Tell us about your family.

I’ve been married to my husband Mitch for three years, and we welcomed our vizsla puppy, Aries, into the family two months after getting married. It’s just the three of us, but vizslas are high-energy and she keeps us busy!

What do you do for a living?

I am a published author of four novels and one holiday novella—“Destined to Fail,” “The Green Ticket,” “A Questionable Friendship,” “Up To I Do” and “The Christmas Surprise.” I got started in publishing by creating my blog, ChickLitPlus.com, in 2009, and I still feature book reviews nearly daily on the blog. I also do freelance work for authors, such as editing, proofreading and book marketing. I’m also a beauty vlogger (video blogger) and content creator, and I upload daily videos on YouTube featuring makeup reviews, beauty hauls, makeup tutorials and more. I work out of my home office and I’m always busy, but I’m grateful that I get to do what I love every day.

What do you enjoy most about living in Waukee?

We were first attracted to Waukee because it had a small town feel, yet it was close enough to West Des Moines for shopping, food, etc. As Waukee grows, it’s great to see more restaurants and retail space popping up, and yet its small town, friendly vibe hasn’t changed!

Tell us about your experience working at Eason Elementary.

I started at Eason Elementary last year, when I was struggling to write my fifth book. This was the first book I had attempted to write since working at home full-time, and I truly think the lack of being around people was making it hard to create a story. Knowing I would need a very part-time job, working for two hours each school day seemed perfect, and I ended up really enjoying being at Eason. I help out in the lunchroom and at recess, and the kids make me laugh every day. As someone who doesn’t have children yet, it’s been so interesting to be around elementary school kids each day. I love the stories they tell me, and what they find cool and trendy. They gave me so much writing inspiration, I wrote my fifth book in six weeks—a new record for me. I enjoyed my time there so much that I came back for a second year!

Any New Year’s Resolutions you’d like our readers to know about?

A few goals I have for 2017 include releasing three new books and hitting 100,000 subscribers on both Instagram (@MarchBeautyWord) and YouTube (Samantha March). I need to get to work!

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in the South. I spent a lot of time in Florida during my youth and I have a fondness for returning.

You’re opening up a new business in the area; can you tell us about that?

The Club Herf, LLC business model centers around the boutique cigar market. Along with cigars and a lounge, we’ll have two golf simulators, televisions, wireless stereo and a BYOB policy. We’ll also have cigar lockers for our customers’ use inside the humidor. To top it off, we’ll have a loyalty program for our customers. It’s my belief that customer relationship management is huge in regards to customer lifetime value.

Can you tell us why you chose Waukee for your business?

We were looking for retail space that could support our projected business growth. Existing retail space in the area did not provide that opportunity. We also encountered some extremely high square-footage costs. As we progressed in the establishment of Club Herf, everyone kept saying that growth in this area is moving towards Waukee. We were introduced to Signature Real Estate by Clyde Evans at West Des Moines Community and Economic Development, and it has turned out to be a great relationship. As we progressed towards signing the lease, we were told that Global Brew would be moving into Hawthorne Center. After signing the lease, we heard Barn Town Brewing would be occupying space as well. There are some great business synergies that we are or will be working on with our neighbors.

How did your passion for cigars begin?

Cigars began for me as a hobby during the cigar boom of the 90’s. I discovered boutique cigar manufacturers within the last five years and realized I wanted to be involved in this industry.

It’s that time of the year—any New Year’s resolutions you’d like to share?

My New Year’s resolution is to prove out my business model. We discussed increasing the size of our model, but in the end, it’s all about getting the doors open and proving out our business networking efforts.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up right here in Des Moines.

How did you come to specialize in gluten-free baking?

I’ve always loved baking, but when my husband started having health issues, I had to learn how to bake using other forms of ingredients.  See, my husband, Chad, can’t have a trace of gluten or dairy in anything he eats or drinks. So this was something I had to learn to do.  It took a lot of practice, and a lot of sampling, but eventually I got it.  Every time I made something that turned out how I wanted it, it was a wonderful feeling, because I knew Chad would be able to enjoy things just like everyone else.

We started the bakery to provide a service for those like Chad. Hopefully, we’re able to help them feel just like everyone else.  We want them to be able to walk into a bakery and choose their treats instead of having to buy a frozen treat at the grocery store.  It’s wonderful to see the joy on people’s faces when they come in for the first time and they’re overwhelmed with options.  It’s a good feeling.

