Old Market Masters of the Cocktail

by Rachel Grace

The first of three installments on cocktails in Omaha calls for one part experience, one part skill, and one part passion as we chat with some of the Old Market’s best craft bartenders.

The New Kids on the Block

Brock Miller was general manager at the venerable Bourbon Theater in Lincoln before he met Ethan Bondelid, co-owner at House of Loom, last year.

Bondelid was looking to open a new craft cocktail bar. Brock had a passion for cocktails. A match was made.

Together with Luke Edson, who also worked at the Bourbon, he moved to Omaha last year with the goal of helping to develop the extensive original cocktail list at Bondelid’s newest endeavor, The Berry and Rye, in the Old...

Going Green: The Greenest Restaurants in Omaha

by Tamsen Butler

When I was a kid there was a product offered by McDonald’s called the McDLT. I know I’m dating myself here by admitting that I remember this monstrosity, but if you’ve never heard of the McDLT allow me to explain why I mention this sandwich. As I did some research about green restaurants in the Omaha area, I couldn’t help but remember back to when people started to realize that the McDLT –which was served in a huge Styrofoam container that kept the meat and bottom bun separate from the condiments and upper bun- was not the smartest idea as far as the environment was concerned. During my brief stint as a McDonald’s worker in high school I remember glaring –yes, glaring- at anyone who...

Opening Echo Coffee

by Tamsen Butler

Justin Schaffner is very laid back. Have a conversation with him and you’ll undoubtedly hear him say, “Oh, no worries!” at least two or three times because he says that a lot. It’s amazing that he’s so calm considering the past two years have been filled with uncertainty and frustration as he tried to open the doors to his coffee shop.

He remembers when the idea to start a business first came to him; it was during a party where he and his friends joked about getting together to open a coffee shop. What he didn’t know was that one of the people listening in on the conversation just so happened to know a woman who was looking for someone to open a coffee shop in a new building. What...

Table Grace Café: Doing Good and Filling Bellies

by Tamsen Butler

I had to wait a few minutes before chef Matt Weber was available to chat, so I took some time to wander around and get a feel for this place. What I already knew about Table Grace Café is that it’s a place that offers food for a free-will offering. They don’t suggest a certain amount of money as a donation – you just give what you feel like giving and nobody knows how much you donated because it all goes into a wooden box at the counter. Just learning that was enough to prompt me to stop in and have a look around.

I’m not sure what I was expecting to find at Table Grace Café. I suppose I envisioned a soup kitchen type-vibe, but instead what I found was a quaint restaurant filled...

The Scooter’s Guy

by Tamsen Butler

There’s a good chance that you don’t think you know Bill Kipper. He’s a fairly low-key guy and doesn’t really spend any time seeking out the limelight, so it’s a fair assumption. On the other hand, there’s an excellent chance that he’s affected you in one way or another – at least, he’s affected you if you’ve ever had a coffee from any Scooter’s anywhere.

Bill’s “the guy.” More specifically, he’s the one and only roaster for Scooter’s. Every coffee bean that comes through Scooter’s does so because Bill has researched it, ordered it, blended it and roasted it. “I’m the guy,” Bill admits. “I’m the green coffee buyer. I’m the quality control. I’m the roaster. I’m the maintenance guy. I’m...

A Conversation with Chef Jon Seymour

by Tamsen Butler

Jon Seymour’s mom didn’t let him into the kitchen much while she cooked when he was a kid, but now he’s had the last laugh. “My mom always cooked, but we weren’t allowed into the kitchen so it was kind of mysterious,” he laughs. Now a semi-finalist for the National James Beard Foundation Award for Best Midwest Chef, he’s considered one of the best chefs in the Omaha area as the Head Chef at V. Mertz.

Just to be nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award is a big deal. Chefs are nominated by other people working within the food industry. He’s joined in this honor with Clayton Chapman from the Grey Plume. “I worked with Clayton at V. Mertz when he was the Chef de Cuisine. I also worked...