At Gusto Pizza Co., we're constantly striving to find some of the best Iowa products available. That's why we're quite proud of the 8 microbrews that we have in stock. We thought we'd take a minute to showcase the 4 breweries that we currently have in the shop: Millstream, Hub City, Peace Tree and Madhouse. Over the next week or so, we're going to showcase each of them and the beers that we stock from each. Today we showcase Millstream Brewing Co. in Amana, Iowa.

MILLSTREAM BREWING

(From the Millstream Website)

The Millstream Story:  A short history of the art of brewing in the Amana Colonies

Some years ago, three Amana men decided to revive the art that hasn't been practiced in Amana for years - the art of brewing beer. Carroll F. Zuber and brothers James and Dennis Roemig dreamt of building a small brewery to produce small batches of hand brewed beer reminiscent of Europe's finest brews.

To brew the best they needed the best, so they called on one of America's premier brewers, Joseph Pickett Sr., who helped in the brewery design, in the development of the beers, Millstream Lager and the robust, Schild Brau. Later, Millstream brewers, developed the zesty Millstream Wheat Beer.

In 1985 Millstream Brewing Co. opened its doors - the first brewery to operate in Amana since 1884. So the Millstream Brewery was born and so it has come to be recognized as the home of quality brews of rewarding taste.

The Story Continues in 2000 with the sale of the brewery to Chris Priebe, Tom and Teresa Albert.  Chris is naturally handy and keeps the  brewery in tip-top shape.  Chris also is a trained brewer from the Siebel Institute of Brewing Technology and has brought many years of brewing experience to Millstream. Teresa is an excellent people person and handles all the sales and marketing.  Tom is our warehouse and production manager.  He is the "glue" that binds the place together.  It takes a good team to run a good brewery! 

These owners are committed to continually making quality brews, one batch at a time. With a current count of 18 national awards and 1 international award, Millstream speaks of some of the finest beer made in the Midwest today.  The brewers have introduced many different styles of beer to Millstream Brewery and with the passing of the higher alcohol law change in spring of 2010, many more styles will be coming out!  The Brewery hopes to be able to reach out to local consumers in new and exciting ways. 

                                           Long Live Beer Made In Iowa!

Website: http://millstreambrewing.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Millstream-Brewing-Co/115712781792468

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MillstreamBrew

"Dance like no one's watching. Sing like no one's listening. Love like you’ve never been hurt and live like it’s heaven on Earth." -Mark Twain

Today's the day! 

What: Free Gusto Pizza Co. Pizza 

When: Friday, October 7 at NOON

Why: Out of pure love, that's why.

Where: Nollen Plaza

Also, vote for us in the Cityview Pizza Challenge and you'll get a high five. Use this link to vote: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5Z699L5

We're in the finals! Please take a moment today to vote for Gusto Pizza Co. in the Des Moines Cityview Magazine Ultimate Pizza Challenge. The deadline is noon on Sunday, October 9th. Here's the linky: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5Z699L5.

We wanted to take this moment to thank you all for all of your support, but ask you at this time to spread the word to your friends, family and coworkers. Please take 6 seconds to vote for us and another 6 to post this to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.  

In the meantime, enjoy this week's "Ask The Gusto Chef." This week, Joe answers the very important question, "How many toppings are too many toppings?" 

--The Chef

Congratulations to Josh Fleming, the winner of the Gusto Pizza Co. fan video contest and the $250 Gusto gift card! Josh came up with this beauty when he was inspired to change the name of our place. The song is outrageous, but he pretty much got everything you can think of in there. Just watch for yourself.  It's spectacular.

Oh, and although we're not changing the name of our business, we will take this video into consideration the next time a name change comes up.

Congrats Josh! You won the $250 gift card!

