November 08, 2024

Leap Day Special: Goldie’s fried frog legs become every four-year tradition

By Mike Mendenhall
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Chris Deibel, left, and Soozie McBroom drove 29 miles from Des Moines Monday to Goldie’s Ice Cream Shoppe in Prairie City to sample the restaurant’s deep-fried frog legs Leap Day special. McBroom’s first time tasting frog leg came during Goldie’s first Leap Day marketing campaign in 2012. Now, it’s officially a tradition for the Des Moines friends. (Mike Mendenhall)

PRAIRIE CITY — For the 1 in 1,461 people on Earth unfortunate enough to born on Feb. 29, Leap Day is the only chance to celebrate their birthday on the proper calender day or be forced to wait three more 365.25 day trips around the sun.

But for foodies like Soozie McBroom and Chris Deibel of Des Moines, it’s a rare chance to bite into the mother of love-it-or-leave-it Leap Day delicacies — frog legs. Goldie’s Ice Cream Shoppe has hopped on that trend and served the French food favorite Monday for the second Leap Day in a row. Famously known for one of the best breaded pork tenderloins in Iowa, Goldie’s owner and operator Brad Magg marketed the Feb. 29 special via Facebook and word-of-mouth, drawing people from all over the central part of the state.

“He put it out on social media, so four years ago we came and now it’s our little tradition to come out and do frog legs when it’s leap year,” Deibel said. “The taste is really great, and I think they’ve perfected their batter this year. It’s wonderful. It really does taste like chicken.”

Magg’s idea to sell frog legs on Leap Day started as tongue-in-cheek, but the traditional French food is now officially an every Leap Day tradition for the small Prairie City tenderloin and ice cream shoppe.

“We did it last leap year as a joke, just for something fun to do and it set the record for the best-selling special we’ve every had,” Magg said.

Before the doors opened this Feb. 29, six people were already waiting in line to take the leap and try Goldie’s deep-fried frog legs. Magg said eager eaters were calling from as far as Pella and Waukee asking to save a few frog legs and ensure the hoppers would not sell out before they made the 45 minute drive for lunch.

On Leap Day 2012, the special nearly jumped out the door, with more than 50 servings sold by the noon lunch hour. Magg only prepped 25 to 30 servings, underestimating how popular the niche frog legs would be. Magg’s mother Marilee Magg traveled to Des Moines and bought out every Asian food market in the metro. This year, the Magg’s were prepared for the frog race, purchasing 30 pounds of legs from their meat distributor with another 30 pounds on standby.

But as popular as the dish is for his customers, the small town chef with an education in culinary arts is not keen on frog legs.

“Mom’s the taste tester because I don’t eat them. But she loves them,” Magg said. “If I didn’t know it was frog I’d probably love them. They do taste pretty much like chicken, but it’s a mental thing.”

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@myprairiecitynews.com