcorn and Mike & Ikes!”

Yes, Timbuktu, that city of mystery. Exotic, magical, isolated by distance, time and tall tale, the capital of an empire based on salt...oh, and gold…salt and gold, but you can’t put gold on popcorn when you’re at the Overland Theater on a Saturday morning and this is the magazine’s “Food” issue…so, salt…that’s the thing…if you’re talking food, you’re talking salt.

Anyway, back in the 13th century it became worth it to travel from “here to Timbuktu” because, even though popcorn had not yet been invented…*

*NOTE: Corn was probably first domesticated by humans known as farmers in what is now Mexico some 10,000 years ago. Archeologists some of them, the children of farmers now report that kernels fell into a fire in Peru some 7,000 years ago and popped. So, it is likely that the Incas enjoyed some tasty popcorn while taking in the spectacular views from Macchu Picchu. Since they had no movies to watch, spectacular views had to do. We do know they also had salt. Otherwise, of course, they would have just left those popped kernels to burn up in the embers, though the salt they used did not come from Timbuktu, as it was too “far away.”

…Everyone needed salt. Yes, man does not live by bread alone, because bread is no good without a little salt in the dough. And mutton is lousy without a few shakes of the old ceramic cat with small holes in its head. Folks needed salt to preserve fish, and a bunch of other things they had to preserve because lots of people got tired of eating fish every day. In fact, one of the early Popes, who hated eating fish every day, declared that fish should only be eaten on Fridays. That decree, of course, greatly increased the demand for salt because there were thus more fish to preserve, and therefore, Timbuktu got even richer.

Salt became so valuable that it was even used as money. Though that didn’t last long because the small grains tended to leak easily out of pants pockets, and Kosher salt is so abrasive it can wear through even Levi’s jean-grade denim, and cashiers with paper cuts on the tips of their fingers refused to make change. Plus, the problem that any yokel could go to any nearby beach and make sea salt also bugged economists like Adam Smith because that would make wealth too accessible and thus collapse all of Western Civilization. Or, just imagine knocking over a big tumbler of ice-water on your kitchen table while paying bills and… well, the only money left would be the salt in your tears. Because of all those factors, salt stopped being money long before we started putting RFID chips in our wallets and our pets.

Time marches on, as they say, and J. Sterling Morton eventually bought a bulldozer and a few miles of shoreline property near Salt Lake City, and coined the slogan, “It never rains but it pours.” Thus, he became, if not a better human being, certainly a richer one because he sold a lot of salt. Then, tragically, someone invented “low-salt” diets, and a lady named Mrs. Dash invented a “salt-free salt.” Go figure. Morton was ruined, and reduced to planting trees and operating a lodge/restaurant in Nebraska City.

Timbuktu too has fallen on hard times. There’s an airport just south of town and thus traveling there is no longer difficult so long as you don’t book Southwest Airlines. Yeah, Timbuktu isn’t even that “far away.” In fact, nowhere is that “far away” anymore… except Gretna.

Pass the salt.

Otis Twelve hosts the radio program Morning Classics with Otis Twelve on 90.7 KVNO, weekday mornings from 6-10 a.m. Visit kvno.org for more information.

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