Mother Nature tried to put a damper on the Iowa State Fair yesterday, spending much of the morning tossing thunderstorms our way. Nothing severe, but enough to keep the early crowds in check. By the time I arrived for my 11 a.m. “celebrity chef” shift at the Iowa Pork Producers Tent, the lunch crowd was just starting to pick up. The Cass County Pork Producers were there lending a hand, the grills were fired up, and the smell of pork grilling was already drifting through the air — smoke that, for once, wasn’t from Canada and was more than welcome.
This was my second year helping at the tent, but it was the first time I got to wear my own personalized embroidered apron. Last year, I just used a plain, unnamed one, so this felt special. It’s something I’ll be able to bring back every year, and I plan to keep returning for a long time.
The grill setup at the Pork Producers Tent is no small operation. The grill I worked on is big enough to handle more than 100 items at once — about 50 or more pork burgers on one half, and at least that many pork chops on the other. There were always six to eight people around the grill at any given time, flipping burgers, checking temperatures, and shifting meat around to different heat zones so everything cooked just right. My focus for the day ended up being burger duty. I did get a few chops on the grill, but I kept gravitating back to that wall of sizzling burgers, working through three full rounds during my shift.
The other “celebrity chefs” on the schedule were fellow Iowa media folks — no major stars, but plenty of hometown personality to go around. The crew working the grills had the same easy camaraderie you’d find at a backyard cookout. There was good-natured ribbing, a few jokes tossed back and forth, and plenty of laughs in between the more serious business of keeping the food moving.
Out in front of the tent, the crowd was in good spirits and eager to dig into their fair favorites. The big buzz item this year was the new Hawaiian Sandwich — shaved pork loin topped with pineapple, coleslaw, and Thai chili sauce. Each order came with a Hawaiian lei, and it was getting plenty of attention from fairgoers. I made sure to try one later in the day, and it was even better than I expected — sweet, tangy, and packed with flavor. I also sampled one of the pork burgers, which was every bit as good as I remembered.
Talking with fairgoers is always a highlight. Many people shared how visiting the tent is a long-standing tradition for their families, part of what makes the Iowa State Fair such a special experience. It’s always fun to connect with listeners and let them put a face to the voice they hear on the radio. Those conversations remind me that, for all the differences between Iowa’s corners, we share a lot of common ground — especially a love of good food and good company.
The weather kept us on our toes. After the morning rain moved out, the sun began to break through. At one point, we had an umbrella set up for shade, but the wind turned it into a spinning top, so it had to come down until the sun took over. Between the heat, the crowd, and the smoke, it was exactly what you’d expect from a day at the grill. Whenever the smoke blew in my face, I relied on a Minnesota trick — say “I hate rabbits” three times, and supposedly the smoke drifts away. Whether it truly works or not, it gave me a laugh in the middle of the heat.
By the end of my shift, I was smoky, satisfied, sore, and tired — but also grateful. It’s a unique experience to work side by side with pork producers, to hear what’s on their minds, and to help feed thousands of hungry fairgoers. Once my time at the grill was done, I headed back to work at the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network booth, still carrying the aroma of a day well spent over the grill.
If you haven’t stopped by the Iowa Pork Producers Tent yet this year, I highly recommend it. Between the main tent and the satellite locations around the fairgrounds, there’s no shortage of delicious pork to enjoy — and you might just find me behind the grill again next year.
