Whether you grew up in a big city or small town, the idea of spreading your wings & trying something new appeals to many. Some people leave their hometown to find permanent residency in another city; others choose to stay where they grew up & create a life of their own; then there are those who move away, find wonderful adventures & eventually return to their roots, which - lucky for
Cedar Rapids, IA and all who cross its path - is exactly what
Andy & Carrie Schumacher did.
I first met Carrie when I interviewed for a waitressing job at
Quinton's Bar & Deli as a sophomore at the
University of Iowa in 2003. Mid-interview she found out I was from the Cedar Rapids area & excitedly proclaimed, "my boyfriend is from Cedar Rapids - he works in the kitchen here!" After telling me that was Andy, I told her I actually knew him because my dad taught him in high school. Good ol' Iowa connections & a successful interview later, I was hired. Although I didn't get the chance to actually work with Andy & Carrie (they had recently graduated & were preparing to move), we ended up crossing paths a couple of times in the following years, including at their lovely wedding in Iowa City, attended by a healthy crew of Quinton's folk.
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| Carrie + Andy Schumacher |
The couple, who both originally hail from Iowa, made the decision to move back to Cedar Rapids a little over five years ago after living in
Brooklyn, NY for a few years. A seemingly brave decision for a young couple accustomed to the eclectic, bustling neighborhoods of a bigger city, but one that makes complete sense if you spend even a few minutes getting to know these two. When I asked them what they
loved most about Iowa their responses were simple, honest & from the heart:
Andy: I love Iowa and I am proud to be from here and live here. Life is a little slower, easier, cheaper, people are a little more real and it just seems all around peaceful. I enjoy the seasons (even though winter is a little long), and family is close, which is a big help.
Carrie: Ditto. Especially the peaceful part.
Since moving back to their home state, the pair - along with their two children - have spent time building quite a beautiful life and just recently were able to fully realize their dream
of owning & operating their own restaurant.
Cobble Hill opened its doors in February 2013 and in just a few short months has captured the hearts & appetites of the community,
single-handedly changing the way people think about food, locally sourced products, sustainability - and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
As soon as I got wind of what these two had cooked up I called & made a reservation for the next weekend I'd be back in town - I then spent the next two weeks anxiously counting down the days to what was sure to be an incredible dining experience. As it turns out, my expectations were exceeded tenfold...
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| View from 2nd St | Cedar Rapids, IA |
Walking into
Cobble Hill you instantly feel transported to a world that didn't previously exist in downtown Cedar Rapids. For a moment you may actually forget that you're in Iowa...then you notice the giant pig drawn on the chalkboard wall to your left &
your soul smiles. Suddenly, you feel at home in this simple, beautiful space; you can feel the buzz of genuine Midwestern hospitality in your bones.
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| At first sight |
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| Front bar |
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| So cozy |
Once inside, we were greeted by a friendly hostess (Andy's sister & another former student of Mr. Arp) who walked us to our table; we later found out that each table in the space was built by the hands of the chef & his friends out of
reclaimed wood from a barn in Asbury, Iowa. The perfect compliment to the bevy of exposed brick, metal tub chairs & modern urban vibe of this softly-lit stunner.
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| Reclaimed wood | Metal | Brick |
We started our evening by gazing over the
impressive cocktail list - teeming with the type of inventive craft cocktails I had grown accustomed to seeing in Chicago, but not yet in this part of Iowa. My affinity for delicious, thoughtfully constructed drinks was appeased with my first taste of
The Father - a mix of Cedar Ridge Apple Brandy, rosemary, ginger, honey, St. Germain elderflower & bitters with an orange twist.
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| Left: The Father | Right: Rosemary's Pearls |
Head to Cobble Hill any given evening and you may find
The Father has been swapped out for another tasty libation;
the menus at Cobble Hill will see changes every so often as the chefs & mixologists adjust to the changing seasons - an important factor when the goal is to serve your patrons dishes & drinks made with the best quality, freshest ingredients available.
On Cobble Hill cuisine...
Andy: We do upscale seasonally inspired cuisine. Our menu is small, focused, and technique driven. We try to accomplish food that is true expressions of ingredients and shows restraint and refinement.
And boy, do they ever. Over the course of three hours my parents, two sisters & I ordered and happily devoured almost every dish on the menu that night, with a couple of surprise dishes sent over to our table by the chef himself. Every bite was followed by an immediate smile and someone declaring, "oh my...you've got to try this!" Brimming with well thought out flavors, Cobble Hill's cuisine had even my father - a man who never strays far from his comfort zone of meat & potatoes - grinning from ear to ear with satisfaction.
