With local ingredients, chef Gabriel Kerr recently made a Japanese-style zucchini pancake with a red pepper puree, topped with feta and a nasturtium. Photo: Duane Tinkey
Gabriel Kerr recently joined the Wallace Centers of Iowa as chef and director of programs after previous stints at Table 128 and elsewhere. We asked him what he was looking forward to in the new job:
1. “I’m excited to be doing true farm-to-table. The Wallace Centers has a farm in Orient where I can get the food for events at the farm and the Wallace House in Des Moines. It feels like such a blessing to work with ingredients that I’m able to see ‘grow up,’ and the geothermal greenhouse is an absolute game-changer. There’s just something about watching a bunch of veggies ripen when there’s snow on the ground.”
2. “We’re starting a new ‘Bites &’ series that piggybacks on the old Thursday dinners. It’s a more casual dinner experience with two courses and little ‘bites’ of history on the side. Also, as a Halloween fanatic, I’m going to be doing a ‘spooky squash’ dinner at the house in October with food so good it’s scary. (Ha ha.)”
3. “Food helps create community so the Wallace Centers’ motto — ‘connecting food, land and people’ — resonates with me. It’s a great thing to be a part of, and I’m excited to see what’s ahead.
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