Chris Cakes, a Maryville business, has been flipping pancakes for Ragbrai cyclists and others for 49 of the event’s 50 years.

Darren White of Chris Cakes, has been serving pancakes on the bicycle route for over 30 years following his dad’s, the late Ted White, footsteps. Ted, who began at Ragbrai in the mid-70s, was known to be working in the pancake business up to six months before his death and “Mom,” Evonne, who is 87 years young, continues to keep the books and the paperwork current, plus she takes business phone calls.

Darren, along with family members and about eight others, begin their day by setting up the griddle by 3 am to feed the cyclists through the 7-day event across the width of the state of Iowa. This year’s event traveled across the northern tier of tall corn and rolling hills from west to east. Each year, generally the hottest week of July, begins daily in the pre-dawn hour of 5 am. Chris Cakes fed over 7,000 people throughout the week.

White said he remembers when the first events back-in-the-day were a family affair, now there are beer companies who sponsor Ragbrai. The leadership of the event is more business sensitive and much planning goes into the route and the movement of the cyclers day-to-day. White would estimate the average age of the riders to be 40. There are complete teams of riders and an entourage from business firms or communities represented in today’s Ragbrai. With White’s law enforcement background, he also spoke about how all levels of public safety that is needed for the race has evolved through the years also.

White noted about 150 pounds of pancake mix, several gallons of syrup, hundreds of sausage patties, juice and over 250 gallons of coffee are prepared by the Chris Cakes crew during the week. Along with the first meal of the day, White and his team provide some fun and well-received antics with their creative feats of pancake flipping, starting the day for the cyclists in a positive, cheerful mode.

White has devised a strategy about the setting up of his Chris Cakes stand, which does require a Ragbrai registration fee for administrative efforts. “We try to get out about
eight miles away from the overnight spot,” said White. “Most riders like to pedal about 12-15 miles, that is a 20 to 30 minute ride before they actually eat.” He also favors being in a small town or near one for his endeavor. Chris Cakes does make some profit, however the real reasons he continues to participate are two-fold. One being, it is a family tradition as his father was a Ragbrai standard during the early years. So there’s a sense of pride to continue to be a part of the family outing at Ragbrai.

The second reason is because of the friends he has made during the nearly four decades of being a part of Ragbrai. He has met some renowned celebrities too. During the interview with NNL Publisher Kay Wilson, he name-dropped a few: Raiders football legend Ben Davidson, world-known cyclist Lance Armstrong; plus the Iowa native, actor Tom Arnold. He’s met and served people from all around the globe including as far away as Australia. He recalls that one of the most impressive groups throughout the years have been the Air Force contingent, which this year added up to 40-50 cyclists. The cyclists are the first to acknowledge the fuel provided by Chris Cakes’ pancakes keeps them going through the day. Many seek the pancake-flipping bunch each morning for a taste of home wherever that might be in the world. Iowa and its
people are on the main stage for all to see and experience. Darren, and his Chris Cakes fellow crew members, are proud to be a part of that showcase.