10A The Gazette ● Thursday, September 5, 2019

LIVING

A cross-section of a croissant shows multiple layers at Rustic Tom Schmitt folds dough layered with butter to make croissants Fresh baked rye sourdough bread at Rustic Hearth Bakery.
Hearth Bakery in Cedar Rapids. at Rustic Hearth Bakery in Cedar Rapids.

THE BAKER
AND THE BEAST

Liz Martin photos/The Gazette

Baked goods are displayed Aug. 20 in the front case at Rustic Hearth Bakery in Cedar Rapids. The bakery began in NewBo City Market and recently moved to the new
Mount Vernon Road location, increasing capacity and expanding open hours.

At Rustic Hearth Bakery, attention to detail keeps bread rising

By Alison Gowans, The Gazette

C
EDAR RAPIDS — Tom Schmitt has a name for his
sourdough starter: “The Beast.”
The Beast is the fermented wild yeast-filled dough
Schmitt uses as the
base for every loaf of
sourdough bread he bakes at Rustic IF YOU GO
Hearth Bakery. Over the years he’s l What: Rustic Hearth
kept it alive. The Beast, which is
Bakery
responsible for the signature flavor l Where: 3531 Mount
of his bread, has required regular
Vernon Rd. SE, Cedar
feeding with fresh flour and water.
Rapids
Schmitt frets about what would hap- l
Hours: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
pen if someone accidentally disposed
Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to
of the plastic tub he keeps it in, and
1 p.m. Saturday
he has even taken it on vacation with
him, the better to tend to it.
“The Beast and I have been together every day for 15 years,”
he said. “Bread is just flour, water and salt. The flavor profile
comes from the yeast cultures.”
Schmitt started Rustic Hearth almost four years ago in NewBo Tom Schmitt pre-shapes sourdough loaves Aug. 20 at Rustic Hearth Bakery in Cedar
Rapids. It takes three days to make sourdough bread at the bakery. Schmitt started
;; BAKERY, PAGE 11A Rustic Hearth four years ago.

FOOD AND DRINK EVENTS

CIDER TASTING
Celebrate apple season with
a tasting dedicated to cider. With
around 30 ciders ranging from
sweet to dry, fruit or hop-infused,
there will be plenty to try at this
open-house style tasting.
l When: 5 to 7 p.m. Friday
l Where: Benz Beverage Depot,
501 Seventh Ave. SE, Cedar
Rapids
l Cost: Free
l Details: www.facebook.com/
benzbeverage/
cherries, romas, beefsteaks and
more. Julie Parisi, owner of Zaza’s
Pastas, will lead this class, which
will include tasting a wide variety
of fresh, local tomatoes and a
discussion of the nuances of their
flavor profiles, as well as lessons
on how to make a quick and tasty
appetizer, a robust tomato soup
and a roasted tomato pasta dish.
l When: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday
l Where: NewBo City Market,
1100 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids
l Cost: $20
l Details: newbocitymarket.org
and a village tour. The menu
includes pea soup (boller suppe),
breaded bacon, boiled potatoes,
navy beans, pickled beets and
plum cake. Reservations and
prepayment required.
l When: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
l Where: Communal Kitchen
Museum, 1003 26th Ave., Middle
Amana
l Cost: $25
l Details: (319) 622-3567 or
email amanaheritage@southslope.
net
show off their skills and seasonal
produce. Participating food and
drink producers are Thew Brewing
Co., Lion Bridge Brewing Co.,
Rapid Creek Cidery, Wild Culture
Kombucha, Hoffmann Farm &
Forage, Echollective Farm, Jupiter
Ridge, Local Harvest, Saint Burch
Tavern, Cobble Hill, chefs Spencer
Grekoff and Gabe Branch and the
Kitchen Counter. Half the ticket
price will go to Feed Iowa First,
which addresses food insecurity.
l When: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
BEER DINNER FEATURING
BARN TOWN BREWING
This four-course dinner
features drink pairings with West
Des Moines-based Barn Town
Brewing. The menu: lobster salad
paired with Summer Shandy,
seared halibut paired with Groovy
Ruby, ancho-roasted lamb and
mango polenta with Nana Stand,
watermelon and mint gazpacho
intermezzo and an Italian dessert,
berries zabaglione, and rosemary
biscuit paired with Blueberry Love
© 2019 The Gazette

