Mike McGrath, co-owner of The Strawberry Station, adds whipped cream to the top of a serving of 1776 Dubai Strawberries on July 14 during the Iowa State Fair’s Best New Food Contest at the fairgrounds in Des Moines.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
An American tradition is back redder and bluer than it has been in years.
Last week, judges from across the state gathered to help narrow down 11 of the top new Iowa State Fair foods and form the ballot for fairgoers.
Soon, you all will have a chance to try them for yourselves and vote on your favorite. But before you go to the event where “nothing compares,” running this year from Aug. 13-23, perhaps you’re craving a little perspective.
Voters can pick from the top three items chosen by judges to crown this year’s best new fair food.
Read more to see which ones colored me surprised.
The Porky Parm Gnocchi from Destination Grille at the Iowa State Fair’s Best New Food Contest. The gnocchi placed in the top three best new fair foods.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
1. Porky Parm Gnocchi by Destination Grille
Viscous and rich, this is a sensory experience — as always from this vendor.
An herbaceous flavor profile greets you at the door and walks you around a party of old money — Parmesan, Graziano sausage and pesto drizzle. You don’t ask how anybody earned their keep, but you remain enamored by the flavors.
The gnocchi is dense and captivating. Parsley keeps each bite fresh and interesting, and shaved Parmesan elevates it for fair fare.
A rich pasta dish is probably not something you expect to get at the fair in the dog days of August, but Destination Grille has a knack for making you consider it. It’s also served with a squeaky piggy souvenir, if that helps seal the deal.
This dish was named a top 3 contender by the judges.
The Ultimate Minneapple Pie from Minneapple Pie. The dessert placed in the top three best new fair foods.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
2. Ultimate Minneapple Pie by Minneapple Pie
My judging neighbor and friend in food reporting said it well: “I’m loath to give it to Minnesota.”
But, as many judges concluded, our Minnesota neighbors earned their spot in enemy territory this year. Longtime readers will know I’m not often fond of apple flavors, such as last year’s “Sweet Granny’s Apple Delight Sundae,” but I have to make an exception for this.
The crust is perfectly soft, chewy and buttery for a base that holds together well. Many pie makers hold up “flaky” as the holy grail for crust; this one takes a perspective I enjoy more. Fewer flakes means more pie makes it to my mouth.
The cinnamon and sugar dusting is, for once in my life, balanced. The filling is with fresh apple that doesn’t seem canned or syrupy with a premade taste a lot of mass-produced hand pies offer. The spices inside aren’t excessive.
All of these hurdles — a common pitfall among other apple desserts I judge — are cleared by the Ultimate Minneapple Pie.
The a la mode scoops of cinnamon and vanilla are the ice cream on top, adding an extra layer to each bite.
Oh, and the pie is fried. Take note, McDonald’s.
This dish was named a top 3 contender by the judges.
The Strawberry Bliss from the Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
3. Strawberry Bliss by Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association
Grab a fork and knife, because this one is worth treating with respect.
Inside a pleasing beehive-shaped dessert is a combination of chocolate, shortcake cookie, meringue and strawberries.
Each luscious bite of the combo coats ripe berries with a sweet, airy meringue. It’s nice to see meringue, which can be a little more labor intensive, get some attention at the Iowa State Fair.
The cookie, at the base of the hive, provides a crumbly contrast in texture. Accents of white chocolate on top are a nice touch.
The Star Spangled Swine from Watcha Smokin? BBQ.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
4. Star Spangled Swine by Whatcha Smokin? BBQ
This fatty piece of pork belly has the appearance of a piece of French toast soaked in syrup — ombre hues of brown and beige that come with something cooked well.
It’s sweet, smoky and seductive. The fatty layer around the bite, something I typically cut off of my meat, seals the deal with sultry soul — an all-American flavor.
It’s hard to give a refreshing flavor to pork, but this one does it. Just don’t blindly bite into the blue and white sprinkles — they’re not easy on the teeth.
The All-American Scrambled Egg Roll from Winn & Sara’s Kitchen. The egg roll placed in the top three best new fair foods.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
5. All-American Scrambled Egg Roll by Winn & Sara’s Kitchen
“When we thought of America, we thought ‘Who runs it?’” said Arthur Sayasane, a kitchen manager. “Farmers.”
So they took the best meal of the day — breakfast — and made it from the farmer’s best products, including bacon and eggs.
This egg roll is perfectly fried with a flaky shell. The inside is soft and lightly seasoned but packed with flavor in each bite. Cheese holds it together and directs your attention to the ranch-based sauce that illuminates each bite without outshining it.
