DSM Pasta Co. owners Kali and AJ Brudos make their pastas by hand, including this pappardelle. Photo: DSM Pasta Co.
Writer: Karla Walsh
When several local entrepreneurs noticed a vacancy in a former Godfather’s Pizza place, well, they spotted an opportunity they couldn’t refuse.
The idea behind Moxie Kitchen + Events, at 4119 University Ave., arose because four local food businesses wanted to share a kitchen. The collaborators shared a passion to “cultivate the next generation of talent and food entrepreneurs, while continuing to build our personal brands,” according to Marti Payseur, who owns the downtown bakery Thistle’s Summit.
Payseur and Beth Jackson of Nourished met while prepping alongside each other at another shared-use kitchen. Kali and AJ Brudos, owners of DSM Pasta Co., joined in since Kali had met Beth’s husband while working with another local restaurant. And somewhere along the way, Beth and Jacob Schroeder of Crafted Food Services bonded over a mutual appreciation for fresh food.
The result of this lovely braided loaf of challah is Moxie Kitchen + Events. Its co-owners will use the space to prepare food to share across Central Iowa and, as the facility’s schedule allows, rent it out to others for meal prep, culinary classes, private dinners and more. They hope the space lowers the usual financial barriers for culinary startups.
The Moxie team launched a Kickstarter campaign on March 28 to raise money to support the final parts of the build-out. They surpassed their $12,000 goal just a week later but plan to keep the fundraiser open until April 26 to generate extra funding that could accelerate their late-April opening. Donors who pitch in at various levels will receive an invitation to the opening reception, a dinner for six at their home, or even a year’s supply of fresh pasta and sauce or oatmeal cream pies.
