Newton native wins restaurant challenge

“Serendipitous.”

That’s how Newton native and award-winning chef Carly Groben described her most recent accomplishment: beating out more than 40 other culinary artists from across the country to win the top spot in Iowa’s Best Bite Restaurant Challenge Wednesday afternoon at Grinnell College.

“I became interested in opening a restaurant in Grinnell even before I knew about the Best Bite competition because my family and my partner’s family ... sort of attracted us to the community,” Groben said in a phone interview Thursday afternoon. “So I went to the chamber and they said, ‘Oh, we have this competition going on,’ so it was very serendipitous.”

Groben said that her entry into the competition in July included a submitted proposal with a business plan, the restaurant’s concept, menu ideas, a resume and a short video explaining her vision. The prize, according to a press release sent to the Daily News Thursday, included $10,000 in startup cash for a restaurant located at 924 Main St., $15,000 in inventory, $10,000 in small wares, a professional branding package by Art A La Carte, membership in Dine Iowa through the Iowa Restaurant Association and more.

Once the pool of applicants was pared down to just three finalists, each chef prepared a four-course meal for a panel of judges at the college Wednesday afternoon.

“What I think caught the judges’ attention was the overall concept and the thought that I put into the details and my existing connection to the community,” Groben said.

The former Des Moines restaurateur — she previously owned Proof and Flour Pizza but sold both earlier this year to “focus more on using local products and more of a farm-to-table concept” — received the keys to her new digs after the competition.

The restaurant features restored tin ceilings and hardwood floors, a main dining area on the upper level that opens into a patio during warmer months and an underground lounge/bar below, with each floor clocking in at 2,600 square feet.

“This is the first event of its kind and I think the motivation was to find a good user for that space that would really bring something special to Grinnell in terms of dining. It’s a very cool community,” she said.

Goldfinch will be the name emblazoned across the awning of Groben’s Main Street restaurant, with the bar to bear the name of Goldie’s.

“I like the idea of tying in something that is a point of pride for Iowans, and that’s our state bird,” she said.

“I would say the restaurant is going to be a neighborhood eatery or a neighborhood bistro. It’s going to have a fun, eclectic menu — I’m still trying to figure out exactly how to describe the menu. There’s still some traditional dishes featuring local products, so I would say traditional favorites with a global spin.”

And, since she comes from a locally famous family — her parents, Jean and Paul, own Jasper Winery in Des Moines and her brother, Mason, is the owner of Madhouse Brewing Company — she plans to feature those products in the bar.

“I would like to absolutely serve Jasper wine and Madhouse beer, and one of the specials we want to do at the bar in this new restaurant is have an all Iowa beverage night,” Groben said. “I guess I want the restaurant to be a hub for the community of Grinnell and surrounding places like Newton, (a place to) have a nice meal, or relax or celebrate a nice occasion. I just want it to be a place that people can be proud of.”

Speaking of proud, that’s exactly how Groben’s parents feel about their daughter winning the challenge.

“We are just very proud of her. She worked really hard to get this job done,” Groben’s mom, Jean, said. “After she sold her Des Moines restaurants, she’d been working a lot on perfecting her cooking techniques, she’s been going to some different places to learn some new skills ... and it’s exciting. It really is quite a beautiful space; it’s not too large and I think the ideas she has to make it a little more open, a little lighter, a little more inviting to people will be nice. And hopefully it’s a place where people from Newton will drive over there and have lunch or dinner.”

Groben aims to open Goldfinch by Labor Day, or definitely in September if that date isn’t feasible.

“It was definitely exhilarating and humbling and also, you know, sort of overwhelming just to think of the transition and the amount of work we will be doing in a very short time, but it’s all very exciting,” she said of winning the challenge. “It’s an incredible opportunity.”

Amy Gronauer can be contacted at (641) 792-3121 ext. 426 or via email at agronauer@newtondailynews.com.