I’m still a fan of their Chicken Bacon Ranch Eggroll last year, but this is a nice addition.
This dish was named a top 3 contender by the judges.
The 1776 Dubai Strawberries from The Strawberry Station.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
6. 1776 Dubai Strawberries by The Strawberry Station
As America celebrates its 250th birthday, these guys thought “Dubai.”
Dubai strawberries started trending a few years ago. M&K Concessions, owner of The Strawberry Station, confirmed that they’re still popular.
The cup is a hearty presentation of juicy strawberries. Chocolate and gooey pistachio cream blanket each piece with a crunch of kataifi on top — a Middle Eastern phyllo dough with a nutty essence.
Even if it’s named after a United Arab Emirates city, it brings simple pleasures to the forefront as we regale in Americana nostalgia for the semiquincentennial.
The Sweet Americana from Over the Top.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
7. Sweet Americana by Over the Top
This one also falls into the category of simple pleasures, with three scoops of ice cream.
Blueberry crisp ice cream is delightfully infused with hints of maple and topped with chocolate-covered blueberries.
Lemon bar in the middle is a surprise palate cleanser. It gives an old-fashioned, sweet lemon flavor with a lemon bar square on top.
Strawberry shortcake, on the other side, is the creamy, bright clincher of the trio.
Call them the three little piggies of dairy. This dessert won the 2026 Red, White and Blue Award in honor of America’s 250th birthday.
The Stuffed Tater Kegs from Tater Todd and Hot Doug’s.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
8. Stuffed Tater Kegs by Tater Todd and Hot Doug’s
When asked for the inspiration of this creation, the business partners I can only assume to be “Tater Todd” and “Hot Doug” looked at each other. I don’t think they were expecting this kind of question.
“Bigger is always better,” they said.
Think of it as a portable hot dish. Since we’re giving “Minneapple” a top spot, we’ll lean into the culture of our northern neighbors for a moment.
Each tater tot is stuffed with a soft filling of cheddar, sour cream and chives. It reminded me a little bit of the flavor profile in a good breakfast burrito.
Each one is served with buffalo, Parmesan garlic and breakfast gravy dipping sauces.
The Garlic Dill Pickle Cheese Curds from Brad & Harry’s Cheese Curds.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
9. Garlic Dill Pickle Cheese Curds by Brad and Harry’s Cheese Curds
Similar to Dubai Strawberries, garlic and dill are having kind of a trendy moment, too. I know garlic and dill have been around forever, but I seem to see them advertised at the top of dishes more and more these days.
This Midwest classic has a more battered than breaded feel. It’s a good chew with a very strong flavor — garlic on the front, dill on the finish.
It’s salty with a mellow cheese flavor.
My only critique is that each curd was a little dry, which surprised me given past experience with Brad and Harry’s. Perhaps my batch was inadvertently left in the fryer too long. But when you have a relatively simple product, there’s less room for error.
The HoQ Crunchy Lamp Wrap from HoQ.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
10. Crunchy Lamb Wrap by HoQ
Last year, HoQ’s lamb wrap had a respectable showing. This year’s crunchy lamb wrap misses the mark for one main reason.
Homemade naan that I enjoyed last year was fried this time around with what appears to be a panko breading. The mouth feel is less crunchy and more hard, and the oil didn’t do the flavor any favors.
Inside, a creamy risotto melds fine with lamb, cheese and creme fraiche. But all of it keeps coming back to the fried foundation — you can’t avoid it in each bite.
It’s also unclear how watermelon ranch is supposed to complement it. I love watermelon and ranch as much as the next Iowan, but together it was a strange combo that didn’t seem to help any part of each bite.
The Cajun Cluck ’N’ Chaos from the Cluckin’ Coop at the Iowa State Fair’s Best New Food Contest.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
11. Cajun Cluck ‘N’ Chaos by Cluckin’ Coop
I don’t even know where to start with this one. I’ll give the Iowa Egg Council one thing — they sure did capture the “chaos” part. Just look at this thing.
Sitting on a Frisbee, a chicken sandwich endures the weight of pickle spears, pickle cotton candy, pickled eggs and jalapenos. Even with the skewer, I don’t know which way is up.
Chicken under the bun is crumbly, crunchy and relatively “normal” with its pickle slices and coleslaw. Its bun was coated with syrup from melted cotton candy.
The cotton candy itself was, strangely enough, not bad. The pickled egg was pungent with vinegar.
Choose your own adventure.
Dining and Cooking