Downtown District’s Top Chef program welcomes UI alumni-run Le Crave

Iowa City’s downtown Clinton Street is lined with businesses, many locally and family-owned. For 13 years, 14 S. Clinton St. housed Molly’s Cupcakes, a bakery and ice cream shop that closed in August 2025.

The new business occupying the former cupcake shop is breaking into the Iowa City restaurant scene and is managed singlehandedly by a 2025 University of Iowa graduate.

After just four months of operation, the new business joined the Iowa City Downtown District’s Top Chef competition, a culinary event that brought together over 10 area restaurants to provide a full meal to upward of 500 attendees…

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