Eating your way through northeast Iowa

When it comes to food, the northeast Iowa town of Decorah used to be best known for its Norwegian specialties, including lefse, a soft flatbread made from potatoes, and lutefisk, a fish dish that can best be described as an acquired taste.

But today, Decorah and the surrounding region draw foodies from a wide radius.

'The Decorah area has a long tradition of small-scale, sustainable agriculture, and the produce from those farms is helping fuel growth in the quality and size of our restaurant scene,' says Charlene Corson Selbee, director of the Winneshiek County Convention and Visitors Bureau. 'Food and beverages have become big draws for us.'

When you dine out in Decorah, there's a good chance that much of what you're eating and drinking was grown, raised, or crafted within a few miles of the restaurant. Local farms here raise a cornucopia of products that include shiitake mushrooms, microgreens, rare vegetable varieties, artisan cheeses and humanely raised meats. In the hands of skilled chefs at restaurants that include Restauration, La Rana and Rubaiyat, the ingredients become a feast for the palate and the eye.

Farmers and chefs work closely together, according to Erik Sessions, owner of Patchwork Green Farm, which raises nearly 200 varieties of vegetables.

'I meet with local chefs in the winter to tell them about new varieties I'm thinking of growing,' Sessions says. 'And they talk with me about their needs for the coming months and what worked well and not-so-well for them in the previous growing season.'

The Oneota Community Food Co-op is a good place to take the pulse of the town's food scene. Its shelves stock a wide variety of locally raised and artisan foods, and visitors can enjoy a casual meal in its light-filled front atrium.

A block away, the Winneshiek Farmers Market attracts more than 40 vendors from May through October. Held on Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons, the market has freshly picked vegetables and fruits, homemade jams, local honey, eggs from free-range chickens and an array of baked goods.

The food and beverage renaissance extends into neighboring communities. Twenty miles east in Waukon, the WW Homestead Dairy uses milk from local farms to create tasty cheeses and 30 flavors of ice creams, all made with 14 percent butterfat. The dairy supplies more than 90 outlets as far away as Chicago. It's especially known for its cheese curds, which visitors can see being made through the windows that overlook its production area.

Seven miles away, Peake Orchards offers free hay rides to its grove of apple trees in harvest season. Guests can pick their own varieties off the trees and browse a gift shop with apple-related items.

'Local apples always taste better because they're allowed to fully ripen on the trees,' says Al Peake, owner of the orchard. 'We're especially proud of our Honey Crisp apples. We have just the right climate for growing them.'

A mile away is Empty Nest Winery, where Dave and Pam Kruger gave up their dairy business five years ago to become vintners. They make a variety of grape and other wines, made with whole berries rather than juice for bolder flavors. The enterprise has been so successful that a new, expanded tasting room and banquet area were added last fall.

'I think part of our appeal is that people love to drive out into the beautiful countryside of northeast Iowa,' says Pam Kruger. 'Enjoying a glass of wine in the middle of the woods, hills, and fields just adds to the enjoyment.'

The most unusual food enterprise in the area is in Ridgeway, where Sherlock Shrimp operates in a former elementary school. Eyelash-sized shrimp grow to large prawns in saltwater tanks kept in its former classrooms. In addition to supplying restaurants and grocery stories, Sherlock sells its shellfish to walk-in customers.

'There's nothing like the taste of freshly harvested shrimp,' says Sherill Ryan, owner. 'As Iowans, most of us don't know what we're missing. But once you taste them, you won't want to go back.'

Foodies also will want to make a pilgrimage to the enterprise that has helped spark the region's culinary renaissance: Seed Savers Exchange, a non-profit that is preserving nearly 30,000 endangered vegetable and fruit varieties. Located seven miles north of Decorah, it includes demonstration gardens as well as a herd of Ancient White Park Cattle, a rare breed from Great Britain.

'We're on the bucket list of gardeners around the world,' says John Torgrimson, executive director of SSE. 'Each year we grow nearly 1,000 varieties in our gardens, many of which you're unlikely to see anywhere else.'

After a day of touring, two Decorah breweries offer places to relax and sample craft beers. Toppling Goliath has received international recognition for its craft beers, including being rated the world's second-best brewery by the Rate Beer website. Just down the street, Pulpit Rock Brewing opened last year and is fast making a name for itself as well.

'We don't see ourselves in competition with each other,' says Tyler Uetz, general manager of Pulpit Rock Brewing. 'Instead we provide two more reasons to come to Decorah to eat and drink.'

Preserving Food Traditions

In addition to local favorites such as Ruby's, famous for its cinnamon rolls, and Mabe's pizza, Decorah preserves older food traditions. Vesterheim National Norwegian-American Museum & Heritage Center offers classes in how to make Norwegian classics like kransekake (tiered wedding cake) krumkaker (cone-shaped cookie), and rommegrot (porridge made of flour, sour cream, butter).

'Few things are more evocative than food,' says Darlene Fossum-Martin, who teaches many of the food classes. 'Just the smells alone can bring back waves of memories. We get a lot of people who want to recapture part of their past through dishes from their childhoods.'

For more information, contact Vesterheim at www.vesterheim.org or (563) 382-9681.

If you go

• The Hotel Winneshiek (www.hotelwinn.com; 800-998-4164) is a boutique hotel with 34 rooms and suites in downtown Decorah.

• For more information, contact the Winneshiek County Convention & Visitors Bureau at www.visitdecorah.com or (800) 463-4692.