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Carina Cavagnaro, La Rana Bistro & Shana Meyer, Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
Of more than 100 nominations across the state, Decorah’s Carina Cavagnaro of La Rana Bistro and Shana Meyer of Toppling Goliath Brewing Company are among the top women in hospitality. According to the Iowa Restaurant Association, the 2023 honorees exemplify both the diversity of workforce and breadth and depth of career opportunities available to women in hospitality.
Carina Cavagnaro
Cavagnaro is owner and head chef of La Rana Bistro, an intimate 34-seat restaurant located in the heart of downtown Decorah. Cavagnaro has been in restaurant and hospitality management for 24 years, having held positions in California, Colorado and Iowa. She studied French-style pastry in the San Francisco Bay Area, ran pop-up pastry business Whisk & Spoon in northeast Iowa for five years and managed Dug Road Inn – a full service bed and breakfast.
La Rana serves small and large plates of locally-focused cuisine with an international influence (French, Mediterranean and Asian). La Rana’s scratch kitchen and seasonal sourcing are paramount to Cavagnaro’s restaurant ethos – she crafts menu changes five times annually to celebrate and elevate peak flavor and aesthetic, as well as featuring prime, just-harvested ingredients in the weekly specials.
La Rana Bistro was opened in 2002 by Cavagnaro’s family (Joanie Sheahan and Mark Smeby). Cavagnaro became Head Chef in 2018 and in July 2023 purchased the business. She is planning an interior refresh of the restaurant to take it into the next chapter.
Shana Meyer
Meyer, Taproom Manager at Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. in Decorah, journeyed from a part-time server – back when TG had fewer than 30 employees and no restaurant – to her current role as the General Manager. Meyer oversees 100 hospitality employees, a two-level taproom, a full-service restaurant and a catering operation and has played a pivotal role in transforming the company’s hospitality operations into a thriving enterprise.
A dedicated and hardworking member of the TG team, Meyer promotes well-being within the organization and played a crucial role as spokesperson for the company during breast cancer awareness month when TG brewed “Witches Broom,” a beer that supported raising funds for Winneshiek Celebration of Life and the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Her story serves as an inspiration to aspiring professionals in the field of hospitality.
All individuals were nominated by a member of the industry or the public and were selected by the Iowa Restaurant Association. The winners will be recognized as part of the Iowa Restaurant Association’s Celebrating Excellence Awards Ceremony on Nov. 13 in Des Moines.
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