OnTheLine515

Episode 5: Running a Scratch Kitchen and Bakery in Cedar Rapids, with Melanie Abu Nameh

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 03:51:46 GMT

Melanie Abu Nameh runs Feedwell Kitchen and Bakery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where a full scratch kitchen and a working bakery operate under one roof. In this episode she walks through what that actually looks like day to day, the decisions behind the menu, and what she has learned building a place people keep coming back to. On the Line is a series where I sit down with Iowa restaurant operators inside their own rooms and let them tell the story in their own words. No script, no polish, just the people who run these places. Subscribe for new episodes and follow @ontheline515 so you catch the next operator.

Episode 4: 13 Years of Craft Beer in Des Moines. RJ Tursi Holds Nothing Back.

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 05:00:00 GMT

On this episode of On the Line 515 we sit down inside Exile Brewing Company in Des MoiOn this episode of On the Line 515 we sit down inside Exile Brewing Company in Des Moines with owner RJ Tursi. Exile is one of Iowa's most recognized craft breweries, and RJ has spent years building it from a single taproom into an operation that doubled its own capacity. Growth came with a cost most customers never seen with owner RJ Tursi. Exile is one of Iowa's most recognized craft breweries, and RJ has spent years building it from a single taproom into an operation that doubled its own capacity. Growth came with a cost most customers never see.On this episode of On the Line 515 we sit down inside Exile Brewing Company in Des Moines with owner RJ Tursi. Exile is one of Iowa's most recognized craft breweries, and RJ has spent years building it from a single taproom into an operation that doubled its own capacity. Growth came with a cost most customers never see.Follow On the Line 515 for more real conversations with the operators behind Iowa's best restaurants, bars, and breweries. New episode every week.

Episode 3: Inside T12 Distillery in Valley Junction

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:03:11 GMT

He is a construction engineer who broke his T12 vertebra falling over a six foot retaining wall, then named a distillery after it. T12 runs out of The Foundry in West Des Moines, bought from Templeton Rye founder Scott Bush. The long game is a silo distillery, hotel and entertainment district in Bondurant, and it will be the first fully accessible distillery in America.

Episode 2: Bubba says the quiet part out loud

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 20:45:16 GMT

On episode 2 on the line, no agenda, no script. Just two people talking about the work, the road that got him to where he is. Grab a drink, Grab a seat. 🎙 On the Line. Real people, real conversations.

New episodes regularly. Subscribe so you do not miss one.

Episode 1: 20 Years, Zero Shortcuts: Inside Iowa City’s DeLuxe Bakery

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 21:01:47 GMT

Jamie Powers has run DeLuxe Cakes and Pastries in Iowa City for over 20 years. James Beard named it a semifinalist for Outstanding Bakery. She still shows up before dawn. In this episode of On the Line, Jamie tells the story most people never hear. What it actually costs to keep a bakery alive for two decades, the decisions that almost ended it, and why she never chased the growth everyone told her to chase. No fluff. Just an operator telling the truth about the business.