Iowa’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin crowned

DUNLAP, Iowa — A restaurant in a small western Iowa town has now landed on the state’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin Contest winners’ list twice — but this time around a second generation of the same family is responsible for the win.

The Iowa Pork Producers Association announced on Thursday that Dairy Sweet in Dunlap won the 2024 Iowa’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin Contest . Owners Lori and Greg Thomsen bought the restaurant from Lori’s parents in 2013. The restaurant previously won Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin in 2005. The IPPA says Dairy Sweet is the first restaurant to win the award more than once in the 22-year history of the contest.

“Hard work does pay off. My parents have both passed on, so this is such a cool way to honor and remember them. It makes me very proud,” Lori Thomsen said.

The family tradition continues, with the inclusion of the Thomsens’ kids Mandi & Logan in the business.

The IPPA says the Thomsens have tweaked the tenderloin recipe over the years and now use a center-cut boneless pork loin. They cut and tenderize the loins in-house each week.

The award comes with $500, a plaque, a banner, and statewide publicity.

The runner-up was Ruby’s Bar & Grill in Stuart. They’ll get a $250 prize and a plaque.

The other three finalists were:

• Bronson Bar — Bronson
• The Blind Pig — Monticello
• The Market at the Tap — Monticello

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