Downtown Dish

Prairie Kitchen Store opened in June 2020—just as a pandemic sent people home to cook, bake sourdough, make pizza, and mix cocktails. Owners Susan and Kevin Felker tell Anna Moyers Stone and Betsy Potter how they turned the former Motley Cow restaurant into a kitchen shop, why they eventually gave up their popular cooking classes, and how they keep the shelves fresh without losing their focus. Along the way, they share memorable gift ideas, the surprising difference between cat and dog shoppers, and Kevin’s secret to flavorful pizza dough: a slow, three-to-six-day cold ferment.About Downtown Dish: The hit Iowa City radio show is now a hit Iowa City podcast! Join Anna and Charlie every month as they dish on everything about downtown Iowa City, including interviews with area movers and shakers, news headlines, and even some spicy gossip! This show is presented in partnership between the Downtown Iowa City District and the Corridor Business Journal, and is produced and distributed by Upload Media Group.Bullet Points- Upcoming performances and holiday events at downtown Iowa City arts and culture venues.- The Kids Market, where children shop for gifts while practicing budgeting and thoughtful gift-giving.- Holiday shopping activities, including pop-up markets, Santa visits, wagon rides, and local delivery.- The Prairie Kitchen Store’s products, including kitchen tools, local and fair-trade goods, and specialty foods.- The store’s origins, its opening during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its location in the former Motley Cow space.- Adapting the store’s offerings over time, including expanding products and ending cooking classes.- Choosing thoughtful gifts based on a recipient’s interests, with ideas such as knives, aprons, specialty foods, and cooking kits.- Gift bags, gift boxes, and custom gift baskets.- Making pizza dough with cold fermentation, including tips on flour, timing, freezing, and toppings.Timestamps**Downtown Iowa City’s Pre-Holiday Highlights (00:00:10)**Anna and Betsy discuss Riverside Theatre productions and upcoming holiday events and shopping downtown.**Kids Market and Holiday Activities (00:02:17)**Betsy explains the Kids Market, where children shop for gifts, and previews pop-up shops, Santa Saturdays, and other holiday activities.**Meet Prairie Kitchen Store’s Owners (00:09:13)**Anna and Betsy introduce Susan and Kevin Felker and their kitchen, entertaining, and locally sourced products.**From University Jobs to Store Owners (00:11:05)**Susan and Kevin describe planning their business, developing a business plan, and opening in the former Motley Cow space during 2020.**Pizza Oven, Classes, and Business Pivots (00:21:34)**The owners discuss pizza-making classes, why they ended them, and how customer feedback shaped the store’s products.**Choosing Products and Creating a Store Experience (00:28:51)**Susan and Kevin explain adapting their inventory, selecting unique products, and balancing practical kitchen goods with fun finds.**Holiday Gift Ideas from Prairie Kitchen Store (00:44:18)**The owners share gift recommendations, including cocktail accessories, knives, aprons, specialty foods, and custom gift baskets.**Kevin’s Pizza Dough Tips (00:53:38)**Kevin shares his cold-fermentation method, flour preference, timing, freezing advice, and topping tips.**Closing and Credits (00:58:06)**The hosts thank the guests, share the store’s website, and provide podcast subscription and production information.