USING SUMMER TOMATOES
Tomato season is in full swing,
with backyard gardens and farmers
markets bursting with the fruits
Monday
Muffin beer.
l Where: Rodina, 1507 C St. SW,
l When: 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday
COMMUNAL KITCHEN DINNER FEED IOWA FIRST Cedar Rapids l Where: Vue Rooftop, 328 S.
Experience Amana’s original CHARITY DINNER l Cost: $100 Clinton St., Iowa City
dining experience with a special Four local chefs, four beverage l Details: facebook.com/ l Cost: $65

of the season, from heirlooms to after-dinner program in High Amana makers and four farmers will rodinaiowa l Details: vuerooftop-ic.com

Tangled Roots Brewing Co.’s restaurant The Lone Buffalo in downtown Ottawa, Ill., sources local ingredients and will help you
match one of its beers, or a flight, to your meal.
Road trip
Between Davenport and Chicago, a haven of barbecue, Cajun specialties and more
By Michael Austin, Chicago Tribune
O
TTAWA, Ill. — Some-
times you just need to get
in a car and drive, out
to the edge of Chicago, through
the suburbs and past the exurbs,
to a place where the highway is
straight and smooth and the sky
shows you where it meets the
land, or at least the treetops, in
all four directions.
I do this now and again, on In-
terstate 80, and usually I end up
in LaSalle County — in Ottawa,
Utica, LaSalle or Peru — or in
Ladd, a tiny town just over the
county line, midway between
Davenport and Chicago.
Ottawa is where the Fox
River meets the Illinois River,
which flows into the mighty Mis-
sissippi. Ottawa also is where
Abraham Lincoln met Stephen
Douglas on Aug. 21, 1858, for the
first of seven debates.
I made many trips to town
before I saw the debate site, and
only after about a dozen visits to
LaSalle County did I venture to
Starved Rock State Park, one of
Illinois’ most popular destina-
tions for fall colors. I’ve never
visited the sky diving or zip-lin-
ing attractions, nor have I ridden
in a mule-pulled boat on the his-
toric Illinois & Michigan Canal.
Know why? Because I drive the
roughly 85 miles from Chicago to
Ottawa (or beyond) to chow.
Fried chicken. BBQ. Crawfish
etouffee, boudin balls and gator.
Gourmet flatbreads and burgers.
Cheese curds. Peanut butter pie.
Deep-fried kale. Fish tacos. Lo-
cally made beer and sparkling
wine. What I find so interesting
about this part of Illinois is not
that there are good places to
eat, but that there are enough
good places to eat for a month of
Sundays, lunch and dinner. And
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Thursday, September 5, 2019 ● The Gazette 11A
LIVING
Bakery/Starts each
day by 3 in morning
;; FROM PAGE 10A
City Market, then relo-
cated to small storefront
on Mount Vernon Road
at the end of March. The
new location has allowed
him to expand his hours
and add coffee, espresso
and tea along with a
cozy seating area to his
repertoire of breads and
pastries.
Schmitt grinds his
own flour, and has six
different varieties he can Liz Martin/The Gazette
combine in his breads Tom Schmitt pre-shapes sour-
to create different flavor dough loaves Aug. 20 at Rustic
profiles. He said he ar- Hearth Bakery in Cedar Rapids.
rives at the bakery be-
tween 2 and 3 a.m. each and got the job.
day to bake breads, in- “I kind of fell in love
cluding sourdough, whole with it,” he said. “I fell
wheat, rye, baguettes and in love with the work it-
sandwich loaves. self — with working with
Those looking for a the dough. It is quiet. It
sweet treat can try items is basically you and the
such as croissants, cinna- doughs and the ovens. It’s
Chicago Tribune photos
mon rolls and cookies kind of like a dance in the
He takes those just as mornings. If you mess up
seriously as the bread. one detail, it impacts the
Making croissants is a product.”
four-day process, with He said, at the end of
time for the dough to rise the day, baking has simi-
and ferment between each larities to being a ma-
step. His process includes chinist — he gets to work
rolling out and folding with his hands and it re-
