|
 Even
though this thick, juicy cut had no official name until the summer
of 1976 when it was registered with the state of Iowa, it had
been featured during IPPA meetings for years prior to this. An
official Iowa Chop Committee was then formed and county pork producers
and Porkette groups began serving them at social gatherings, community
events and business meetings. Once the marketing effort was started,
the enthusiasm for the Iowa Chop was contagious.
Recognizing the value of promoting this prime
pork cut to restaurant owners, the Iowa Chop Committee and the
Porkettes vowed to introduce the Iowa Chop into 100 Iowa restaurants
by October 1977. By the end of the year, almost 160 Iowa restaurants
featured the item, and consumers were asking their local meat
departments to specially cut Iowa Chops.
The Porkettes soon developed a kit for supermarkets
to promote the Iowa Chop. As Porkettes across the state visited
their local grocery stores, thy handed out bright red promotional
case stripes, posters and preparation tips for consumers. In a
letter from then Porkette and Iowa Chop Committee Chair Judy Sheffler,
Porkettes were encouraged to "introduce themselves to the
meat manager of the store, listen to him, make a friend and promote
pork!" The letter also encouraged them to "make sure
the butcher understands the importance of the quality and the
proper thickness of the Iowa Chop." Sheffler again encouraged
her fellow Porkettes as she ended her letter with, "Please,
let's work together for the "Iowa Chop!"
 But
the spirit of the Iowa Chop went far beyond the state's boundaries.
The IPPA Porkettes teamed up with the Iowa Development Commission
to develop a national campaign to promote the Iowa Chop to restaurants
across the United States.
Positioned as the "New York Strip"
of pork, the pork producers promoted their product to restaurants
in New York, Washington D.C., Alabama and Georgia. The national
campaign included trade magazine advertising, brochures and personal
visits from Iowa pork producers and Iowa Development Commission
staff person Russ Sanders. Also involved in this promotion was
the Iowa Pork Queen who made an appearance on behalf of the Iowa
Chop at the National Restaurant Association show in 1977.
Soon the Marriott Hotel chain featured the
Iowa Chop on their menu at their Syracuse, NY hotel as well as
two hotels in Washington D.C. Holiday Inns of America introduced
the Iowa Chop in their hotels in Alabama and Florida.
The Iowa Chop was put on the menu of the U.S.
Senate dining room in 1980, thanks to former Iowa Senator Roger
Jepsen, brother of well-known Black Hawk county pork producer
Myron Jepsen.
Today the Iowa Chop is still a strong consumer
favorite. Thanks to thousands of dedicated Iowa pork producing
men and women, the Iowa Chop has remained a high quality pork
cut for the past three decades. Each year during the Iowa State
Fair, thousands of consumers wait in line to enjoy a thick, delicious
Iowa Chop, prepared by Iowa pork producers, just as it was during
June Pork Appreciation Days in 1976. Iowa Chops continue to be
sold in grocery stores nationwide and featured on restaurant menus
along side the New York Strip and Fillet Mignon.
|