Why did you choose Waukee for your business?

We live in Waukee.  Our oldest graduated from Waukee High School, and our youngest is a junior at Waukee High School. This is the only place we wanted to be. Waukee is our home.

Tell us what a typical day at a gluten-free bakery is like.  

A typical day varies, but most days it’s off and running from the moment I walk in the door.  We partner with Scratch Cupcakery and Gusto Pizza Co.  Both partners keep us very busy on their own, but then we also have orders and walk-in business.  We make a lot of cupcakes, dessert bars, cookies, muffins, French bread—and even more items—daily. We’re adding to our staff to help with the increase in business, and it won’t be long until we add again. We’ve been very blessed.

Even though it’s hard some days, it’s so worth it.  Even when I have a long day and feel like I’ve hit a wall, I know people appreciate the time and effort.  I can’t say it enough—we’re blessed!

Now that we’re well into the holiday season, what sorts of seasonal goodies would you like to brag about?

The funny thing is, what some people consider seasonal, we bake all of the time. We do pumpkin bars every single day, and we offer pumpkin pie all year long.  The nice thing about our products is that they freeze well, so a lot of people order large amounts and freeze the items to take to family events, or just to keep around for their go-to treat. We also have soft frosted sugar cookies. We offer pre-frosted cookies, or cookie dough for them to take and bake, or baked cookies with frosting on the side for them to decorate at home.

But honestly, our holiday seasons are crazy busy, and it’s about making an assortment of items, not just one or two specific things. So I guess if I were to brag about something, I would say that I feel anything you choose, you will enjoy.

Tell our readers about the people of Brewer Family Farms.

Brewer Family Farms LLC is a family farm located outside of Dallas Center. Brewers have been raising cattle in Dallas County for six generations. Siblings Joe Brewer and Emily Wynn grew up with a love for animal agriculture and formed the idea of a beef business after they both returned to the family farm from college and started thinking about how they could add to the farm.

Emily had always dreamed of opening a meat locker, and Joe was the cattle farmer in the family, so for them, creating the business plan was easy. With the support of their parents, Dan and Linda Brewer, along with Joe’s wife Brenda and Emily’s husband Jeff, Brewer Family Farms, LLC provides locally-grown, family-raised beef products and caseless bratwurst to customers across Iowa.

Our cover story is about pet adoption and care, and we hear you take the care of your livestock pretty seriously. Can you tell us about that?

Cattle care is our number one priority. Our cattle are housed in a hoop barn during the winter months, which protects them from the harsh Iowa winters. In the spring and summer, they spend their days in lush, green pastures. In the fall, you can find them roaming our family-owned cornstalk fields. Our goal is to produce and provide the most wholesome and flavorful locally-grown beef products possible.  

Where can customers find you?

Our products can be found at the Baker’s Pantry in Dallas Center, Picket Fence Creamery in Woodward and the Hy-Vee on Hickman Road in Waukee. You can also purchase directly from the farm by contacting any of us. Our website is brewerbeef.com.

If you had to pick just one favorite product that you’re known for, what would it be?

That would be our caseless beef bratwurst. Unlike a traditional bratwurst, ours does not have a casing around the meat, which we think makes it more enjoyable. Our beef bratwurst is available in five flavors: cheddar cheese, bacon cheddar cheese, plain (salt and pepper), Hawaiian (Canadian bacon and fresh pineapple), and for those who like the spicy side of life, jalapeno and pepper jack cheese. We also sell cuts of steak along with whole, half- and quarter-sides of beef.

In this issue, we also talk about charity during the holiday season. What are some ways the Brewer family gives back to the community?

We’re very active in 4-H in Dallas County. Joe and Brenda are leaders of the Sugar Grove Blue Ribbon Winners 4-H Club, while Emily is the chairman of the Dallas County 4-H Youth Committee and the coach for the Dallas County 4-H Livestock Judging Team. We’re all very active in the Dallas Center Church of the Brethren. Dan was president of the Dallas County Cattlemen’s and Linda is active with the Dallas County Pork Producers. We’re also always thrilled to participate in the different activities of the Waukee Chamber.