Minnesota State Fair's longest-running vendor: 113 years and counting

Sara Rice

Longest-running vendor's longest-running menu item: hamloaf

​Every year State Fair devotees wait in suspense to find out the latest and greatest additions to the food landscape. But quietly, some vendors return year after year, serving foods as classic as the fair itself.

This year marks Hamline Dining Hall's 113th year, retaining its title as the longest-running food vendor at the Minnesota State Fair.

With all that can change year to year, not to mention over the course of a century, how has itstayed relevant?

"We offer a time for families to sit down together and regroup," says Dining Hall co-chair Teresa Renneke. A surplus of seating, shelter from the sun and rain, and, although there's no air conditioning, an abundance of fans to help take the edge off.

Sara Rice

A family timeout at the fair

​Some of the recipes have persisted since the beginning, including the hamloaf they're known for. Think meatloaf, but made with ground ham instead of beef, then topped with a brown sugar-vinegar sauce.

Today the most popular items at the dining hall are pot roast and pie. "The roast is so tender it falls right off your fork," says Renneke. First-timer Gary Wertish was drawn in by the prospect of homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie: "It's very good. Worth the trip in." Diners seated nearby, also first-timers, were there to try the meatballs but raved about the blueberry pie. (Seems like pie is a pretty safe bet.)

The menu hasn't changed much over the years, and there's nothing on a stick. Breakfast is popular, with cinnamon and caramel rolls disappearing fast, especially during opening hours. New items get added and tested--like the expanded burger menu, which now includes mushroom Swiss and cheddar bacon, and a wider selection of salads, like strawberry romaine. "The apricot chicken salad is really refreshing," says Renneke. Some stay for a few years and get replaced, others become mainstays.

Sara Rice

Adam is one of many volunteers who make the dining hall successful every year

​Volunteers are one of the main ingredients for Hamline Church Dining Hall's recipe for success that hasn't changed. The few members of the cooking staff are paid, but 95 percent of those running the show are Hamline Church members and supportive community members who love the experience. "I really enjoy working with people I don't normally get to see or meet. It brings us together," says Renneke. Many volunteers come back year after year, including some who are the proud holders of plaques honoring them for 50 or more years of service to the Minnesota State Fair.

Want to try their hamloaf (or any of the other menu items) in the off season? Pick up a copy of the church's cookbook, which holds most of them.