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| Head Chef Andy preparing desserts |
Some of our favorite dishes from the evening included the Goat Cheese Gnudi with Roasted Carrots, Paris Style Gnocchi with Braised Lamb and Braised Berkshire Pork Belly as starters. The Goat Ricotta Cannelloni and the Sausage Stuffed Salt Fork Farms Chicken were the entrées that stole our hearts.
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Clockwise from top left: Amuse-bouche of prosciutto | Roasted heirloom beet salad - Morgan Creek greens, dill, rye streusel,
orange vinaigrette | Sea scallops - orange, cocoa streusel, hearts of palm, basil | Paris style gnocchi - braised lamb, chilies, mint |
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Clockwise from top left: Braised Berkshire pork belly - asparagus, lemon, Salt Fork Farms egg, fresh herbs | View 2 of pork
belly | Grilled Berkshire pork shoulder - black bean falafel, peanut crème fraiche, four-herb salad, lime | Goat cheese gnudi with
roasted carrots - warm carrot-fennel puree, arugula & parsley |
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Clockwise from top left: Goat ricotta cannelloni - Oregon morel mushrooms, wild ramps, shaved radish | Wagyu flat iron
steak - whipped parsnip, savoy cabbage, rosemary shallots | Sausage stuffed Salt Fork Farms chicken - melted leeks, Romesco
sauce, black garbanzo beans & puffed pasta | Roasted Halibut - Morgan Creek Farms spring onions, lemon, wild mushrooms,
white bean panisse |
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| Hard at work in the Cobble Hill kitchen |
We followed our dinner with a pot of French press from local coffee company
The Blue Strawberry, along with all four of the desserts on the dessert menu (yep, we know how to indulge). One of the best, most impressive attributes of the team at Cobble Hill is how they cultivate & strengthen their local community by working with local producers & farmers, such as Blue Strawberry and
Morgan Creek Farms.
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| Heading into dessert |
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Clockwise from top left: Angel cake and strawberries - strawberry rose gelato, almond mousse, strawberry cinnamon puree |
Apricots & plums - salted apricot gelato, Madeline cake, almond plums, apricot puree | Yuzu frozen mousse - coconut sorbet, winter
citrus, Thai basil | Cobble Hill Kit-Kat - cherry puree, bananasorbet, lime air, cocoa streusel |
After savoring every last bite of dessert, we were finally ready to admit to ourselves that it was time to head home. All of us on cloud nine & in total food euphoria, we stopped by the open kitchen in the back of the house to thank Andy & Carrie for a wonderful meal and incredible experience.
Although it was most of my family's first time meeting Andy & Carrie, they felt as if they had known them from long ago. Carrie & Andy have a special way of making you feel welcomed - you're not just diners in a restaurant - you're friends who they hope to see come back to Cobble Hill over & over again because, well, they really do...
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| Pictured: five of the eight Arp family members thoroughly enjoying Cobble Hill |
A little advice...
Carrie: Do what you do from the heart. My mother in law gave us a quote for our office that she and my father in law hung in their own business for years. "We are here to love, not to grow rich." I think that if we keep sight of this, we will be okay.
Andy: Love what you do and be inspired to bring what you love to others.
A little inspiration...
Carrie: I am inspired by others quite often (most often my kids). I am very moved to see them live in the moment and really enjoy that. I think that the best treasures come from living in the moment and not over-thinking things. When I am interacting with customers or any person for that matter, I find my best person when I am not thinking about how I need to be or who I think I should be...but when I just am.
Andy: When I am coming up with new dishes I usually look towards the season for inspiration and really try to make a certain ingredient shine. If we are using radishes, for example, I will try to really make the dish express how a radish should taste. We do this in different ways including repeating the ingredient in different forms and textures and combining it with other flavors that will compliment it but not overwhelm it.
Before we made our way out the door I asked the couple a question - whether or not they were planning on doing Sunday brunch in the future. I was hoping for a yes, but it turns out the answer I got was so much better than that: they thought about doing brunch on the weekend, but realized ultimately they would rather spend that time with their kids, together as a family. ♥
Carrie: My ideal Sunday is a slow Sunday. May sound cheesy...but waking up with the windows open in the spring (the birds by our house seem extra eager to wake the entire neighborhood), followed by great coffee, breakfast with Andy and my kiddos-french doors open, then followed by gardening and just digging in the dirt, probably a long walk, ending with dinner and wine on the patio. I have a weak spot for all of these things..my kids, coffee, and getting dirty.
Andy: My ideal Sunday is not thinking about the restaurant, focusing on my children and spending time just relaxing around the house with Carrie, Sierra and Julien. Having Sunday and Mondays off are a lifesaver for us.
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The indoor garden the couple's children helped create, which sits at the front of the house
next to the windows |
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Stop into Cobble Hill soon and Say Hello to Andy, Carrie & the crew - you will not regret it.
Reservations can be made by calling 319-366-3177
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