Iowa State Fair: Fullfilled Favorites & Trends Report
Hooey! I am still riding high on the horse. Unfortunately for the horse, I am not only full of joy in my spirit but every tasty savory bite and treat I could get my hands on! It's amazing how writing a report like this justifies the gut-I mean gluttony as you walk around an event like this.
This week we were at the Iowa State Fair, it was a "sugar and fat? Don't care" kind of affair.
Before we go hogwild in this article and share trends and Fullfilled's Top Fair Foods, I want to set the stage with some stats and fun facts about the Iowa State Fair-
The very first Iowa State Fair was held in Fairfield, October 15-17, 1854. The budget for this inaugural event was $323. The fair moved to the present location in 1886. That makes the fairgrounds over 130 years old!
The largest fair turn out was in 2008, with 1,109,150 total attendees.
The Iowa State Fair showcases 70+ foods on-a-stick.
The Fairgrounds includes approximately 445 acres, including 160 acres of beautiful, wooded Campgrounds, which are open April to October.
Pork lovers gobble down approximately 5-6,000 chops daily during the Fair's 11-day run.
It is frozen and stored during the year and can be reused for up to 10 years. Butter sculptures have been a part of the Fair since 1911. It takes an estimated 600 pounds of butter and 16 hours to craft the Butter Cow alone.
In this article, Donovan and I will be breaking down each of our top food choices and trends we saw within this unconventional take on a trade show. Donovan was the mastermind behind this trip that delighted the senses and gave us insights into the market, some of which we will be sharing here others we will only be sharing with our clients exclusively. In order to help them create more tasty and healthy options that celebrate the heartland of America.
Our team is prepared to create memorable items like those that are in this report for you. We have had great success with menu development and innovation. Donovan is a master connector that has brought many people together to create lasting partnerships and successful products. We have a wide ranging group of collaborators with the capacity for mass production.
We bring ideas to life. Reach out to learn more: Kaden@FullfilledFood.com
Before we get into our trends and top pics I just have to set the scene as we arrived at the fair. We drove through a nice peaceful neighborhood and as we approached the only indication we would soon be at the fair were residents in the streets ushering cars to park on their front yards and in their backyards with mostly $5 and $10 a day signs. We drove by just to enjoy the sights before picking a lot where men were riding bikes with bench seats on the back and music blaring as they taxied fairgoers. It was such welcoming environment with people sitting behind trucks and tables with baked goods and lots of cold drinks. Everyone we encountered was so friendly and warm and the hospitality in Iowa blew me away.
Now for the main event!
FULLFILLED’S TOP TRENDS:
Potatoes were king! Tots, fries, hash-browns, baked potatoes and many fresh and interesting ways of using them. It all brought me back to my Idaho State Fair days growing up. Potatoes were as heavily featured as beef and pork.
Lemonades were more abundant than any other type of drink with the exception of traditional sodas. There were blends, fresh squeezed, strawberry lemonades but none quite as interesting or as good as the Leahy All Friends beverages. Those would have been great to wash things down. Notably absent were caffeinated beverages it was actually difficult to find coffee, energy drinks or matcha.
Fried everything! And I mean everything!!!! Fried olives, fried burgers, fried pickles, fried Twinkie's, deep fried butter (more on butter later), fried strawberries, fried pork, fried sandwiches, fried waffles, deep fried cheese, as well as fried tourists who didn't use sunscreen.
Sugar, sugar and more sugar!!! No shocker here if you've ever been to a fair before.
Butter! Butter spreads, buttery stuffed potatoes, buttery funnel cakes, even the famous butter cow and even the cast of the music man complete with flute, drums and trumpet.
DONOVAN’S TOP 3 SWEET:
Apple Cider Shake-Up. This was a past People’s Choice Winner and deservedly so by the Iowa Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association. It also wins my personal award for the most Instagrammable item I experience while at the Fair. Part beverage, part dessert, it was made using layers of apple cider granita and vanilla ice cream, topped with whipped cream, caramel, pie crumbs, and spinkles. The addition a of freshly dipped caramel apple added to the theatrics of this showy item.
Golden Fried PB&J: While Kaden put this on his top savory list, I’m adding it to my top sweet list as I’m more of a jelly fan in the PB&J. While the fair definitely had an abundance of fried items on a stick (calling out Oreos, Twinkies, and hot dogs to name a few), this one caught my attention based on its quality and simplicity. It was offered by The Veggie-Table and was also called out as a “vegan” item. The crispy bread sliced, melted peanut, and sweet oozing jelly was done at near perfection. This is also an item I could easily do at home! The Veggie-Table also had another one of my fair favorites, sweet potato tater tots.
