Here are some of the pop-up dinners and food events coming to Des Moines this spring
Pop-up dinners present a fun way to try a special menu in an interesting setting. Some, like dinners with two-time "MasterChef" contestant Samantha Daily take place just once, while others on a farm with chefs such as Aaron Holt or Jacob Schroeder showcase farm-to-fork ingredients. Also note that this week marks the final night of Bamie's pizza at Gusto. Here's a look at upcoming food events that you should check out in the Des Moines metro.
We'll update this list as new food events arise. Send in your favorites to Susan Stapleton at sstapleton@gannett.com.
Make gnocchi with Samantha Daily
If you’ve ever wanted to cook with a “MasterChef” contestant, now is your chance. Samantha Daily, who competed on Season 9 and Season 12 of “MasterChef,” shows participants how to make gnocchi from scratch.
Daily partners with Clayton Mooney of Clayton Farms and The Recipe in Ames for this cooking demo on May 11 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Daily plans to show participants her step-by-step process, including her dough recipe, shaping techniques and sauces that use Clayton Farms greenery.
The class is $75 to attend and $10 to livestream. Head to The Recipe website for tickets.
Location: 412 Burnett Ave., Ames; therecipeames.com/
Harbinger wine dinner
The vegetable-forward restaurant just celebrated its seventh anniversary and has a few tickets left for its Italian wine dinner on Thursday. The dinner includes snacks and five courses paired with wine for $225 per person from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. or 7 to 9 p.m. Head to the Harbinger website for tickets.
Location: 2724 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines; 515-244-1314 or harbingerdsm.com
More: He goes to Asia every year for inspiration. Now his restaurant was named tops in the US
Final Bamie's Pizza at Gusto
Gusto Pizza Bar has brought Bamie's Pizza back every Thursday until this week, the final event in the series. Annie and Ron Bonanno — who made the sausage, marinara, dough and more for the pizzas — head back on the road in their Airstream. Last week, Gusto co-owner Tony Lemmo said on social media that Gusto sold 5,000 Bamie's Pizza House pies since the pop-up launched in November.
"The happiness that this has brought to Des Moines and to all who have made the effort to coming in is humbling to me and my Annie," Ron Bonanno wrote on Facebook. "As I have said, 'This pie is made with Love' and the hard work that my Dad, mom and family did for 23 years. I am so overwhelmed from all the kindness and the joy that everyone has expressed to us!"
Location: Gusto Pizza Bar, 2301 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines. The restaurant is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with the final Bamie's pop-up on Thursday night.
More: Bamie's pizza pops up at Gusto Pizza Bar again with nostalgic pies from 37 years ago
Diner From Another Dimension by Food Life of Zach and Cody
Food Life of Zach and Cody holds its next pop-up dinner on May 3 with "a menu filled with new school twists on old school favorites made with locally sourced Iowa ingredients." The menu includes a panzanella with Iowa sweet beets, a watermelon gazpacho with radishes, chopped beef with homemade tomato and raspberry jalapeno jams on rye crisps, a chicken roulade with plum, cheese, onions, and truffle on blue potato chips, and a trio of homemade sorbets.
Tickets for the 5:30 or 8 p.m. dinner start at $50 per person on foodlifeofzachandcody.com.
Location: 1701 25th St. #100, West Des Moines
RoCA wine tasting and wine dinner
RoCA holds Roy Vertical wine tasting at 6 p.m. on May 9 for $165 per person.
The restaurant also has an Il Borro wine dinner at 6 p.m. on May 15 for $155 per person. The four-course dinner includes side-by-side tastings of two vintages for each wine.
Tickets for both are online at exploretock.com/rocadsm/.
Location: RoCA, 208 Court Ave, Des Moines
More: 33 of the best places to eat in Des Moines: 2022 edition
Farm-to-table dinners at Grade A Gardens
Grade A Gardens hosts farm-to-table dinners through the summer. The first on May 19 at 4:30 p.m. features chefs Lisa and Mike LaValle of Trellis Cafe and the Des Moines Embassy Club for $155, followed by another on June 2 at 4:30 p.m. that features chefs Brett McClavy and CJ Bienert of the Cheese Shop and the Cheese Bar. Both are BYOB for $155 per person at gradeagardens.com/shop.
