Whether riding the DART shuttle to the Iowa State Fair, chatting with food vendors on the Fairgrounds, or eavesdropping on conversations, it seems that fairgoers have one dish they all recommend — Peachey’s doughnuts.

Don’t let the name fool you. There’s nary a peach in sight anywhere aside from the name. Peachey’s Baking Co. serves these gigantic glazed doughnuts, these yeasty doughnuts bigger than your palm, fried on the spot, dipped in glaze and hung on pegs to allow the sugary coating to drip off and cool while awaiting the next customer to order.

Peachey’s founders, brothers Nate and Sam Peachey, used to call the Sarasota, Florida-based company Amish Baking Co., since they grew up in the Amish community. The recipe they used since opening in 1985 is an Amish recipe as well.The Peachey brothers serve their confections at state fairs across the country — Minnesota, North Carolina, Florida, New York, and Iowa. From November to April, the food truck serves doughnuts and pretzels in Sarasota and hopes to open a brick-and-mortar location there in the fall.

One doughnut goes for $5, three for $12, and a half dozen costs $24.

A heavy aroma of sweetness wafts out of the box when you open it. Half a doughnut feels like an appropriate serving, if there is such a thing with doughnuts of this size.

Find it on Rock Island Avenue south of the Triangle.

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, X, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.

A 17-year-old girl from the Gila River Indian Community was found in Iowa after being missing for 10 days, and a man she met there has been arrested by the FBI, according to the Gila River Police Department.

The girl was reported missing Aug. 6 after she disappeared from Bapchule, a community south of Chandler.

According to a news release from Gila River police, the girl allegedly purchased a ticket from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport to Des Moines, Iowa, to meet a man she had been communicating with online.

“Serious concerns” for the girl’s safety and well-being prompted the Gila River Police Department and the FBI to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Iowa to locate her, according to the news release.

On Friday afternoon, the girl was located in Ankney, Iowa with 20-year-old Malachi Reed, who was arrested by the FBI. His charges were still pending, according to the news release.

“The quick response and coordinated efforts of all agencies involved reaffirm our mutual commitment to addressing the nationwide Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons epidemic,” said Jesse Crabtree, the police chief of the Gila River Police Department.

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The Bacon Cheeseburger Eggroll from Winn & Sara’s Kitchen took the top honor in the 2024 People’s Choice Best New Food Contest at the 2024 Iowa State Fair.

Fair organizers described the Bacon Cheeseburger Eggroll as a fusion between American and Asian-inspired cuisine that blends season ground beef, cooked smoky bacon, pickles and cheese filling in a crispy, pastry eggroll. It’s then drizzled with Winn and Sara’s house-made burger sauce.

The Iowa Sm’Oak’ed Roll from Whatcha Smokin? BBQ and the Lobster Corn Dog from Destination Grille were the runners-up.

Fair organizers said there were 9,204 votes for the People’s Choice Best New Food, and the Bacon Cheeseburger Eggroll took 48.6% of the votes.

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