HOMEGROWN HOLIDAYS

FOURTH-GENERATION IOWA FARMER KALEB WYSE MAY NOT TEND CROPS, BUT HE'S DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE FAMILY HOMESTEAD—AND SOWING INSPIRATION FOR LEGIONS OF LOYAL FANS.

- WRITER KELLY KEGANS PHOTOGRAPHERS ADAM ALBRIGHT AND KELSEY HANSEN

Grandma Conrad's Christmas lasagna holds a special place in Kaleb Wyse's heart. "We didn't have Italian restaurants or any culture like that growing up in southeast Iowa, so lasagna in itself seemed special," he says. Even though the recipe was quite simple, he reflects, the fact that it appeared only once a year imbued it with all the anticipation and magic of the season.

Today, Wyse channels that childlike wonder into his 1890s farmhouse in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. He bought the foursquare from his grandparents in 2010 and poured himself into restoring its interior, planting gardens, and reviving family recipes. He began sharing homesteading stories and tips through Wyse Guide—an endlessly upbeat platform that has garnered 2 million followers across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Earlier this year, he published There's Always Room at the Table, a cookbook rich with stories about his relatives and their lives at Knollgate Farm. It hit The New York Times bestseller list.

Think of Wyse as a modern-day Midwest Martha, fueled by the practical wisdom of three generations of women at whose sides he learned to can cucumbers and scoop drop biscuits. (Another formative figure? Julia Child, whom he watched on PBS as a kid.) “I’m not a trained chef,” Wyse says humbly. “I don’t want people to think I’m trying to be above myself. But this book allowed me to tell the story of why I do what I do and share the background of my family and our farm.”