At Willow Creek Theatre, improv performers make up an entire show on the spot—and sometimes have to turn a surprise slideshow into a convincing presentation without seeing it first. On this episode of *Downtown Dish*, Charlie Nusser and Anna Moyers Stone visit board president Jason Rantanen and Floodwater Comedy Festival director Jan Clarke to explore improv, sketch, stand-up and the real-life listening and teamwork skills behind the laughs. They also meet Willow Creek’s house teams, including an improvised musical troupe, and get the scoop on Floodwater’s mix of local and visiting performers. The festival takes place October 16–17, with shows and classes at the theater on South Gilbert Street.About Downtown Dish: The hit Iowa City radio show is now a hit Iowa City podcast! Join Anna and Charlie every month as they dish on everything about downtown Iowa City, including interviews with area movers and shakers, news headlines, and even some spicy gossip! This show is presented in partnership between the Downtown Iowa City District and the Corridor Business Journal, and is produced and distributed by Upload Media Group.Bullet Points:- Upcoming downtown Iowa City events, including the Fall Shop Crawl, Halloween activities, the Refocus Film Festival, the Iowa City Book Festival, and the Iowa City Songwriters Festival.- Willow Creek Theatre’s history, location, programming, and focus on improv comedy.- How improv works, including short-form and long-form formats, teamwork, audience suggestions, and spontaneous performance.- Improv classes and how they build everyday skills such as listening, confidence, creativity, and collaboration.- The Floodwater Comedy Festival’s history, format, performers, and mix of improv, stand-up, sketch comedy, and improvised presentations.- Differences between improv, stand-up comedy, and sketch comedy.- Willow Creek’s improv teams and their styles, including relationship-based, game-based, and musical improv.- Practical information about attending shows, including tickets, parking, and bringing food and drinks.Timestamps:**Downtown events and seasonal highlights (00:00:10)**The hosts preview the Fall Shop Crawl, Halloween activities, film and book festivals, new businesses, and the Iowa City Songwriters Festival.**Introducing Willow Creek Theatre and Floodwater Comedy Festival (00:03:18)**The hosts introduce guests Jan Clarke and Jason Rantanen and preview the festival and its comedy programming.**Willow Creek’s history and improv basics (00:04:18)**Jason describes the theatre, its origins, and how improv shows are created spontaneously.**Short-form and long-form improv (00:07:16)**The guests explain the formats, typical show lengths, team dynamics, and skills involved.**Improv classes and everyday skills (00:10:51)**Jason discusses practice, classes, listening, confidence, idea generation, and how improv skills apply to daily life.**Creating a supportive learning environment (00:15:19)**The guests describe listening exercises, low-stakes practice, teamwork, and encouraging creativity.**Improv’s range and emotional tone (00:19:14)**The group discusses improv at home and how scenes can include humor, relationships, and more serious moments.**Floodwater Comedy Festival lineup and format (00:21:18)**Jan previews the festival’s improv, stand-up, and sketch performances, all held at Willow Creek Theatre.**Festival history and comedy formats explained (00:23:00)**The guests recount the festival’s history and distinguish stand-up, improv, and scripted sketch comedy.**Festival performers and selection process (00:27:04)**Jan explains how performers are selected and describes local, regional, and out-of-town participants.**Willow Creek performers and teams (00:28:56)**Jason describes the theatre’s performers, their varied training, and how people join the community.**Ned Talks and improvised presentations (00:30:17)**Jan explains the festival’s prepared talks and the improvised version, where performers present unseen slides.**Comparing comedy forms and recovering from scenes (00:33:32)**The guests discuss overlapping skills across formats and techniques performers use to redirect or reset scenes.**Willow Creek’s house teams (00:39:10)**Jan and Jason introduce the theatre’s long-form, short-form, and musical improv teams.**Visiting Willow Creek and finding tickets (00:41:50)**The hosts share parking and BYOB details, then explain where to find show information and tickets.**Credits and closing (00:44:19)**The hosts invite listeners to subscribe and review, then credit the producers and sponsors.

In this episode of Downtown Dish, hosts Charlie Nusser and Anna Moyers Stone highlight upcoming Iowa City fall events, including North Side Oktoberfest, Fall Gallery Walk, Fall Shop Crawl, Infinite Dream Festival, and Africa Fest. The main segment features an interview with Eric Smith, founder of YBI Recruiting. Eric shares his journey from Iowa City native and military veteran to recruiting entrepreneur. He explains how YBI Recruiting offers flat-fee outsourced recruiting services, helping businesses build candidate pipelines more affordably than traditional staffing firms. Eric also discusses AI's growing role in hiring and offers practical tips for both employers and job seekers.About Downtown Dish: The hit Iowa City radio show is now a hit Iowa City podcast! Join Anna and Charlie every month as they dish on everything about downtown Iowa City, including interviews with area movers and shakers, news headlines, and even some spicy gossip! This show is presented in partnership between the Downtown Iowa City District and the Corridor Business Journal, and is produced and distributed by Upload Media Group.

In this episode of Downtown Dish, guest co-host Joe Reilly and Anna Moyers Stone highlight upcoming downtown Iowa City events, including the 30th annual North Side Oktoberfest, the Farm to Street Dinner, Taste of Iowa City, and a free Hancher Green concert welcoming students back. They then sit down with Kathleen Rash, owner of The Art Mission on Linn Street. With 27 years in business and 40 years of framing experience, Kathleen shares her passion for custom framing, local art, and her personal storm photography-inspired pastel series. Her shop remains a beloved community hub celebrating craftsmanship and Iowa City's artistic heritage.About Downtown Dish: The hit Iowa City radio show is now a hit Iowa City podcast! Join Anna and Charlie every month as they dish on everything about downtown Iowa City, including interviews with area movers and shakers, news headlines, and even some spicy gossip! This show is presented in partnership between the Downtown Iowa City District and the Corridor Business Journal, and is produced and distributed by Upload Media Group.

In this episode of Downtown Dish, hosts Anna Moyers Stone and Charlie Nusser celebrate summer in downtown Iowa City, highlighting patio season, the Friday night concert series, and upcoming sidewalk sales. They then interview Jordan Sellergren, Owner and Publisher of Little Village, an independent alternative monthly magazine that has served Iowa City since 2001. Jordan shares the magazine's history, its statewide reach across 50 communities, and her journey from graphic designer to publisher. She discusses Little Village's commitment to independent journalism, arts coverage, and community storytelling, while emphasizing the importance of local support in keeping independent media alive.About Downtown Dish: The hit Iowa City radio show is now a hit Iowa City podcast! Join Anna and Charlie every month as they dish on everything about downtown Iowa City, including interviews with area movers and shakers, news headlines, and even some spicy gossip! This show is presented in partnership between the Downtown Iowa City District and the Corridor Business Journal, and is produced and distributed by Upload Media Group.