Location: 34802 I Ave., Earlham
Plant Life Pizza Picnic
Chef Jacob Schroeder of Crafted Food Services brings wood-fired pizzas that use ingredients from local farms to Plant Life Designs. Diners select a time between 6 and 9 p.m. to receive their pizza, but customers can show up at 6 p.m. for cocktails. Tickets start at $70. Dates include May 10, June 7, June 28, July 19, Sept. 6, and Oct. 4 at plantlifedesigns.com/plant-life-pizza-picnic.
Location: Plant Life Designs, 29154 360th St., Van Meter
Rose Farm dinners
Rose Farm holds five-course farm-to-table dinners with chef Aaron Holt, owner of Doolittle Farm LLC, on Fridays all summer and into the fall. The $130 per person dinners take place from 6 to 9 p.m. June 7, July 19, Aug. 16, Sept. 27, and Oct. 11 at rosefarmstead.com/the-shoppe.
Location: Rose Farm, 7197 43rd Ave., Norwalk
Sinduda dinners
The former executive chef at Proof now works at Clyde's Fine Diner, and every two months or so, he's holds pop-up dinners on Sunday nights dubbed Sinduda, without a doubt. Rodriguez and artist Jeremiah Elbel team up on a beautiful menu designed by Elbel and signed by Rodriguez. Each dinner is different, using premium ingredients and technique-driven dishes, and give Rodriguez a chance to spread his culinary wings. Watch the Sinduda website for details and tickets.
Wallace Centers dinners
The Wallace Centers of Iowa recently brought on Saralyn Smith as its chef and director of food programming, and to celebrate, the nonprofit that connects food, land and community hosts a limited five-course dinner series at the Wallace House on April 30, May 7 and May 14.
The 6:30 p.m. dinner starts with a garden mocktail, an cucumber elderflower spritzer, followed by a garden greens salad with local cheese and herbed focaccia, spring vegetables with herbed ricotta, spring vegetable ravioli with chicken berry Champagne sauce and cous cous lamb red wine sauce, and sponge cake mousse with rhubarb gelee.
For details and reservations, visit wallace.org/farm-to-table/.
Location: 756 16th St., Des Moines
Food festivals
WineFest events: WineFest isn't just one festival, but a whole series of events that take place all year round. Here's a look at some of the upcoming events. Head to winefestdesmoines.com/events for details and tickets.
April 27: Do some spring shopping in the East Village with wine during Vino in the Village. The $25 per person event takes place from 1 to 5 p.m.
May 10: Unexpected Cellar includes wine, hors d’oeuvres, and music at a secret location for $110 per person.
May 14: Toasting Tuesday brings sparkling wines from eight wineries paired with dishes from chef Mike Holman with Mulberry Street Tavern at the Surety Hotel. Tickets for the 5:30 p.m. event start at $120.
June 14: The 22nd annual Sips in the City from WineFest takes place at the Val Air Ballroom.
Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival: All things bacon take center stage when the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival returns for its 16th anniversary in May. This year, the ode to bacon takes place on May 4 at the Agriculture Building at the Iowa State Fairgrounds and embraces the theme “Bacon Wars — May the Bacon be with You!” The event includes bacon-themed vendors, live entertainment, and the cover band The Pork Tornadoes. Reynolds also teased a space-themed cantina, craft beers from Iowa, more themed bars, a silent disco, ax throwing, and more space-themed attractions.
Tickets start at $29 on the festival’s website.
More: May the bacon be with you when the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival returns in May
CelebrAsian: Celebrate Asian cultures May 24-25 at CelebrAsian, Iowa's largest Asian American event, taking over Western Gateway Park in Des Moines. The festival includes food, cultural exhibits, live entertainment, and family-friendly activities.
Attendance is free, with food and drink sold separately. For information, visit iowaasianalliance.com.
Iowa Craft Brew Festival: All things from Iowa brewers takes center stage in June when the Iowa Craft Brew Festival returns. The Iowa Brewers Guild holds its festival on Saturday, June 1, from noon to 4 p.m. at Water Works Park's Lauridsen Amphitheater in Des Moines. This year brings some newcomers to the festival. Look for Paha Cider Co. in Waverly, Field Day Brewing Co. out of North Liberty, Late Harvest Brewery out of Sioux Center, and The Busted Cup Brewhouse in Burlington to make their first appearance at the festival.
Tickets start at $45 for general admission and $65 for early admission VIP tickets at iowacraftbrewfestival.com.
More: The Iowa Craft Brew Festival returns to Des Moines in June. Here's how to get tickets.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, X, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: A look at food-and-drink events coming to Des Moines this spring
