News : Chris Cakes bring fun, food to IPA breakfast

Jaicob Breitbach tries catching a pancake tossed by Eric Hohensee of Chris Cakes.

Rayna Breitbach, a JR. IPA member, catches pancakes during the Christ Cakes breakfast.

The Chris Cakes system quickly fills the grill with 48 pancakes.

Eric Hohensee flips a pancake to IPA member Jim Breitbach.

Nathan Geater catches his breakfast.

Evan Cox prepares to catch his pancakes.

Kelly Geater catches pancakes tossed by Eric Hohensee.

Many children enjoyed the challenge of catching cakes flipped by Eric Hohensee.

Logan Cox keeps his eye on the pancake he hopes to catch with his plate.

Oliver Cox reaches up to catch a pancake with his plate.

OOPS! Rose Oldfather misses; Eric Hohensee just tossed her another one.

Just as the parents to bring their children to Boomtown may have a hard time telling their kids to not play with matches, the people who ate breakfast at Boomtown may have trouble saying, "Don't play with your food."

That's because a very important part of the Chris Cakes pancake catering is playing.

Eric Hohensee taught many people how to catch pancakes as he flipped them for between 300 and 400 customers at the Boomtown/IPA breakfast Saturday morning.

He also spoke to Vinton Today about Chris Cakes, and the variety of venues where pancakes are popular.

Chris Cakes have become a regular feature of Boomtown, and many IPA members who camp at the fairgrounds join local families who come to eat (and catch) the flapjacks from Hohensee's spatula.

Hohensee was the lone griller at Boomtown. Some events, including the recent breakfast for Iowa State freshmen, are much larger, he said. At Ames, there were five grills going to serve more than 3,000 people in four hours.

With a specially-equipped grill, Hohensee can cook up to 48 pancakes at one time. A dispenser can pour four cakes with the push of a lever, and in just seconds, the grill is full.

Many of the customers, especially children, opted for the option of trying to catch their pancakes. Some were successful; others saw their first cakes land on the floor. That's not a problem for Hohensee, who has come to expect such a rate of success and failure.

Click HERE for a history of Chris Cakes of Iowa.