Yes, another week, another humble plea from your friends at Gusto Pizza Co. So here, goes... Pretty please with sugar on top... Click below and vote for us in the Des Moines Cityview Ultimate Pizza Challenge. It takes only a few seconds:

Mucho Gusto,

The Chef

Once per week on Mondays, Gusto Pizza Co. allows a member of the non-profit community in Greater Des Moines to write about their organization.  We'll post that on our blog on Monday morning, then broadcast that info on our social media sites and give away a $10 gift card per week for anyone who re-tweets the message or shares the link on their facebook wall. The drawing will take place on Friday at 11am. Today we showcase NAMI WALKS IOWA -- National Alliance on Mental Illness Walks.

NAMIWalks—Changing Minds...One Step at a Time is a nationwide event being held in 83 communities around the country in 2010. It is the largest anti-stigma effort in Iowa and America. It raises public awareness about mental illness and allows individuals with mental illness and their families and friends, as well as the larger community, to gather for this special day. This event hosts hundreds of walkers amd supporters from all over the state. The walk features food, information booths and prominent recognition of media, business and health care sponsors.

This year's NAMIWalk will happen this Saturday, October 1st at 10am at FARM BUREAU LAKE, 5400 University Avenue in West Des Moines. 

About NAMI Iowa

NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI has over 1,100 affiliates in communities across the country who engage in advocacy, research, support and education. Members of NAMI are families, friends and people living with mental illnesses such as major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder. NAMI Iowa is a 501(c)(3) grassroots mental health organization.

Mission and Goals

NAMI IOWA is a non-profit, state-wide grass roots organization. Our mission is to raise public awareness and concern about mental illness, to foster research, to improve treatment and to upgrade the system of care for the people of Iowa.  We work to support our mission through education, advocacy and support.

GET INVOLVED IN THE NAMI WALK!

Participant Information

There is no registration fee for the Walk. All participants are encouraged to collect donations from family members, friends, co-workers and business associates. All walkers raising $100 or more will receive a NAMIWalks event t-shirt.

Walk Teams and Participation

Companies, organizations and families are encouraged to organize teams of walkers made up of employees, organization members, relatives and friends to take part in the Walk. Teambuilding and fundraising materials will be provided to team captains at a special Kick-off Lunch event that will be held

approximately eight weeks before the Walk. To register a team online, visit www.nami.org/walks. Additional ways your business could support this cause include:

1) building a  team of walkers from your company,

2) providing in-kind support and/or 3) providing information about NAMI's no-cost services and support to your employees.

For More information, contact Matt Connolly via email at namiiowa@mchsi.com or 515-453-6196.

Once per week on Mondays, Gusto Pizza Co. allows a member of the non-profit community in Greater Des Moines to write about their organization.  We'll post that on our blog on Monday morning, then broadcast that info on our social media sites and give away a $10 gift card per week for anyone who re-tweets the message or shares the link on their facebook wall. The drawing will take place on Friday at 11am. Today we showcase The Des Moines Art Center.

The Des Moines Art Center: Entirely Unexpected

The Des Moines Art Center engages diverse local and international audiences with the art of today through its museum, school, and John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park, adding to the cultural record through collections and programs.

We are proud to offer FREE admission to the museum, educational programs, and most events. We are dedicated to providing all members of our community access to quality art and a wide range of educational programming focused on current and permanent exhibitions.

We strive to engage and surprise audiences with unexpected events and programming. These events include film, lectures, art projects, gallery talks, concerts, and much more, all related to our world-class collection and exhibitions.

Students are engaged in a number of ways at the Art Center. Over 1200 students enjoyed classes and special workshops this summer. Scholarships will be provided to 230 students this year. Tours are also provided to fourth grade classes in Des Moines and five communities.

The Art Center is involved with agencies such as YESS (Youth Emergency Shelter and Services), Mentor Iowa, Children and Families of Iowa, Oakridge Neighborhood Services, and Casady Alternative Center through programs such as workshops or semester-long projects.

Visitors from around the world enjoy lunch at our restaurant by the reflecting pool. This is a great spot to view the Art Center’s three buildings; the buildings were designed by architects Richard Meier, I. M. Pei, and Eliel Saarinen.

