Award-winning tenderloin turns Grinnell into Iowa’s new pork hotspot

Grinnell has found itself the unlikely hotspot for pork enthusiasts chasing Iowa’s top breaded cutlet.

Hometown Heroes, located on 908 Main St., won The Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) contest for Iowa’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin in October. After winning this honor, the upbeat-sports-style restaurant has picked up in business almost overnight.

“Right after we won, it was like there was a line out the door almost all the time, especially during lunch and dinner,” said Alex Philips, manager of Hometown Heroes. “It’s starting to scale back a little bit, but I mean we have seen just an incredible influx in business.”

The recognition of this award has drawn visitors from across the state and beyond it. Visitors have traveled from Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Des Moines and even as far as Northern Wisconsin, a five-hour drive, to taste the now award-winning pork tenderloin.

“You know, there’s people that have came in that said that they didn’t even know that we existed until we won this tenderloin contest, and they have lived down here their whole life,” said Philips.

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Opened in 2019 and owned by Paul and Kalyn Durr, together with partners Shannon and Todd Reding, Hometown Heroes offers a mix of comfort food and hometown spirit, according to a press release by IPPA. The restaurant is part of the Prairie Hospitality Group, which also owns Prairie Canary, a farm-to-table restaurant in Grinnell.

Owner and Executive Chef of Hometown Heroes, Paul Durr, came up with the tenderloin idea, Philips said.

Hometown Heroes’ breaded pork tenderloin features on the Blindside, a burger sold for $11.50.

The restaurant marinades their tenderloin in their special hero sauce, which is a mix of their buffalo sauce and buttermilk to get the tenderloin tender. Then, they bread the tenderloins and unlike other restaurants who cook their tenderloins thin, Philips said, they leave them nice and thick to make them juicy.

“Ours have lettuce, tomato, onion and bread and butter pickles on a brioche bun with a special sauce that we make,” said Philips. “So the sauce and all the toppings, and all the different steps that go into making it, are what make it special.”

With its upbeat family-friendly sport bar atmosphere, the restaurant continues to welcome new and returning customers who want to eat Iowa’s best breaded pork tenderloin.