And the winners are...
We sat down with AllSpicer Rory, who was the primary judge from the shop for this year's sponsored contests and asked him how the fair fared. "It was great to see familiar faces this year since we didn't have a state fair in 2020. We were happy to have around the same number of entrants as prior years, since overall food contest entries were down a bit from past years."
Rory also shared, "While the judges had varying backgrounds, the winners of each category were clear, and their submissions were very creative." Popular ingredients this year included our Roasted Onion and Cilantro Infused Olive Oil (used in many of the chilis) and Orange Blossom Water (present in both cookie and ice cream entries).
And this year's contest winners are:
Chili Competition
- First Place: Tailgating Chili, entered by Kyle B. from West Des Moines
- Second Place: Iowa Green Chili, entered by Ellen R. from Des Moines
- Third Place: Taco Chili, entered by Pamela R. from Norwalk
Vegetarian Chili Competition
- First Place: Cremini Mushroom Chili, entered by Rebecca H. from West Des Moines
- Second Place: BBQ Chili, entered by Sara C. from Des Moines
- Third Place: Mary's AllSpice Chili (recipe unavailable), entered by Bridget L. from Norwalk
Unique Cookie Competition
- First Place: Blackberry & Orange Blossom Thumbprint Cookies, entered by Meredith W. from Norwalk
- Second Place: Glazed Lemon & Rosemary Sandwich Cookies, entered by Sharon G. from Des Moines
- Third Place: Savory Mediterranean Biscotti, entered by Sally K. from Granger
Ice Cream Competition
- First Place: Panforte Ice Cream, entered by Rebecca H. from West Des Moines
- Second Place: Maple Ice Cream, entered by Jenna B. from Runnells
- Third Place: Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream, entered by Matthew P. from Ankeny
Jerky Competition
- First Place: Maple & Coffee Beef Jerky, entered by Amy D. from Clive
- Second Place: Beef Jerky, entered by Matthew P. from Ankeny
- Third Place: Peppered Beef Jerky, entered by Martin W. from Huxley
Savory Snack Mix Competition
- First Place: Can't Stop Eatin' This Stuff Snack Mix, entered by Kyle B. from West Des Moines
- Second Place: Piggy Party Mix, entered by Larry M. from Des Moines
- Third Place: Teriyaki Snack Mix, entered by Sara C. from Des Moines
Sweet Snack Mix Competition
- First Place: Crazy for Coconut Snack Mix, entered by Bridget L. from Norwalk
- Second Place: Bourbon Caramel Apple Pie Snack Mix, entered by Ann G. from Ankeny
- Third Place: Mom's Sweet Party Mix, entered by Rita C.B. from Fort Madison
You'll find Iowa State Fair award-winning recipes from this year and years past in the AllSpice recipe library.
Photo Credit: Iowa State Fair Parade by Phil Roeder via Flickr licensed under CC-BY-2.0.