We are grateful for our members; members support our FREE admission policy and school tours program. Members are involved in many ways including participation in member groups. Join today to help support arts in your community!

Learn more about the Art Center: visit www.desmoinesartcenter.org, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or check out our You Tube videos. 

Our neighbors in the Des Moines Neigborhood of Sherman Hill are having their historic home walking tour this weekend and next. If you've never been a part of this, it's a tremendous opportunity to live and breathe some of the best of what this city has to offer. Here's a bit of info from their website... Remember that you can save a few bucks by ordering your tickets early.

“Doors to the Past-Tour of Historic Sherman Hill” the annual tour of our historic neighborhood will be held September 17th, 18th, 24th, and 25th, 2011. Tour hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

This year’s tour will showcase many historic homes, apartments or condominiums over the two weekends and includes Hoyt Sherman Place. Many of this year’s homes have never been on the tour - while others were on tour before or during major restorations. Some properties will be open both weekends and additional properties will be open that are retail shops, including Classic Hats for Men, Vines to Wine, Gateway Market,  A Dong, Smokey Row, and Café Di Scala to name just a few.

The walking tour is an inside look at homes, condominiums or apartments, many built in the 1880s and early 1900s. Guests will enjoy a wide variety of décor, from ornate Victorian to Turn-of-the-Century, roaring Twenties to new built within the last few years. Property owners provide a personal tour detailing renovations and preservation projects, both inside and outside.

The Sherman Hill Association is pleased to announce that a percentage of all tickets sales will be donated to neighborhood non-profit organizations.

Sherman Hill is one of Des Moines’ oldest surviving neighborhoods. From its establishment in the 1870s, this neighborhood continues to maintain a prominent place in Des Moines historic heritage. Recognized as a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and by the City of Des Moines as part of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program, Sherman Hill offers a unique mix of Victorian, Queen Anne, Italianate, Turn-of-the-Century Four Squares, Double Houses, Stick Style and Flemish architecture.

More details about the 2011 Home Tour will be coming soon!

If you are interested in volunteering or having your home on this year’s tour, please contact Ryan at ryanphowell@gmail.com

To order tickets, go to the Sherman hill website by clicking HERE. As always, if you get hungry, feel free to stop down to Gusto for a pizza, salad, or sandwich.

~The Chef

 

Dear Friends, 

Back in March, we had a spectacular idea. Well, we weren't sure if it was spectacular, exactly, but it was unique.  A local non-profit approached us for an opportunity to donate a gift card for a slient auction and we said we'd donate. Donating is always an easy way to give back. Then we thought, but donating is such a one way street. Why stop there? What if there was another way we could amplify that organization's voice through our customers?

That's how we came up with the Gusto Social Share Monday program. Every Monday, we feature a different non-profit organizationin the Des Moines area that is making a difference in the lives of our community.  We give a $10 gift card away each Friday to one lucky person who shares or ReTweets the blog post link on their social network. So far, we've written about 21 different organizations -- anything from schools to adult literacy programs to affordable housing to puppies. Please take a few minutes to visit these blog pages... and get involved! Take a peek at some of the organizations linked below:

Lutheran Social Services in Iowa, Walk for Neurofibromatosis Iowa: Children's Tumor Foundation, American Diabetes Association of Iowa, Blank Park Zoo, Metro Arts Alliance of Greater Des Moines, Des Moines Social Club, Prevent Blindness Iowa, Habitat for Humanity Iowa, Iowa Homeless Youth Centers (Reggie's Sleepout), Anawim Housing, Move The Food, Vratsinas Holes for Hope Foundation, Montessori Children's House, New Horizons Adult Day Center, Passageway (formerly the Rainbow Center), "Dine For The Cure", Everybody Wins! Iowa, The Civic Music Association of Des Moines, The Read To Me Foundation, The Pet Project, An Evening For Joseph

If you know of an organization that you would like us to feature, please visit our blog post on this subject by clicking here. There are a couple of rules and a pretty simple format for submitting your entry.

