Omaha Magazine

At age 97, Cedric Hartman is still coming up with designs, both for new lamps and pieces of furniture. Five of his tables are in the recently opened main branch of the Omaha Library on 72nd and Dodge.

Today, Hartman’s designs continue to be generated, refined, and produced in the same aged red-orange warehouse building he’s operated from since the early 1990s at 14th and Marcy. Walking through the unassuming faded barn-red doors, you’re faced with a place that’s part showroom, part lab, and part manufacturing hub.

Visit cedrichartman.com for more information.

Read the full story here: https://www.omahamagazine.com/living/cedric-hartmans-lighting-designs-stand-the-test-of-time/

The home, built in 2004, is nestled on a quiet, wooded acreage that immediately evokes a feeling of peaceful serenity, and they wanted their bathroom to reflect that as well. They desired to age in place, increase storage, and improve the lighting while creating a clean-lined, timelessly traditional space.

This would be their second design and remodeling project with Lisa Anderson Design, so there was already a strong understanding of their aesthetic preferences and lifestyle.

This design received a Silver Award at the 2025 NE/IA ASID Project Awards.

Take a look at the end result.

Read the full story here: https://www.omahamagazine.com/living/a-zero-entry-wet-room-designed-for-comfort-and-ease/

Omaha’s national food spotlight keeps getting brighter. The James Beard Award winners were announced this week, and while Yosh*tomo’s David Utterback didn’t take home Best Chef: Midwest, the recognition alone marks another major moment for Omaha’s growing culinary reputation. Once overlooked by the Beard Awards, Omaha has now earned 29 nominations in the past 18 years, including recent finalist nods for Utterback and The Boiler Room’s Tim Nicholson, plus the city’s first Beard win this year for Johnny’s Cafe as an America’s Classics restaurant. For local chefs, the message is clear: Omaha is no longer a “flyover” food city but a serious national contender, and each nomination helps open the door wider for the restaurants, cooks, and diners pushing the scene forward.

Read our full story here: https://www.omahamagazine.com/fooddrink/omaha-restaurants-earn-national-respect-through-james-beard/

KETV's main anchor, Julie Cornell, turned her passion for sharing nutritious, hearty meals into activism by diving into the creation of a new cookbook, this time benefiting Food Bank for the Heartland. The digital tome, Home Cooking from the Heartland, contains 37 carefully curated recipes for budget-friendly, nutritious meals that families can make and enjoy together.

Visit anchovy.app/cookbooks for more information. Home Cooking from the Heartland can be purchased on the Market page in the Anchovy app.

Read the full article here: https://www.omahamagazine.com/artsculture/julie-cornells-new-cookbook-helps-fight-hunger/

Piezon's Pizzeria has always been about more than what comes out of the oven. Matt Vrzal’s spirited legacy still shapes the place, from the Husker football touches to the way staff and regulars talk about him. The neighborhood pizza spot keeps his memory alive by staying generous, familiar, and full of life.

“There was never a doubt in our minds that we would keep it running,” Megan Buettenback, Vrzal’s younger sister, said.

Read our full story here: https://www.omahamagazine.com/fooddrink/more-than-pizza-matt-vrzals-legacy-lives-on-at-piezons/

Refugee Women Rising has made it its mission to honor the deep sense of loss a refugee experiences while resettling in the United States by working in close collaboration with the female refugees who call Omaha their new home.

While the team at Refugee Women Rising works hard to preserve the dignity and culture of the women they serve, they also recognize the sacrifices their neighbors are having to make.

“Healing and integration are our focus,” Font-Gable said. “We aren’t trying to teach women to assimilate, but to integrate. To bring their whole selves and join a collective—become part of a community that sees and respects them.”

Visit refugeewomenrising.org/home-dish to participate, donate, or share in the HomeDish experience.

Read the full story here: https://www.omahamagazine.com/magazine/refugee-women-rising-builds-community-through-food/

Stephanie Sullivan, assistant director of marketing and communications for Food Bank for the Heartland, said the need for food assistance in the Greater Omaha area, as well as across Nebraska, is growing.

The Food Bank faced budgeting season this year with a decrease in funding. “The government is no longer a reliable and sustainable source of support for [us],” Sullivan said. “On top of that, our neighbors in need are no longer getting the support that they need…so it's a double punch really.”

Sullivan said those wishing to support neighbors can donate toward the BackPack Program or donate shelf-stable foods like boxed meals, canned tuna and chicken, pancake mix, or pasta and sauce. A financial donation of $20 covers the food bank’s cost for one Community Box.

Visit Food Bank for the Heartland for more information.

Read the full article here: https://www.omahamagazine.com/fooddrink/food-bank-for-the-heartland-steps-up-amid-snap-changes/

One scoop. Two scoops. Do we dare go for three? How about an old-fashioned ice cream soda topped with a cherry?

Attracting more than 200,000 visitors annually, the Wells Visitor Center and Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Le Mars, Iowa, is the city’s top tourist attraction. Le Mars is about a two-hour drive north of Omaha.

Learn more about the Wells Visitor Center & Ice Cream Parlor here: https://www.omahamagazine.com/fooddrink/chasing-scoops-in-le-mars-iowas-sweetest-destination/