Hot Beef Sundae wins Best Choose Iowa Fair Food award

Hot Beef Sundae from Cattlemen’s Beef Quarters was selected in an online vote by trade fair visitors

PUBLISHED ON 18 August 2024

DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today congratulated Cattlemen’s Beef Quarters for winning the Best Choose Iowa Fair Food award during the 2024 Iowa State Fair. The Best Choose Iowa Fair Food Contest, an official contest of the Iowa State Fair, was created this year to highlight and celebrate fair food made with Iowa ingredients. Choose Iowa is the state’s signature brand for Iowa-grown, Iowa-raised and Iowa-made foods and agricultural products.

The Hot Beef Sundae served by Cattlemen’s Beef Quarters was selected via online voting on the Iowa State Fair website.

“The Iowa State Fair is famous for many reasons, including its unique and delicious fair food. Choose Iowa continues to grow as Iowa’s signature food, and this new contest is a fun way to celebrate all of the Iowa ingredients that go into creating these unforgettable Iowa State Fair food offerings,” said Secretary Naig. “Thank you to all of the vendors who participated in the first year of this contest, and I congratulate Cattlemen’s Beef Quarters on winning the first title of ‘Best Choose Iowa Fair Food’ with their Hot Beef Sundae. I encourage consumers to not only enjoy these Iowa foods at the fair, but to look for the Choose Iowa logo on food and agricultural products year-round.”

Approximately 10 percent of the food vendors at the Iowa State Fair, including all of Iowa’s protein producing commodity groups as well as the Iowa Honey Producers and Specialty Crop Growers, have submitted entries for the Best Choose Iowa Fair Food Contest. Choose Iowa aims to increase the number of vendors entering the contest in subsequent years.

A link to a map of all the dining locations offering menu items with Iowa ingredients can be found on the Choose Iowa website and is also available on the Iowa State Fair website and app.

The following providers participated in this year’s competition with their dishes in alphabetical order:
The Speckbox
Grinder Ball

Beattie’s Melon Patch
Watermelon in a cup

Cookie bars
Hot Mess Cookie

Bubbly Bar and Bistro
Tipsy Peach

Cattlemen’s quarters
Hot Beef Sundae

Chuckie’s famous breaded pork fillets
Chuckie’s Breaded Pork Wrap

Cluckin’ Coop
Fiesta Pancakes

Milk zone
Tornado in Iowa

Destination Grill
DG Chicken Strips with homemade ranch

Fresh American Lamb
All Iowa Lamb Burger

Hagar’s Hoagies
Chopped ham

Iowa Honey Producers
Honey Lemonade Popsicles

Pork Producers in Iowa – Iowa Pork Tent
Shredded BBQ Pork Sandwich

Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association
Cinnamon Crunch Apple Taco

Iowa Turkey Federation – Turkey Barbecue
Sandwich with fried turkey fillet

Old West Roadhouse BBQ
Grilled smoked chop with bone

Steer N Stone
The Breakfast Chimichanga

Stockman’s Inn
Iowa Bratwurst

The Dairy Goodness Barn
Raspberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt

The snack box
Ham salad sandwich

Learn more about Choose Iowa at ChooseIowa.com.

–Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Management