Just a few more things of note happening this month at Gusto Pizza Co...

VIDEO CONTEST EXTENDED: We're offering a $250 gift card to the person who produces the best Gusto Fan video (plus a $50 card for second place, a $25 card for third, and a $5 card for the first 10 entries).  We've extended the contest deadline to September 30th.This means that if you've got a great idea, take a shot at making a video, eh? Even if the video sucks, it's okay, we don't judge. If you want to enter a video,click here to read the rules. Speaking of videos, we had a lot of fun creating this one...Which side are YOU on?

GUSTO iPHONE AND ANDROID APP: We've added a Gusto Pizza Co. app for Android and iPhone. You can download it by clicking on the links below. Why download the app?... I'm glad you asked, random italicized voice. We have a feature on the app called GPS COUPONS. What this means is that once per week, you'll be able to unlock a deal that's only available to people who have the Gusto Pizza Co. app on their phones. These coupons change weekly... Here are the links for the Apps: ANDROID and iPHONE.

NEED GUSTO TO CATER YOUR PARTY? WHY NOT BORROW THE GUSTO PIZZA TRAILER? If you'd like to rent the entire Gusto Pizza Co. trailer for your special event, business lunch, tailgating party or anything else, contact us at info@gustopizzaco.com, or call us at 515-244-1353. We'll staff it for you and bake your pizzas on site! You'd be surprised at how many pizzas we can make with this beast:

(Keep an eye out for this trailer outside of Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City for each of the Iowa Hawkeyes home games including this coming Saturday. Look for our trailer at 817 Melrose.)

As always, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and read our chef's blog to get the best deals in town.

Your Best Friends For Life,
Joe, Tony and Josh
 

P.S.  Please forward this email to your best friend. Sharing increases your chances at achieving total consciousness and ending the suffering of your friend's growling stomach.  

Once per week on Mondays, Gusto Pizza Co. allows a member of the non-profit community in Greater Des Moines to write about their organization.  We'll post that on our blog on Monday morning, then broadcast that info on our social media sites and give away a $10 gift card per week for anyone who re-tweets the message or shares the link on their facebook wall. The drawing will take place on Friday at 11am. Today we showcase Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI)

Some know us as LSS or Lutheran Social Services. Most people don’t know enough about us, so thank you Gusto Pizza, for this opportunity!

LSI is one of Iowa’s largest human services agencies, impacting Iowans for over 145 years. We partner with children, youth and families, people with disabilities, the elderly and people of refugee status – helping people in times of need, strengthening families and advocating for our neighbors in the community.

A nationally accredited agency, LSI serves people of all ages, genders, nationalities, religions, ethnicities and sexual orientations.

What we do

·      Prevent child abuse

·      Provide 24-7 mental health services for children and teens, many of whom have suffered past abuse or neglect

·      Help people with disabilities build independence and provide relief for family caregivers

·      Keep families together through crisis intervention and skill-building

·      Help find safe foster and adoptive homes for Iowa children, as a partner in IowaKidsNet

·      Empower people of refugee status with extended support and training

·      Provide dignity, comfort and independence through home health care

·      Serve as a partner in Iowa Lutheran Disaster Response

·      Fill gaps in services with many local community programs around the state

What you can do

Volunteer! We need volunteers to visit some of our elderly friends who we provide home health services to: show off your card tricks, share your fish stories or just sit and chat. 

Help people of refugeestatus get to the grocery store, the doctor or other necessary destinations by donating bus tokens to our refugee community program. You can buy bags of tokens at most Des Moines area grocery stores, at the customer service counter. Tokens can be dropped off at our refugee community center: 3200 University Avenue.

Advocate. Use your voice to advocate for at-risk Iowans.

