Chef Benjamin Smart – fall 2024 dinner
Big Grove Brewery, Iowa City
After receiving his degree in Geoscience from the University of Iowa, Chef Benjamin Smart changed directions, going back to school to study Culinary Arts at Kirkwood Community College. After graduation, Chef Ben spent time in Kansas City working under James Beard award winning Chef Celina Tio at The American. Following his stint in Kansas City, Ben moved just outside of Seattle, WA, where he spent nearly six years at the five-diamond restaurant, The Herbfarm, serving as Sous Chef for the majority of his tenure. After his time at The Herbfarm, Ben returned home to Iowa, where he was the opening Executive Chef of Big Grove Brewery. In the ten years since Big Grove opened, Ben has partnered in the business and helped expand it to Iowa City, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and (coming soon!) the Omaha area. Ben also partners in several other Iowa City area restaurants, including Pullman Bar & Diner, Saint Burch Tavern, The Iowa Athletic Club, and Barrett’s Quality Eats. In 2016, Chef Ben was named one of “30 Chefs to Watch” by Plate Magazine. Two years later, he was named the 2018 “Restaurateur of the Year” by the Iowa Restaurant Association. He currently lives in Iowa City with his wife and two children.
Chef Aaron Holt – winter 2024 dinner
Catering by doolittle farm, story city
Chef Aaron Holt is the owner and operator of Catering by Doolittle Farm, a farm-to-table catering and personal chef business. Established in 1905 by Chef Aaron’s great-grandparents, William and May Doolittle, Doolittle Farm is a 61-acre Iowa century farm located in Story City. In 2018, Aaron took ownership of the property and started growing produce to support his chef career.
Chef Aaron’s goal is to turn his family’s farm back into what it was over 100 years ago – the type of farm our great grandparents would recognize – practicing “Regenerative Agriculture” and working to provide a sustainable food future. Catering by Doolittle Farm takes the best of what Iowa has to offer and provides memorable and delicious dining experiences. Chef Aaron is the winner of the 2018 Iowa Restaurant Association’s “Chef of the Year” award, the 2019 Morsel Combat Peoples Choice award, and the 2022 Taste of Elegance award.
Chef Jessica Baluds – spring 2025 dinner
t a s t e., osage
Always an entrepreneur, Chef Jessica Baldus got her start making desserts for Des Moines area restaurants while she studied entrepreneurship at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny. Before long, her company had grown to the point where she could make it her full-time job. She opted to move back to her rural Iowa hometown of Osage and open a brick-and-mortar restaurant called Taste by Unc’s Cheesecakes. Today, Chef Jes is the owner/operator of t a s t e., Piggyback Smoke Shack, the Bakery, and The Market-Osage Main St. The common theme throughout her four businesses is the use of fresh and locally grown produce to craft menus that prioritize Iowa ingredients.
A highly decorated chef, Jes’s entrepreneurial acumen and philanthropic efforts have been awarded throughout the state and beyond. In 2018 she was awarded the “Small Community Restaurant Neighbor Philanthropy” award by the Iowa Restaurant Association for her support of children’s programs in her community. Just two years later, she was named one of “40 Women to Watch” in the industry for the same Association. On a national level, Chef Jes appeared on the Food Network’s “Supermarket Stakeout” in 2023, and was nominated for a James Beard award in 2024.