Hot Pursuit

Eating out for breakfast has never been as such a flippin good time as last Saturday’s Breakfast on the Farm event in Steele County.
In amongst all the lessons about the dairy operation at the Clover Glen Farm near Claremont, some folks received their breakfast through the air. Jim Kuper, known as the Pancake Man of Council Bluffs, Iowa, has not only been making pancakes for 29 years, but he also throws a little entertainment in with it. He flips pancakes to hungry people as high as 50 feet in the air. 
“We love to do that,” said Kuper as he flipped yet another pancake in the air. “We try to make it a special day for the people. We want to make it a family event.”
Kuper said he likes to pick on people who are standing in line smiling. He politely asks them to back up 20 to 30 feet with a plate in hand and flips them pancakes high into the air. Sometimes he tosses them around his back or over his head to the awaiting plate. Most of the flying pancakes land on the plates, but some don’t. He doesn’t mind, though, as it’s all part of his show.
“It’s neat to see the kids’ expression on their face when I throw a pancake to their dad,” he said. He added it’s no fun when food is served in a traditional way and people just sit down right away. 
During the time I watched Kuper in action, it was evident he brings smiles to more than just kids. Adults were also chuckling as pancakes were flying around the room.
The idea of flipping flapjacks actually came from a customer many years ago. “I was standing there making pancakes when a guy asked me to flip him his pancake,” Kuper said. 
At Saturday’s breakfast sponsored by the Steele County Dairy Association, Kuper made 3,600 pancakes for more than 900 people. With the help of a special machine he designed that drops pancake batter four at a time, he cranks out 72 pancakes every three minutes. 
Kuper blends fresh ingredients with real eggs and milk before making mouth-watering pancakes in front of everyone’s eyes. 
The Pancake Man travels to Michigan, North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota and all points in between. Kuper specializes in fundraisers, school events, graduation parties, weddings, company picnics and Kiwanis clubs. 
Kuper loves the Steele County dairy promotion. “I love how they bring people out on a bus to see the dairy operation,” he said, referring to the transportation offered from the Steele County fairgrounds to the dairy farm. “I give a lot of credit to the dairy association for what they do. It’s a special event.”
He’s definitely one chef I don’t mind seeing flip out over my breakfast as he goes in hot pursuit of satisfying the mouths of many craving mouth-watering pancakes.