OKOBOJI, Iowa | The gentle waves of Lake Okoboji ... the sights and sound of Arnolds Park Amusement Park ... the monster-sized cookies at Hey, Good Cookies?
As much as there is to see and do at Okoboji, for many it's the food that brings folks back to Iowa's Great Lakes year after year.
"I don't know if Okoboji is known for a particular food," Val Welch explained. "Instead, we're known for a laid-back attitude that makes food much more enjoyable."
Welch started Hey, Good Cookies with her sister Mary Ann Kliegl back in 1993.
Initially, the sister took orders and made cookies out of their home. As the business grew, they expanded into their current cookies, espresso and sandwich shop in Spirit Lake.
"We've been blessed to have so many loyal customers who love to hang out while enjoying their lattes and cookies," Welch said, after a particularly busy morning. "They think of Hey, Good Cookies as being their ultimate 'feel good place.'"
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It's easy to "feel good" when there's the aroma of freshly-baked cookies all around you.
"We use all of our original recipes and make it all from scratch," Welch said, holding up a plate of Hey Good Cookies' best-selling chocolate chip. "We make everything in small batches to ensure quality control."
Another way the sisters ensure quality: they love to sample what they make.
"When you're surrounded by cookies, it's hard not to eat them," Welch admitted. "Cookies make you feel like a kid, again."
This is a feeling that David Tvedt of Goodies Homemade Candies knows well.
"The minute a customer comes through our door, they're smiling," he said inside his Spirit Lake store. "They become, quite literally, a kid inside a candy shop."
Yet Tvedt specializes in artisan candies made in very traditional ways.
"Nothing is mass produced around here," he explained. "We use top-notch ingredients in order to make a small variety of candies."
Some of Goodies' best sellers are it's turtles, toffees and truffles, including a tiramisu truffle filled with espresso and a mascarpone ganache.
Donning a "Chocolate ... Not Just For Breakfast Anymore" T-shirt, Tvedt said customers are becoming increasingly aware of gourmet candies.
"Once you taste Goodies, you'll never go back to everyday candies," he said with a smile.
A family run business business since 1985, Tvedt said his store has become an annual destination for Northwest Iowa tourists.
Even though Shawn Jeffrey has only been the co-owner of Fisherman's Wharf for the past few summers, he's worked at the venerable Okoboji restaurant for more than a decade.
"Fisherman's Wharf has been around for years because our customers know we have the best food," Jeffrey contended.
Though Fisherman's Wharf's menu is filled with such hearty fare like massive burgers and specialty sandwiches like its crab cake pretzel roll, the restaurant is best known for a sea-worthy po' boy.
What's a po' boy, you ask?
Well, at Fisherman's Wharf, a po' boy is 4 ounces of breaded walleye, served with lettuce and tomatoes inside a grilled hoagie roll.
"This is, by far, our biggest seller," Jeffrey said. "People say it wouldn't be summer if they didn't have a Fisherman's Wharf walleye po' boy."
And the restaurant's po' boy truly is a summertime meal since Fisherman's Wharf is only during the summer months.
Luckily, Hey Good Cookies and Goodies Homemade Candies remain in business all year round.
"We have a growing business, selling Christmas and Valentine's Day candies for people who crave the Goodies' flavor," Tvedt said.
In addition, Goodies has a small gourmet section in its retail store.
That's similar to Hey, Good Cookies, which has a gourmet shop in addition to a small cafe, where breakfasts and lunches are also available.
"You can't get by on just cookies," Welch speculated with a smile. "You also need pies, cupcakes and scones."