Support all LSI’s programs. Whether your passion is children, teens, people with disabilities, elderly adults or refugees who have endured the unimaginable, your financial support of LSI plays a vital role in enhancing their lives.

Visit the LSI Website: http://lsiowa.org/

Follow LSI on Twitter: http://twitter.com/lSIowa

Like LSI on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LSI.iowa

Here are some of the faces of LSI and a fun video of someone LSI was able to help...

UPDATED: The deadline for our own video contest has been extended to September 30th. The top prize is $250 for the best video, so get shooting!

Did we get your attention? Great.

At Gusto Pizza Co., we love videos and we love the creative people who make them.  A couple days ago, we came across this wonderful fan-made video by some guy named Ian while playing around on YouTube. We have no idea who this Ian fellow is, but we thought it was clever enough to start a little contest. See for yourself:

Pretty great, right? You're hungry now, right? Yep. We want to find more Ians out there. (P.S. If you're Ian and you're reading this, we want to talk to you. You deserve at least a high-five).

Here's what we're doing to do.  We're going to open up the floodgates of Ian-type fan-based videos and offer a $250 gift card to the person who produces the best Gusto Fan video.  This means that if you've got a great idea and even have rudimentary editing skills, take a shot at making a video, eh?

So here are the rules and the prizes:

1. You must use the company name “GUSTO PIZZA CO" somewhere in the video and list "www.gustopizzaco.com" as well.
2. Keep the videos tasteful and PG rated. 
3. All submitted videos become property of Gusto Pizza Co. and will be posted to our YouTube Page.
4. Must use the “Gusto Pizza Co” logo somewhere in the video.
5. All entries must be recieved by 4pm, Friday, September 30th.
6. Extra points will be given to those who use El Caminos, TransAms or Cameros in the videos.
7. One video submission per person please.
8. Keep the videos to less than 75 seconds.
9. Submissions must be emailed to phil (at) goodmilkshake.com and info (at) gustopizzaco.com.

First Prize: $250 Gusto Pizza Co. gift card and your video will be featured on the front page of our website for 6 weeks.

Second Prize: $50 Gusto Pizza Co. gift card and 3 high fives.

Third Prize: $25 Gusto Pizza Co gift card and 2 high fives (or would that be a high 10??)

Consolation: The first ten people to enter a video will receive a $5 gift card.

So get shooting and good luck!

Once per week on Mondays, Gusto Pizza Co. allows a member of the non-profit community in Greater Des Moines to write about their organization.  We'll post that on our blog on Monday morning, then broadcast that info on our social media sites and give away a $10 gift card per week for anyone who re-tweets the message or shares the link on their facebook wall. The drawing will take place on Friday at 11am. Today we showcase THE IOWA CHAPTER OF THE CHILDREN'S TUMOR FOUNDATION -- ENDING NEUROFIBROMATOSIS THROUGH RESEARCH.

The Iowa Chapter of the Children's Tumor Foundation - Ending Neurofibromatosis Through Research (www.ctf.org) is holding our 2nd Annual Walk for NF at Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines on September 17. Registration opens at 9:00 am and the Walk will begin at 10:00 am. Registration is free. Shirts will be sold at the Walk for $10 each. 

ABOUT NF:

NF can cause tumors to grow on nerves anywhere in the body, including the brain and spinal cord. It can lead to blindness, deafness, chronic pain, disfigurement, learning disabilities, bone defects and a wide range of other complications. Affecting one in every 3,000 births, NF is more prevalent than cystic fibrosis, inherited muscular dystrophy and Huntington's disease combined, yet many people have never heard of it. It affects both sexes and all races and ethnic groups equally. The Iowa Chapter has over 300 NF families on our mailing list. Last year, over 200 people walked to raise awareness and funds for research for a cure and treatments for those affected by NF. Over $13,000 was raised.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

We are hoping for another successful Walk and hope you can help us. For more information go to www.nfwalk.org. Join us on our facebook page "Neurofibromatosis Iowa - Children's Tumor Foundation."

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO ABOUT THE CTF NF WALK:

That's right.

You've heard the rumors for over a month.  The Gusto Pizza Trailer will be tailgating directly outside of Kinnick Stadium for 7 Iowa Hawkeye home games this season.  And when we say directly, we mean DIRECTLY outside the stadium, at 817 Melrose Ave.  Here's our spot... check it out:

So here's what we're serving:

• The Wake 'n' Bacon-Alfredo, Mozzarella, Colby Jack, Canadian Bacon, Scrambled Egg and Green Onion
• The Hayden Fry-Jalepeno Creamed Corn, Mozz, Blue Cheese, Smoked Pork Shoulder, Sweet Corn and Green Onion
• The Rose Bowl- Classic Pepperoni with mozz, Red Sauce and Italian Herbs.

Want to pre-order some Gusto Pizza for your Hawkeye tailgate? Email josh(at)gustopizzaco.com and we will give you the secret number to the bat phone. Check out the full menu...

GO HAWKS!!!

We all love the Downtown Des Moines Farmer's Market. Seriously, who doesn't? Kids love it. Puppies love it. You love the produce, the socializing and the fresh local meat. Local vendors love to have an outlet to make a little extra scratch. Plus, it's such a great way to kick off a weekend on Saturdays.

But then Wednesday comes and you're out of that great mini squash that you purchased from Cleverley Farms! Gasp! You already ate the eggs you bought from Foxhollow Poultry Farm* and that bag of kettle corn? Yeah, that's empty! You could wait until the Thursday farmer's market in Valley Junction to get your nutritious locally-grown fix, but you need that butternut squash right now!  Plus, you work downtown and making it out to VJ can be a little hard to do sometimes on Thursdays. *please note that Foxhollow and Cleverley won't be at the Wednesday market, but lots of other great ones will.

Look no further!

The fantastic Downtown Des Moines Farmer's Market has started a Wednesday market! This new six-week Market will be held on Wednesdays, Aug. 31 – Oct. 5, 2011 from 11am--2pm in Western Gateway on Thirteenth Street, between Grand Avenue and Locust Street, in Downtown Des Moines. Now you don't have to wait until Saturday (or Thursday). According to this handy Facebook Event page, here are some details of the Wednesday market:

The Wednesday Market will feature 30 vendors offering a mix of seasonal fresh Iowa fruit, vegetables, specialty and artisan food, local art and entertainment, and a variety of delicious lunch menu offerings. Plenty of tables and chairs will be available for those who want to take a break and enjoy lunch. Each week will showcase a range of different products as some vendors will alternate throughout the six-week Market. (Here's the news release from the DTFM)

And while you're already downtown, we'd love to have you make an afternoon date of it with your homies or your special lady/man friend.  Stop by Gusto Pizza Co. either before or after the market and grab a pizza, a glass of wine or beer (never too early), a sandwich, a salad or a cannoli for a breather and a nice way to spend a Wednesday night.  

See you at (or after) the market!

~The Chef

P.S. Here's a great DTFM video... Maybe it'll make you hungry:

Once per week on Mondays, Gusto Pizza Co. allows a member of the non-profit community in Greater Des Moines to write about their organization.  We'll post that on our blog on Monday morning, then broadcast that info on our social media sites and give away a $10 gift card per week for anyone who re-tweets the message or shares the link on their facebook wall. The drawing will take place on Friday at 11am. Today we showcase THE AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION OF IOWA. 

The American Diabetes Association of Iowa is an organzation that is dedicated to help Iowans who are affected, or are living with, diabetes of all types (Type 1, Type 2, Gestastional, etc.), by providing educational information and tools on how to live, or support individuals, with diabetes, and promote awareness and advocacy efforts across the state. 

Our mission is to educate and breakdown the misconceptions of diabetes, provide legal assistance to those who are discriminated against due to their condition, advocate for better insurance and health care coverage, and support individuals and families who face daily challenges living with diabetes.

