An Uber driver travels the US trying foods. Kind locals, good meals bring him back to Iowa
As a kid growing up in Baltimore, Kreskin Torres wanted to see the world.
Seven years ago, after serving in the U.S. Army, Torres set out to do just that. He started driving his Honda Accord across the country for Uber, the mobile ride-hailing service.
"We have this saying, 'If you can make it in Baltimore, you can make it anywhere,'" Torres told the Register.
As the internet's Rideshare Foodie, Torres has picked up followers — and friends — throughout the U.S. while putting miles on his car.
Earlier this month, Torres came back to Iowa for Midwestern fall meals including fall-inspired treats near Ames and a famous pizza in downtown Des Moines.
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What does the 'Rideshare Foodie' try during a stop in Des Moines?
For his third visit, Torres came back for a taste of Iowa. He sampled his way through small towns and big cities.
On a Friday afternoon in early October, Torres sat behind a booth at Chicago Speakeasy in Des Moines' Oak Park neighborhood. Torres wanted to try the restaurant's Steak de Burgo, a beef dish with a butter, garlic and herb sauce. He reflected on his travels around the world and his time in Iowa.
Days later, he sat at a table at Fong's Pizza in downtown Des Moines and took bites out of their funky pizza pies, including the famed crab Rangoon pizza.
"This is kind of delicious," Torres remarked before recommending a dipping sauce on the side.
He also sampled gas station pizza and apple cider donuts from Storybook Orchard in Story City near Ames during his central Iowa stops.
In Iowa, the 'Rideshare Foodie' finds friends who are 'more like family'
"(My) favorite thing being back is the people I've gotten to meet who were friends and now we're more like family," Torres told the Register in late October.
Torres first traveled to Des Moines in 2018. Then, a pair of Army veterans invited him to attend a birthday with locals. Two years later during a second trip to Des Moines, his friend Shon Bruellman, the owner-operator of The Big Red Food Truck, invited him to a Christmas Eve dinner for local veterans at a YMCA in central Iowa.
Following the dinner, Bruellman had a Christmas present in mind for Torres. The rideshare driver, who typically lives out of his car during visits, was invited to stay at the family's Airbnb and hosted Torres for Christmas dinner.
In a follow-up interview, Torres said he was happy to know that locals in Iowa go out of their way to make a visitor like him "feel comfortable and share what they have with others who may have less."
The Midwest hospitality — and display of Iowa nice — stuck with him. Cities elsewhere are different, he said.
"Some cities are just cliquish, kind of like high school. You know? Like you have this different table, you have to know somebody, you can't just walk up to people," Torres said.
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During his last visit in 2020, one commenter in the DSM Dining Discoveries group on Facebook offered up their home as a warm place for him to stay. The local Hy-Vee worker said Torres could stay at his home if he ever came back to the Des Moines metro.
So, this autumn, when he returned for the most recent visit, Torres took him up on the offer. He got a spare room and "some good ole pies."
On Oct. 10, Torres left Iowa for Indiana. He traveled from Kokomo and Huntington to Fort Wayne and Indianapolis for breaded pork tenderloin and fried biscuits with apple butter.
He's had a head start on his childhood dream. As an adult, he's been able to see America — and, of course, Iowa.
Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 'Rideshare Foodie’ Uber driver returns to sample classic Iowa dishes
