I begin today with two definitions. “Locavore” is one who sources and consumes food grown or produced locally, supporting local farmers and businesses while reducing transportation costs. “Terroir,” pronounced ter’wa, is French and refers to characteristics of a product -- generally wine -- attributed to a geographical location where it was made. While terroir doesn't have a precise English translation, loosely it means “the taste of a place.”
Now, my examples. In late July, Paula, a dear friend, and I journeyed west to dine at Café Mir, in Fertile, Iowa, population 300, on the Winnebago River in Worth County. Noting it was a 45-minute drive, we three left early and stopped en route at Worth Brewing Company in Northwood for a pre-dinner beverage. The choices are such that you WANT to have more, yet knowing a memorable meal awaits, restraint is required.
I’m uncertain when I first heard about Café Mir, but our server said it opened six years ago. The restaurant offers a few Czech dishes (“mir” means peace in Czech) and various ethnic flourishes on more standard American cuisine. The predominantly locavore menu varies with seasonal availability. The restaurant communicates via Facebook, where it has some 6,600 followers, mighty impressive considering their rural, geographic catchment area. Displayed on their simple one-page, two-sided menu: “We proudly use local, sustainable, and organic products whenever possible. Special thanks to (… thirteen regional vendors listed)”. No mention of local breweries, however, an opportunity for additional locavore connections.
Menu options are focused, five main entrees the evening we visited -- hangar steak, lamb loin, sockeye salmon, lasagna, and pork collar -- although you can certainly cobble together a meal, which Paula did, consisting of what might otherwise be considered “sides”: potato latkes, a garden-fresh salad, a remarkable sautéed sweet corn dish, etc. Everything is prepared and served with considerable care in a functional, basic setting. You’re there for superb cuisine, not ambiance. Although we dined inside, outdoor tables were available adjacent to the river. Next time, we told ourselves.
My second example is of a different nature: Cedar Summerstock Theater, a summer theater program in Mitchell County. Cedar Summerstock launched about the same time as Café Mir and it, too, is on a positive trajectory. But I’m biased here… the program’s founder, Nancy Nickerson Lee, is a long-time friend and I serve currently on the organization’s board. The program brings college students from throughout the U.S. to North Iowa for ten weeks, from Memorial Day to mid-August, to produce four plays. This past summer’s “menu”: Spamalot, Forever Plaid, Church Basement Ladies, and The Wizard of Oz.
The troupe rehearses in St. Ansgar, in what was once the elementary school (before that, also the high school), and performs in Osage, at the Cedar River Complex, sending tentacles into two supportive communities. Most performers live with host families, further advancing local engagement. Recently, the organization was gifted “South Square,” the former school building that has housed rehearsals, a step representing considerable potential, plus new organizational challenges. Stay tuned…
Cedar Summerstock is a classic win-win endeavor: theater students benefit from the experience; the greater community benefits from their diverse talents. Ten weeks is a meaningful “taste of a place.” Most of these young adults will not lead rural lives; ah, but they once all spent a summer in North Iowa. I cling to the hope it’s an enlightening growth experience. To the extent communities have a distinct terroir -- qualities, values, “flavor” -- a summer’s exposure might be felt for years… in some cases, perhaps for a lifetime.
So, locavore and terroir. As large swaths of rural America strive to be compelling places, we should all cheer efforts like Worth Brewing, Café Mir, and Cedar Summerstock. It’s even more essential that we spend occasional dollars on a local beer, an innovative meal, a high-quality performance. These are valued expenditures in our regional economy and also wise investments in our collective future.
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Proud to be part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative with these talented people: