An Atlantic, Iowa restaurant is in the spotlight after its peanut butter chocolate explosion beat out 468 other pies from across the country to be named best in the U.S.

"I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would have won," says Charlene Johnson, who along with son Mark own the Farmer’s Kitchen at 319 Walnut Street. She won a blue ribbon, a trophy and took a picture with Willard Scott.

The pie, like all the food at the Farmer's Kitchen is homemade, made from locally grown products and locally raised livestock.

"Our eggs come from Lyman or tomatoes come from Marne from the Albert farm, all of our hamburger comes from Henningsen's right here in town, the local meat market."

Charlene knows the meat she buys is fresh because she knows the guys who provide it and the guys who provide the meat know where it comes from. Cory Kirchhoff makes sure the meat that comes through his processing plant is locally raised.

"Small community like this, we try to buy local cattle and local hogs. We get cattle from Neola, up in the Audubon area we get some by Louis. We know all the producers, they're regular customers in there, we know the kind of livestock they raise, the quality they have."

The customers at the Farmer's Kitchen demand quality and know the food on their plate comes from the area. Both Charlene and Cory know that it is very important to buy local.

"I just think if we want our local people to support us we need to support them and this is what we've been trying to do for the entire seven years,” says Johnson.

“It keeps everybody going when they come to town to buy cattle or hogs, then they'll shop at the tractor dealership or Cassel's downtown, other businesses in town," says Kirchhoff.

He adds that buying local keeps the town spinning and the proof is the traffic on the streets of Atlantic and in the traffic that walks through the doors of the Famer's Kitchen.

Charlene's pie is not the only award winning dish served. Son Mark is known for his award winning chili.