Photo: Russ & Daughters
My partner’s family’s Christmas Eve tradition involves homemade egg rolls and spring rolls. We all have our kitchen roles and assignments, and it’s truly something we all look forward to.” — Jonathan Brendemuehl, foundation director, Broadlawns Medical Center
“Stuffing! I love stuffing, even Stove Top stuffing, but please do not use raisins.” — Daniel Zinnel, CEO, Proteus
“Bagels and lox from Russ & Daughters on Christmas morning.” — Brooks Reynolds, co-founder of the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival and CEO of JR’s SouthPork Ranch
“You cannot beat a great barbecue for the Fourth of July: brats and burgers from a local butcher shop on the grill with fresh summer sweet corn and watermelon. Perfection.” — Amy Zeigler, state tourism manager, Travel Iowa
“My grandmother’s banana pudding and sweet potato pie.” — Julian Neely, director of advancement and community investment, Polk County Housing Trust Fund
“Every year for Thanksgiving, my mother debones an entire turkey, fills it with an eggroll filling, wraps it up, and treats it like a roast. It. Is. Insane.” — Sammy Mila, owner, Crème
“I make a killer dressing with tons of sage and homemade bread. It goes pretty fast at my family Thanksgiving.” — Emily Schultz, managing director, BrokerTech Ventures
Photo: Duane Tinkey
“Chocolate cake from the Drake diner on my birthday.” — Haley Scarpino, chef, recipe tester, food editor and dsm contributing writer
“My grandma’s gumbo. She’s 96 and still the best cook I know.” — Paxton Williams, attorney, Belin McCormick
“My family got tired of doing the same thing for meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas. A few years back we started switching up the Christmas meal and have been making king crab legs. There are no leftovers anymore!” — Jenna Kimberley, CEO, Kimberley Development