dough over a large slab of quires attention to detail
butter, continuing to roll and the science behind
and fold over and over the product he’s work-
again to create a flaky, ing with. Things such as
buttery layers. the humidity level in the
“We use butter from a kitchen can affect the
local farmer, which has dough, so he has a special
higher fat content,” he temperature controlled
said. “Fat equals flavor.” chamber for the bread
Schmitt didn’t start out to rise in, protected from
as a baker. He previously variables that occur
worked as a machinist when the buildings doors
at Rockwell Collins, now open and close.
Collins Aerospace, and He said a lot of baker-
he would bring in rolls or ies are moving to being
scones to the breakroom, mechanized, but he pre-
which led to people ask- fers to roll out and shape
ing him to make rolls or each loaf by hand.
pies for their Thanksgiv- “I think it’s vital we
ing meals. Then, about six keep these kind of things
years ago, he was laid off. going and pass them on
He saw an ad for a baking to the next generation,”
job, and he wondered if he said.
his hobby could become a l Comments: (319) 398-8339;
profession, so he applied alison.gowans@thegazette.com
August Hill’s tasting room in downtown Utica is friendly and laid back. “We welcome CHEW ON THIS
everyone from hikers with dirty boots to bridal parties,” said supervisor Jessie Ziano.
then another month of the same. good on its own, and the view of Estela’s Fresh Mex
coming to Coralville
You could start, as I did, with the harbor makes it better.
Tangled Roots Brewing Co.’s You might hear a high-pitched
brewpub The Lone Buffalo in “Aiyeee!” during dinner at Cajun
downtown Ottawa. They use lo- Connection in Utica. That’d be
cal ingredients such as Slagel the affable proprietor, “Cajun By Alison Gowans, The Gazette
Family Farm’s dry-aged ground Ron” McFarlain, who’s origi-
beef and make dishes like house- nally from Louisiana. His pecan ESTELA’S FRESH MEX
made roasted red pepper hum- pie, and the light and flaky batter An Iowa City fast-casual
mus, bison chili, and flatbreads he developed — for gator, oysters Mexican eatery is expanding
ranging from simple margherita and the rest — are the founda- into Coralville.
to pepperoni, pickled jalapenos tion of the restaurant. Estela’s Fresh Mex The Gazette
and three cheeses. Ask for beer- On the charming main drag announced on Facebook it
pairing advice or sample a flight. of downtown Utica, you can A grilled chicken with pico de
would open a new location at gallo, black beans, Spanish rice,
Elsewhere in Ottawa, over- visit August Hill Winery Tasting 1610 N. Coral St., Coralville, spinach and avocado at Estela’s
looking a harbor connected to Room to sample reds, whites, sometime this fall. Fresh Mex in Iowa City. Estela’s
the Illinois River, The Red Dog roses and dessert wines, as well “Same great food with is expanding to Coralville.
Grill is bright and uncluttered, as traditional-method sparkling fresh tortillas and ingredi-
with a decor I’d call contempo- wines bottled under the Illinois ents BUT we’re adding a in November 2017, named
rary nautical. They serve up- Sparkling Co. label. Choose five big outdoor patio, alcoholic in honor of de La Paz’s
scale-casual American and sea- samples for $5 and move on from beverages, and more! Stay mother, Estela. The trio had
food dishes with a full bar. How there — to the lounge or patio. tuned for more updates,” the previously owned Mami’s,
about Baja fish tacos with South- It’s a friendly, relaxed place. post read. which also served fast-casual
west slaw, guacamole and lime “We welcome everyone from Tyler Tiecke, Jerry Vasquez Mexican.
sour cream for lunch? Or lemon hikers with dirty boots to bridal and his mother, Elsa de La
ginger whitefish with spinach for parties,” said supervisor Jessie Paz, opened Estela’s at 184 Comments: (319) 398-8339;
dinner? The food is objectively Ziano. E. Burlington St., Iowa City, alison.gowans@thegazette.com
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