In one case, a team turned Ramen noodles into a tasty dessert. Another team served their noodles with a won ton — a Fort Dodge delicacy.

Both turned out to be quite popular.

A kids team made up of Anna Roby, 7, Emma Potter, 11, and Ava Potter, 11, spent three hours at Otho City Park making Ramen into peanut butter bars with chocolate frosting.

Missy Ewing, of Otho, was a judge. She came away impressed with the unorthodox creation of the noodle treats.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Tristan Earnest, left, serves a helping of noodles into a cup held by Larry Earnest, both of Fort Dodge, during the first ever Noodle Fest at Otho City Park on Saturday.

“There’s a couple spicy ones and then there’s a dessert one that’s pretty good,” Ewing said. “There was one that had dumplings in it. That was really good. The dessert one and the one with dumplings were my favorite, but they were all good.”

A total of five teams participated.

Emerald Jordison, of Fort Dodge, had the idea of serving the noodles with a won ton, which is a Chinese dumpling with a meat filling.

“We cook the noodles and cool them,” Jordison said. “We have won tons we made fresh.”

Other ingredients included egg and green onion.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Sisters Anna Roby, 7, front, Emma Potter, 11, left, and Ava Potter, 11, all of Fort Dodge, pose in front of a noodle dessert the three created together for the first ever Noodle Fest at Otho City Park on Saturday.

Jordison was having a good time with her team and seeing the community enjoy the food.

“I really enjoy getting together with the community and being able to share my recipe,” Jordison said.

Meanwhile, Tim Wilson and Dustin Andrews, both of Fort Dodge, prepared a meal that they said they’ve made many times.

“It’s a common recipe for us,” Andrews said. “We have both been to prison. We made this all the time in prison.”

Their recipe called for pickles, summer sausage, Velveeta cheese, Siracha sauce and Anderson Erickson Mexican style sour cream dip topped with Tostitos habanero chips.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Perne Struchen, of Woolstock, is all smiles as he waits to serve up another helping of noodles during Noodle Fest at Otho City Park on Saturday. It was the first cooking competition of any kind that Struchen competed in.

“We keep getting customers,” Andrews said. “We thought it would be a fun, positive event.”

Kerk Friday, of KF Productions, organized the event. He had tempered expectations after having scheduled it on the same day as the Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Iowa State Cyclones football game.

“I’m happy with the turnout for our first year,” Friday said. “Weather could be a little cooler. All the noodles are very different. A lot of variety. Nothing I’ve ever done with a noodle.”

Friday said he had the idea for a noodle event when he and his sons were talking about supper one night.

“I was sitting at home with my two sons and we were joking about who could cook Ramen noodles better and it clicked,” Friday said. “The idea came from my boys. Plus one of my buddies does the Rib Ruckus (Tim Mapel, of Fort Dodge) and the other (Justin Goodno, of Fort Dodge) has the chili cookoff. I had to have something.”

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Kendra Sassman, of Fort Dodge, left, serves up a sampling of noodles to Missy Ewing, of Otho, during the first ever Noodle Fest at Otho City Park on Saturday. Tim Wilson, of Fort Dodge, is pictured in back.

Goodno was on hand for the competition.

“I like the ones that used broth,” Goodno said. “The team that used the won ton also needs props.”

Perne Struchen, of Woolstock, decided to dive right into the competition.

“It’s my first cooking contest and first noodle contest,” he said.

Struchen’s recipe included chicken and brats, vegetables with various seasonings and sauces, water chestnuts, pineapple and a little bit of lemon.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
A noodle dish called Chicken Shoyu Ramen is presented here by the Earnest family, of Fort Dodge. The dish consists of broth, chicken, green onions, seaweed and egg.

“I’ve had people come back twice so that’s a plus,” he said. “It’s never the same twice.”

The team of Tristan Earnest, Larry Earnest and Larry Earnest, all of Fort Dodge, cooked Chicken Shoyu Ramen. It included seaweed and an optional spicy sauce for the public.

“This being the first year, I’d say it was a fun time,” Tristan Earnest said. “We will probably be back next year.”