Des Moines' East Village is getting a new eatery and gourmet food market

Get your appetites ready, Des Moines epicureans. A new kind of food and wine emporium is coming to the East Village.

Purveyor, a gourmet food and wine shop with an in-house restaurant, is slated to open by July 4, 2019.

Michael LaValle recently rented the former space of the Moxie art gallery, next to Raygun and Mars Coffee Bar at 505 E. Grand Ave. in Des Moines. The combined dining and retail concept will serve and sell cheeses, Iowa-focused charcuterie and wine.

LaValle is president and CEO of The Des Moines Embassy Club and Embassy Club West and co-owner of Port of Des Moines with his wife, Lisa. Port of Des Moines includes the Riverwalk Hub, Trellis, Doré Bakery and Trellis at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.

"It's a captivating space,'" LaValle said. "I've been kicking around a new wine concept and a new charcuterie concept for years."

LaValle said Purveyor will serve cheese and charcuterie platters and sandwiches. Doré Bakery desserts will be sold and served at Purveyor, created by pastry chef Nik Pugmire. Purveyor will host pop-up events with Doré Bakery in the months leading up to its opening date. 

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"It's going to be fun having a storefront in the East Village," LaValle said. "As you see that area develop, people are looking for more sophisticated products. They want a nice wine, a wedge of cheese and a baguette to bring home, so we just think it's a natural fit."

Cheese and charcuterie options, including selections from La Quercia, will be displayed in refrigerated cases for easy choosing. Local honey and mustards will also be sold along with house-made accouterments. And market-goers will find plenty of Sonoma wines by the glass and bottle.

The two-story 1,500-square-foot space with 22-foot ceilings includes a mezzanine and will serve 50 people along with retail space for its gourmet food displays. 

"It's going to be very pork-centric," LaValle said. "Iowa is the biggest pork-producing state in the country. Why don't we have places in Des Moines where you can go to choose from fifty kinds of local bacon? We'll have some fun with that. I think we'll be able to represent Iowa food products really well."

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