DES MOINES, Iowa — Only a few weeks left to get your wallets and waistlines ready for Iowa State Fair food. This year, there are 67 new items to try.

Vendors have been working in their kitchens for months to come up with something fresh and delicious.

“We usually end up having way too many good ideas and then just have to sift through those,” Sarah Strong-Tuttle, executive chef at JR’s SouthPork Ranch, said. “Which kind of brings on the next layer of what’s something that we could execute at a high-volume clock speed and also keep the quality consistency of the products.”

The food also has to be maintainable to make during the eleven days.

“It’s a small space. It can be fast and furious,” Connie Boesen, owner of Applishus, said. “I won in 2018, so I always say be careful what you wish for sometimes because it takes a lot of work.”

Boesen learned that lesson when her “Apple Eggroll” won the new fair food contest in 2018. 

More than 60 new food items will be competing for your tastebuds, including another sweet treat from Applishus.

Boesen described the Sweet Granny’s Apple Delight Sundae as “Granny Smith apple-flavored ice cream with apple pie topping, caramel, whipped cream, and a waffle bowl.

Something savory from the Bacon Box, such as the Double Bacon Cheeseburger Balls. 

“It’s a miniaturized version of our bacon balls,” Dominic Iannarelli, owner of Bacon Box, said.

And don’t forget about food on a stick. JR’s SouthPork Ranch is introducing the Chicken Pickle Ranch Rocket On A Stick.

“Five ounces of chicken, 12 pickle chips, we’ve got a ranch butter that we make, and we grill that up,” Brooks Reynolds, head ranch hand at JR’s SouthPork Ranch, said.

Reynolds says entering the new food contest is challenging and sometimes costly.

“The first year we did a beef wrap. It was delicious. It was great. Very hard to make, very hard to source,” Reynolds recalls. “We had $50,000 in beef ribs after the fair. So again, it’s trial and error. And sometimes you think you have a great item and it’s great, but the people don’t like it. So, you know, you always got to throw something new against the wall and see what, see what sticks and see what doesn’t.”

Luckily for them, it did stick when they brought in seafood from Maine to Iowa.

“People thought when we started the lobster roll in 2021 that we were crazy,” Brooks said. “But, you know, they love it here at the Iowa State Fair.”

It’s why they’re leveling up again this year with the “High Roller” Roll. This shiny, new lobster roll topped with Crème fraîche, caviar, and edible gold flakes will cost you $100.

“The first step is going to be toasting the bun with gold shimmer that’s been infused in the duck fat,” Strong-Tuttle said. 

It doesn’t stop there. JR’s SouthPork Ranch says you can level up with the “High Roller” package.

“We were like, what can we pair with that to make it to really elevated and bring it to the next level?” Brooks asked. “And you know, and we’re like, well, that’s let’s have a bottle of champagne.”

The “High Roller” package includes a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne with two “High Roller” rolls for a grand total of $600.

“If you’re here to spend some money, you might as, you might as well have fun with it,” Strong-Tuttle said. 

A fun photo op of a pricey novelty you can only find at the fairgrounds, as well as a testament of how far fair food has come.

“It all started, you know, with music festivals. They were really stepping up the food and the fairs started doing it,” Iannarelli said. “Concessions became more than just randomly fried things. So, to watch everything that’s happened at the Iowa State Fair in the last ten years is great. I think it really speaks to Iowa and how we’re growing culinary and how we’re interested in the foods that we eat.”

“It really highlights people’s creativity,” Boesen said, “and it gives a reason to come to the fair. Which is, we want everyone to come out and have an experience with new foods and a new experience.”

New experiences at the Iowa State Fair that could be worth the extra calories and cash.

“Come with an empty belly and an adventurous spirit and just try some items that you may not normally try,” Brooks advises.

“Get that list. There’s 67 new things to try at the State Fair and find the ones you want to go and hit them and support those vendors,” Iannarelli said, “because they’re the ones that people are coming up with new things.”

On July 15, part of the WHO 13 News team will try 11 of the new creations. The taste testers will vote and narrow the list down to the top three for all fairgoers to vote on during the fair.

Fair Sweet Fair runs from August 7-17.

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