These efforts are not without the support of our volunteers and the community.  Every year, we raise funds by holding three events:  Tour de Cure bicycle ride, Rip's B.A.D. Ride (Bikers Against Diabetes) motorcycle ride/rally, and our biggest event, Step Out to Stop Diabetes 5K Walk.

How can you help us?  Easy.  Ask to volunteer.  We need volunteers who believe in the mission to stop diabetes and have a story tell about how diabetes have shaped their lives.  There are many opportunities to get involved:  staffing the booth at health fairs, events, and spread the word about what the ADA Iowa can do and provide to the community.  We are also looking for young professionals to serve on our boards and committees.  Great local organizations are always looking for volunteers, but they can't find you unless you reach out and ask if you can volunteer. 

If you would like to know more about the American Diabetes Association of Iowa, you can go to our Facebook and Twitter pages, email Doug Bickford at dbickford@diabetes.org or call 515.276.2237. 

So every once in a while, all of us like to hear how wonderful we are. There's no vanity in this, we promise.  It's human nature, right?  So it will come as no surprise to any of you that we're asking you to tell the world how awesome we are. Humbly, of course.

1. Des Moines Metromix is once again doing a poll of its readers asking them to vote on their top ten favorite Des Moines spots.  If we qualify in your top ten, Gusto humbly asks your vote. Here's the link to the Metromix top 100:

2. Des Moines Cityview Magazine is also doing a contest of sorts and we're asking for your vote. They're running the Cityview Ultimate Pizza Challenge.  Below is the link and QR Code for the contest.  Please vote for Gusto!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RK9WDZQ

3. The deadline for our own video contest has been extended to September 7th. The top prize is $250 for the best video, so get shooting!

A fist bump and a smooch.

--The Chef

Once per week on Mondays, Gusto Pizza Co. allows a member of the non-profit community in Greater Des Moines to write about their organization.  We'll post that on our blog on Monday morning, then broadcast that info on our social media sites and give away a $10 gift card per week for anyone who re-tweets the message or shares the link on their facebook wall. The drawing will take place on Friday at 11am. Today we showcase THE BLANK PARK ZOO. 

Of Iowa's many wonderful attractions, nothing seems to capture the hearts and minds of children as much as the Blank Park Zoo. Every day, we see their faces filled with anticipation as they go racing down the path to the Kids’ Kingdom, Australian Adventure or any of the other wonderful exhibits. Blank Park Zoo boasts more than 180 species and 1,500 animals; and with a mission to promote an inspiration of the natural world through education, conservation and recreation, we encourage children and adults alike to “Do the Zoo.”

ZOO EDUCATION: Blank Park Zoo is not only a fun place to work and play, it is an educational gathering place, impacting more than 350,000 people each year. Through educational programs and summer camps, outreach to schools and libraries and hosting teacher workshops across the state, we are able to enrich the learning experience of thousands of Iowa children.

ZOO CONSERVATION: Blank Park Zoo is also proud to be an organization committed to conservation. We have made it an integral part of every visitor experience through Coins for Conservation, taking a portion of guest admission to support conservation efforts locally, nationally and internationally. Guests are given a token and provided the opportunity to choose one of three conservation initiatives they would like to support, joining thousands in helping the Blank Park Zoo protect and conserve wildlife around the world. Learn more about the Blank Park Zoo’s Conservation Committee and how you can get involved.

And of course, Blank Park Zoo is a fun place to enjoy with your friends and family. The Zoo continues to expand and change, with the recent opening of our new David Kruidenier Australia Adventure in July (photos and video below).

How you can help:

Blank Park Zoo could not expand and be the community resource that we are without the support of our donors, corporate partners, members and volunteers. Find out how you can support the Zoo at www.blankparkzoo.com and find us on Facebook, Twitter or (www.twitter.com/bpz_members) and Youtube.

Video of Australia Adventure opening: