tofu guru.

It has come to my attention that the Clive Board of Adjustments has called a special meeting to reconsider the fate of Joy of Soy, a small yoga and fresh tofu/ soymilk shop located in Clive, Iowa.

Here the story from the June 25th Des Moines Register:

The Clive Board of Adjustment has scheduled a special meeting at 6:30 tonight to discuss the fate of a tofu-producing restaurant and grocery store.

The forum will be in the council chambers at City Hall, 1900 N.W. 114th St.

The board will reconsider its earlier decision affecting Joy of Soy, a business some neighbors worried would create a bad smell in their neighborhoods if it opened.

Board members had voted, 3-2, to allow Joy of Soy to open if the owners limit soy processing to a 200-square-foot area and not use external venting.

The owners protested to the Clive City Council after the board’s original decision. The council took the unusual step of sending the decision back to the board of adjustment.

Both sides of the dispute are expected to reiterate their arguments at tonight’s meeting.

Board members will either affirm or change their original decision.

This just seems a little sad an ridiculous to me. This shop is trying to do a great thing for Des Moines by promoting healthy lifestyles with yoga and tofu… our city needs more things like this! Not to mention it’s just logical… we are the biggest soybean producing state, yet we ship our soybeans out so that they can be made into tofu and shipped back to Hy-Vee or Campbell’s. That makes little to no sense… tofu is gaining in popularity like never before- why are we not producing it when we have all the raw resources right here? Where is the Iowa Soybean Association on this one??
I hope the Clive board doesn’t listen to these ridiculous homeowners… if Joy of Soy is able to stay, I will be there tomorrow picking up my fresh tofu!