Table for Two

With a culinary resume that would have made opening a fine dining restaurant a logical next step in an already illustrious career, Chef George Migliero surprised a few people.  The award-winning chef, who studied under multiple Michelin-starred French chefs and has served everyone from presidents to Julia Child, purchased a pub. The Boston-native envisioned creating a “Cheers” like place with top shelf cuisine. Now 11 years in, his G-Migs 5th Street Pub in West Des Moines daily delights people with both its food and atmosphere. 

Ana McClain hails from a family with a passion for food.  Her sister is a television chef and her mother attended culinary school just for fun.  However, it was the realm of food and beverage business that drew Ana, a native of Mexico and her husband Quinton, a native of Cedar Rapids, to the Czech Village district of his hometown.  In 2014, they made a significant impact on the area’s post-flood renaissance when they opened Lion Bridge Brewery. Named for the iconic Bridge of Lions on the nearby Cedar River, the brewery brings more to the table than award winning beer and cuisine.  It serves as a community hub, showcasing local artists, supporting local causes, and organizing local events. While Ana primarily operates behind-the-scenes, her business background has solidified Lion Bridge Brewery as a cornerstone of the historic district.

The term black sheep doesn't have to be negative. When Stephanie Mehmen and her friend heard rumors of a century-old flood damaged building about to be demolished, they knew they had to do something. As she envisioned what kind of business it would take to save this beloved building, the thought of a restaurant came to the forefront. And the Black Sheep Social Club was born. Today the restaurant and its staff are attempting to be not only a cornerstone of their community but also a driving force behind the revitalization of it. 

When he’s developing menu items Chef Benjamin Smart, Culinary Director for one of Iowa’s most popular breweries keeps one thought in mind – people may come for the beer, but let’s get them to stay for the food. That approach appears to be working as the brewery has just broken ground on their fourth location in Iowa. Not a typical path for an award-winning chef, Smart earned a geoscience degree, but kept feeling called back to the kitchen. Encouraged by his wife and driven by his passion, Smart earned a culinary degree and carved an impressive culinary path that eventually brought him back to Iowa. Today he is a partner in one of the state’s most innovative and successful operating groups overseeing and mentoring the next generation of culinary talent.

Nina Easley wears many hats: mother, advocate for dyslexic students, and owner of a rural Iowa coffee shop that's helping revitalize her hometown's main street. With deep roots in Earlham, a tiny town just 20 miles west of Des Moines, Nina's decision to open a breakfast spot featuring a secret beignet recipe from her late husband’s family, is the fulfillment of a dream the two had often discussed. Today, Easley's Beans and Beignets Coffee and Ice Cream Shop draws visitors from miles around with its sweet, powdered sugar-covered treats, coffee served in oversized ceramic cups, and a vibe made cool by both the shop’s culture and its location in beautifully restored historic building.

16 years ago, Amy and Andy Walsh had a vision for Mickey’s Irish Pub: a true pub environment with elevated beer and gastropub cuisine, where people actually talked to one another. The high school sweethearts had met while working in a restaurant decades earlier and knew what it would take to make a hospitality endeavor work.  They pulled out most of the pub’s televisions, unleashed Andy (a trained chef) and his culinary talents on the menu, and focused Amy, who holds a degree in hospitality management,  on finding and developing a staff that would be capable of ensuring the owner/operator couple would become incidental, rather than essential, to the daily operation. The result? In an industry with 80%+ turnover rates, the Walshs have kept their team in place for years. They love being in their restaurant but never hesitate to leave their team in charge--proving that when you care about and empower your people, success follows.

Jeff Bruning calls himself an “insurance refugee.”  He took a traditional path—graduating high school, then college, then getting a “grown up” job.  But he quickly realized that being behind a desk was not the future he wanted. He took what he thought would be a placeholder restaurant position and found his passion. He also found his people—in the form of creative, business-savvy partners. Together they became Full Court Press and changed the Des Moines Restaurant scene. Listen in as we talk about the birth and growth of some Des Moines’ first experiential restaurants from The Royal Mile and Hessen Haus to Fong’s Pizza and The Iowa Taproom.  Hear too about some of the misses of one the state’s most successful restaurant groups and where they see their future. 

Mike Whalen, President, CEO, and Founder, of the Heart America Group, is well-known by Iowans for many things—his multi-location Machine Shed and Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse Restaurants, envisioning and then creating Wildwood Hills Ranch, an equine therapy camp for at risk youth and veterans suffering from PTSD, as well as his run for federal office as a 1st District Congressional candidate.  However, this multidimensional hospitality pro still has a few surprises up his sleeve.  Heart of America’s portfolio of properties recently expanded beyond food and beverage concepts which pay homage to Midwest culture and cuisine. Their wildly successful Hyper Drink Bars cater to the made-to-order energy drink crowd. Think there’s nothing left to learn about this colorful two-time Iowa Restaurateur of the Year? Turn on the radio and you may hear a tune or two composed by this unexpected country-music songwriter.

Sammy Mila once was described as having the “most famous hands on YouTube.” The one-time food stylist for publishing giant Meredith Corporation, Sammy’s hands have been featured in countless recipe videos. However, styling food for magazine photoshoots and making how to videos doesn’t bring the same joy that directly serving people does. When a well-established Des Moines bakery/dessert lounge came available for sale, Sammy decided to follow a dream and leap into ownership. Already a 40 Women to Watch in Hospitality honoree, Sammy reimagined the bakery to include everything from late night noodle bowls to vegan baked goods. Toss in her funky décor, craft cocktails and peanut butter Cheez-It cookies, and you quickly understand Sammy’s vision to create an environment and menu that have something for everyone.

When biotech scientist Bethany DeVries left her corporate research position and purchased a boutique wine bar, she set out to replace any sense of wine pretentiousness with wine accessibility. The owner/operator of Iowa’s only self-serve wine bar constantly rotates the 30 to 40 self-serve wines available daily in her establishment, ensuring there’s a profile, taste and price for everyone.  She’s made tasting notes for 10,000 wines, so you’d think she had time for little else.  However, this hospitality operator is as much known for her volunteer work as her business.  When COVID-19 hit, it was Bethany’s reputation for philanthropy, combined with a quick thinking move toward retail sales, that proved true the old adage “if you show up for your community, they’ll show up for you.”