At Popcorn Fest, kernels of culinary wisdom are hiding in plain sight (2024)

VALPARAISO — This weekend in Valparaiso, the streets were literally flowing with popcorn.

An incredible 750 pounds of kernels, in fact, were popped for the floats that comprised the Popcorn Parade at the 45th annual Popcorn Festival in Valparaiso.

The spirit of Orville Redenbacher lives on, not just in a bronzed impersonator of the popcorn legend, but in the crowded streets, hundreds of vendors and multiple music stages that comprised the event.

“It’s so cool to have something this big in my hometown,” says Alivia Goetz, a senior Washington Township High School who is leading the free popcorn bag-filling operation in the center of the festival. “We do a lot of laughing. Popcorn is the perfect thing to snack on.”

It’s all a bit overwhelming if you’ve never been before, and while the “theme” of popcorn was ever-present, it was a bit of a scavenger hunt to find the most popcorn-tastic snacks at the festival.

Below are the highlights:

Popcorn Cupcakes at Designer Desserts

Nearly all the restaurants and cafes along Lincolnway stay open for Popcorn Fest and offer celebratory specials.

But Designer Desserts was unique in its ability to incorporate actual popcorn into their weekend special: Caramel-corn and Chicago-style popcorn cupcakes.

Pastry shop owner Adam Wiltfang acknowledged it was initially a challenge to come up with a popcorn themed flavor. But the specialty cupcake is now sought out by out-of-towners, Wiltfang boasted, who hit up the dessert shop at the festival just for popcorn treats.

I didn’t try the Chicago style, which was adorned with kettle corn and cheddar, but the caramel corn version, available through Sunday, does justice to the “spirit” of popcorn. There’s cream-of-corn in the cake batter, and the frosting is made with caramel corn and butter.

Next year, Wiltfang said he hopes bring back their popcorn cookie; catering four weddings “limited” the dessert shop to just 200 popcorn cupcakes this time around.

The Popcorn Baron

There’s a Burger King and a Fried Chicken Colonel but none can boast the incredible mix of sweet, savory and spicy options of the Popcorn Baron.

The Baron sells over 65 varieties of popcorn, so I was shocked to find out that this was their first Popcorn Festival.

Owner Keith Perry actually started the concept for friends in the (online) fighting game community. Somewhere along the way, Perry said, figured out “if I can turn it into a powder, I can make it into a popcorn flavor” and his popcorn business exploded like a kernel popping in the microwave.

Popcorn Baron is where you go to craft a meal made out of popcorn. The savory items alone include flavors like “Blackened Cheddar,” “Loaded Baked Potato,” and “Korean Barbecue.”

The latter, Perry said, is the hardest to make, with seven different ingredients and layers. But the complex profiles are no mere gimmick.

“I have a very accurate palate,” Perry said. “I want you to taste it and forget you’re eating popcorn.”

I can confirm that the Korean Barbecue flavor tasted exactly as advertised, and that goes, for better or worse, everything else on their menu. For better includes Red Velvet Cheesecake. Their spiciest item, the “White Devil,” proved to be more of a challenge. Made with cheddar and ghost pepper, even the “mini” portion will make you cry. Do not snack lightly on that one.

Perry wasn’t sure what his next event would be, but noted Popcorn Baron is fully permitted now to vend in NWI and is actively looking for events.

Do Goodies and The Kalamazoo Kettle Corn

Do Goodies, whose workforce is majority disabled individuals, has a popcorn store right in Valparaiso. Advertising they offered “popping with a purpose,” the company has some really nice chocolate-drizzled options, as well as a PB&J flavor that is made with real peanut butter and jelly.

The Kalamazoo Kettle Corn vendors also had some nice chocolate and sweet popcorn, though their specialty is actually coconut and Himalayan sea salt, with a dash of pink. For those who wish to snack on something “popcorn adjacent,” the Kalamazoo vendors also sell specialty pretzels, the best of which, of those I tried, was the pizza pretzel variety.