For McGregor residents, Denny and Barb Smith, the 9-year process is finally over. They've waited patiently as they've developed, tested and marketed the locally famous Cinnie Smiths (a warm, tasty version of a miniature cinnamon roll). Now, Denny and Barb made it to the Minnesota State Fair and their product is famous all over the state. The slogan on the front of the Smith's trailer reads, "Not just for breakfast anymore," a feature they were banking on for added business. Judging by the lines which formed in front of their trailer from August 25th through Sept. 5th throughout the day, the slogan rings true.

Denny and Barb are ecstatic. They received their invitation to the Great Minnesota Get-together in March. “It was March 17,” said Denny. “I saved the message.” “Our first reaction was, ‘Is this for real?’” shared Barb. “We were hesitant at first, because one of our friends played a joke on us once.”

This particular message was no joke, and a 9-year dream was coming true.

Nine years may seem like a long time to wait to get into the Minnesota State Fair, but Denny and Barb shared the sophisticated process. The number one challenge is to have a unique food product – something they had. Then there were the other factors which state fair officials considered. “We had to have the right kind of trailer; they want people with the right demeanor; we are required to keep up with the demand; and they look at the utility requirements and space for the trailer,” said Denny and Barb.
It was this final factor which was the biggest hold up. According to Denny, they have one of the biggest, if not the biggest, trailers at the fair. This year, the space became available on the north end of the fairgrounds across from the Pet Center. The Smiths found out they had plenty of space and they even had room for several picnic tables in the shade of a few trees.

Looking back

“We started out in 1997 with a stick stand and our last penny,” said Barb.

“And that’s the truth,” added Denny. “Ask the kids about all the peanut butter sandwiches. They still talk about it.”

The Smiths started out with a burger stand, but the Cinnie Smith was always an idea that was in the back of their minds. “It was a recipe of our own,” said Barb, “and we thought about it for three years. It kept bugging us. Finally, we said, ‘We have to do this.’”

“God kept bringing us back to it,” Barb and Denny both shared.

“So, I got into my kitchen and started making Cinnies,” said Barb. Denny noted that he ran around to all the neighbors during the sampling process. Barb eventually perfected the recipe to what it is today and the next challenge was how to mass produce them.

They first introduced them at the Steele County Fair in Owattona. Statistically, it the largest county fair in Minnesota. The Smiths already had a burger stand, but it was time to debut the Cinnies.

“I remember it was near the end of the fair when I approached Elmer Reseland (the organizer of the Owattona Fair).” Denny recalled with a grin. “I knew he would be tired, so I put together a nice presentation and approached him with a cup of Cinnies. He took one bite and said, ‘These are good and get out of here. I’m too tired. I know what you are up to Smith.’”

“He never lets me forget that,” Denny added.

As one would expect, the Cinnies were a hit and the Smiths experienced their first growing pains.

Barb drove all the way back to McGregor to work in the kitchen the first year at the fair. “At that time, it took all day long to make just five batches,” she said.

A year later, the Smiths restored a trailer and took it to the fair. “Now we could make 18 batches if we worked 24 hours ‘round the clock.”

So how many batches were made at the state fair? “Our best day was Friday,” reported Barb. “We did 73 batches. We’ve come a long way baby!”

The family

Good Food Concessions is the official name of the family owned and operated business. Denny and Barb receive plenty of help from their children and other family members. “We have a saying for our children,” said Barb. “We call them the ‘under-the-counter-kids.’ Literally, since they were born, they have been under the counter.”

The counter wasn’t always as big and considering the fact they have seven children, it must have been a tight squeeze. Nellie, Dustin, Madeline, Emily, Woody, Cookie and Peanut have all pitched in to help grow the business.

Nellie currently works at Members Co-op Credit Union in McGregor, but helps with the concessions on weekends. She often drags her husband Justin along to help.

Dustin, also known as ‘Chopper’, now has his own concession stand selling Strawberry Smoothies. Dustin ended up filling in for his father at Wild Rice Days in McGregor, where he organized vendors. He also sold Strawberry Smoothies, of course. According to Dustin, everything went okay. He did, however, recognize how much work went into organizing the annual McGregor celebration.

Madeline and Emily spent the entire time at the State Fair this first year. Both are very cabable of running the concession stand without the help of their parents. According to Denny, the two are tremendous workers and are excellent at running the show.

Woody spent a couple of days at the fair. His duties often include the behind-the-scenes work. “He delivers supplies, takes orders, and cleans tables,” said Denny.

Cookie also takes orders. The Smiths call it “running the window”. Cookie put in one day at the fair and according to Denny, she made an impact on several of their customers. “She might be young, but she is very sharp and to the point,” he said. “She doesn’t have much time for chit-chat. She’s actually fun to watch. One customer actually said, ‘This girl rocks!’”

Peanut is the youngest of the Smith children. She has the duty of ‘tanking’ which involves loading the Cinnies into a cup. She also runs cups to the front of the trailer. “We try to keep it simple for her,” added Barb.

During the State Fair, the Smiths also relied on help from extended family and friends. Barb’s brother Lee and his wife Marnie, Denny’s sisters LeeAnn, Delores and Mary Kay, a niece Brittany, and friend Sunnah Maki all pitched in.