Puff Sundae: I described this one as a deconstructed S’Mores sundae offered by Bauder’s Ice Cream. It consisted of vanilla ice cream, graham crackers (base and crumb topping), vanilla wafer, hot fudge, marshmallows and a jumbo roasted marshmallow given the sundae its “puff” moniker. It was well executed and balanced flavor wise even without the Hershey chocolate bar.
DONOVAN’S TOP 3 SAVORY:
The Finisher: I’m not sure why The Rib Shack gave this dish that name but after eating it, it was tough to try other foods right away. Deservedly it won the 2022 People’s Choice Award for New Food. While in the picture it is hard to tell, but the core of The Finisher is a baked potato topped with signature items The Rib Shack is known for: chopped brisket, smoked pulled pork, bacon brisket mac & cheese, BBQ sour cream, garlic rub butter, and green onions plus a touch of BBQ sauce.
Tot-chos: Like my number 2 choice above, I loved this concept due to its quality execution and simplicity. Tater tot nachos – enough said! Topped with classic nacho or baked potato condiments: sour cream, nacho cheese, chives, and a touch of bacon bits.
Stacks Breakfast Sandwich: Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I was intrigued to try this item using corn pancakes as the sandwich slices in this breakfast sandwich which we chose to have with bacon, cheese, and a fried egg. The pancakes were just sweet enough to offset the saltier fillings. Extremely satisfying. I only wish they had a cup of coffee to pair with it!
KADEN’S TOP SWEET:
Marshmallow lovers can delight in the Bauders Puff Sunday! The ingredients to this amazingly textured and flavorful dessert were a graham cracker base, 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, marshmallows, hot fudge, graham cracker crumbs, a jumbo roasted marshmallow, and a vanilla wafer. It was like a s'more Sunday but felt light and fluffy as opposed to so many very heavy Fair deserts. This one really shined.
Maple bacon ice cream, when I sent my mom a picture of this she sent back the puking emoji but I am here to encourage anyone reading to have an open mind and an open mouth because this flavor combination just worked! It was savory and sweet and the vanilla ice cream used was perfection not too sweet and allowed the maple and bacon on top to shine while providing a bit of a palate cleanser when eaten on its own.
Center grove orchard had a couple featured deserts at the fair this year centered around blueberries and strawberries that were up for awards. We tried both but the moment I saw the Apple Cider Shake Up that someone in line had ordered, I knew we had to come back the next day to try it. For me, this was it the most visually eye catching and captivating dish at the fair with its caramel apple topper that dripped down to a plate they provided whenever served. This ice cream and apple slush was phenomenal, each ingredient was premium including the caramel. The apples selected had the perfect bit of sour to compliment the sweetness of the ice cream. After tasting it I told Donovan this had to have won best food in the past or should have been up for the award this year! My curiosity was too great, so I asked the center grove staff and they said it won a couple years ago. Well deserved and I hope they continue to serve this amazing and decadent desert! It's a crowd pleaser!
KADEN’S TOP SAVORY:
The Finisher stuffed potato with pulled pork, mac and cheese, light bbq sauce. This dish delivered in every passive way. It was nostalgic, savory, sweet and as you eat it there are different flavor moments each of which was incredibly tasty. The Finisher also won Best New Food at the fair which is the top honor.
Golden Fried PB&J this clever sealed sandwich served with a popsicle stick delivered on texture and flavor. It was easy to eat and brought back the best feelings of childhood. It's a dish that would delight any kid from 4-104.
TotChos for the win! This clever take on nachos is a HIT! There were sweet potato TotChos with melted marshmallows but we went for the classic with sour cream and nacho sauce with chives and bacon. They were sooooo good and of the many things we tried this is one of the only things we couldn't help but completely devour.
All in all, the energy was relaxed and cheerful, the food harkened back to childhood with simple additions that made things creative and memorable, and the weather was great for critters, cows and cow-folk alike . Albert, a black angus was the heavyweight champion weighing in at 3000lb and was very well fed, tended to and celebrated at the show.
Food can transport us, it can connect us to the child inside who just wants to laugh, play and taste the goodness life has to offer. No matter where you are, I hope you will delight in a dish or a dessert that makes your heart sing for we all deserve to remember what it is to be a child again. Thank you Iowa for reminding us.
