Grilling a dream: Nedderman's Steak Place a 4-H Fair staple

The St. Joseph County 4-H fair is a midway of summer memories – a place to score the oversized teddy bear, albeit miraculously, or show off swine.

For one man, it's where he discovered his dream job. Over 23 years ago, Craig Nedderman grew tired of his typical fair food fare. He craved a good steak, something he often grilled at home.

“I guess I’ve always been a carnivore,” joked Nedderman.

Chewing over the idea, Nedderman and his family set up a trailer at the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds, spawning a sirloin tip business that has traveled across Michiana and south to Daytona Beach, Fla. If the name Nedderman sounds familiar from a road sign, the family owns Nedderman’s Steak Place on Grape Road, where they serve their sirloin tips year-round. But the 10-day stint at the fair remains a font of fond memories.

“I’m outside. It’s like a cookout. You just have a few thousand friends over every day,” said Nedderman, the owner.

Some real-life friends, like Marla Miller, follow Nedderman to different fairs and festivals. But she has yet to figure this out:

“I know he has a secret sauce that he’s put in there that nobody knows!” she exclaimed.

NewsCenter 16 tried to pry, but Craig kept the family secret.

“Okay, salt or pepper,” he laughed.

Perhaps the tender toppings (red potatoes, onions, and peppers) plus the Iowa-bred sirloin are the reasons Nedderman outgrew the fairground trailer. The adjunct Grape Road eatery is celebrating two years in its brick-and-mortar building near the Midway.

“This place is always packed full from when it turns 1 p.m. to about the end of the fair,” remarked Archer Baker, a steak aficionado from North Liberty.

Nedderman expects to grill thousands of pounds of beef on Friday, usually his busiest day at the fair.