Wrapping up at the Fair

By Sunday, September 4, it was apparent the crew had put in some long days. Madeline noted she had been up since 6:30 and they wouldn’t finish up until around 1:00 a.m. This was a daily occurance.

Denny and Barb agreed. “We are going on 3-5 hours of sleep a night.”

In the end, it has been worth it. The Smiths feel they are finally headed in the right direction after building the business for so many years. Both agreed there is ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ after borrowing so much money to make it all happen.

What has made it so worthwhile has been the response to their product. Minneapolis Tribune food critic Rick Nelson gave the Cinnies a four-star rating this year. He said, “Each serving is a half-dozen 2-inch rolls, nicely yeasty and warm from the oven; their sprightly cinnamon kick and a nicely gooey caramel topping blissfully lacks Cinnabons’s cloying sweetness.” Denny wasn’t quite sure if the review was favorable until he realized the word cloying meant something too sweet – a term he used for Cinnabons.

The Smiths also learned the Channel 9 food critic Chef Andrew also gave the Cinnies a favorable rating. Barb noted that if he were to select a cinnamon roll, this would be the one he would choose.

Wrapping up at the State Fair didn’t mean wrapping up for the season. When they were done, they began preparations for their next stop – the Clay County Fair in Iowa. After that, it’s off to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Smiths actually travel as far south as Alabama. It turns out the Cinnies aren’t just famous in Minnesota. It appears Cinnie Smiths are going nationwide.

This article first appeared in the September 13, 2005 issue of the Voyageur Press.

Our very first event where we introduced Cinnie Smiths was the Steele County Fair, in Owatonna, Minn., in August of 1997,” said Smith.

Since that time, the usual carnival items have been put aside to focus on Cinnie Smiths. The Cinnie Smiths stand is located on the east end of the Commercial Building. The Smiths also operate “Smokey’s,” located at the southwest corner of the commercial Building. This stand specializes in hamburgers.

A new 28-foot trailer in 2005 has made their 30,000 miles-per-year state and county fair circuit much easier. Smith noted that the 30,000 miles are logged in six month’s time.

“This trailer has all hydraulics. We set the trailer in place, push a few buttons and the trailer sinks to the ground and levels itself. Inside there are two 30-quart mixers, two huge ovens, a gourmet coffee machine, a soft serve ice cream machine, refrigerators, freezers and two microwaves.  

The front window of the trailer is glass, allowing fairgoers to view the entire Cinnie Smith process.

“Including dough prep, it takes about three hours to make a batch of Cinnie Smiths. There will be people standing there for what seems to be hours. Once the dough is thrown, it takes 15-20 minutes to roll it out and get it into the pans,” Smith said. 

“We make our mixes ahead of time using a secret recipe. We make our own caramel glaze and we use a special blend of spices. We hope it is the perfect blend that makes our customers say “wow” when they taste them. At the Clay County Fair, we go through 100 gallons of caramel glaze and that’s a lot of spreading,” said Barb.       

“All of our Cinnie Smiths are made fresh. Nothing is purchased pre-done. It is scratch from start of dough to finished product and as fresh as it can be. There are no preservatives added,” Smith explained. 

The entire Smith family is involved in this concession business. Denny and Barb are parents of seven children: Nellie, Dustin, Madeline, Emily, Woody, Cookie, and Peanut.

“Our children have grown up in this business. It has been an excellent learning tool for them. Our children have been and are home schooled. During the winter months we are home but Barb starts schooling them right after the Clay County Fair. If we get a rainy day at the Clay County Fair, she will start then,” Smith said.  

The Smith’s start in the spring with off-season events at the Minnesota State Fairgounds including the Back-to-the-50’s car show, a horse show and an antique show. Then it is onto the North Dakota State Fair, in Minot, ND followed by county fairs, festivals throughout the summer, onto the Minnesota State Fair in late August and Labor Day, to the Clay County Fair in September and last to the Tulsa, OK State Fair.    

“The Clay County Fair, next to the Steele County Fair, is one of the nicest run and nicest organized with the nicest layout. I can’t say anything negative about the Clay County Fair. We look forward to going to it every year. We would be devastated if we couldn’t go there,” Smith said.   

“After coming off the Minnesota State Fair and the schedule of 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day, the Clay County Fair is busy but relaxing. We start at 5:30 a.m. at Spencer but are done by 9 p.m. and back in the camper watching the 10 p.m. news during the week. We are busy and we do very well there but it is a break. The surroundings help make it so nice and the fair staff is great,” Smith added. 

Denny and Barb Smith both grew up in the Twin Cities. They reside in McGregor, MN, which is located about 150 miles north of the Twin Cities.

“When we were first married, Barb and I were in the carnival business. We gave it up to get into the furniture refinishing business and then back part time in the carnival business. In 1997, we entered the carnival business full time,” Smith added.

“We got the idea of serving hot cinnies with soft serve ice cream from our customers over the course of a few years. Something clicked and we said we should try Cinnie Smiths and soft serve ice cream. The idea went over well and is a good idea at Spencer. We developed a tray that holds six hot Cinnies and ice cream,” Smith said.M

In addition to the Cinnie Smiths and ice cream, the Smiths sell ice and hot cappacino, coffee.

This article first appeared in the August 31, 2007 issue of the Tri-State Neighbor.