The candied bacon cannoli adorned with bits of bacon was a popular item at the Minnesota State Fair, St. Paul.
Fairs across the U.S. continue to attract fans of fun, flamboyant foods and, of course, all things fried. Here’s a look at some of the creative food concepts at fairs this year.
Getting Craz-E at the Big E
The Big E, held Sept. 12-28 in West Springfield, Mass., had 140 food stands, showcasing both tried-and-true signature items and new inventions to conquer. The fair’s well-known for its cream puffs, of which 50,000 were sold, but the newer favorite is the Craz-E Burger, a bacon cheeseburger with a glazed doughnut bun.
Launched five years ago, the sweet and savory sensation has more than exceeded the fair’s expectations. “Quite frankly, we had no idea how this would go over,” said Sue Lavoie, senior vice president at the Big E. “Maureen Jordan (Centerplate’s general manager) and I chatted and we thought maybe we’ll [sell] 50 a day. That was the goal. And she did over 17,000 that year.” This year, the Big E has introduced the Craz-E Breakfast Sandwich; using the familiar glazed doughnut bun, the sandwich is filled with egg and sausage or bacon.
Other popular items at the Big E included the deep fried strawberry shortcake, which Lavoie explains was everyone’s favorite during the fair’s spring taste testing. “It really tastes like a strawberry shortcake—but deep fried,” she said. Concession stand The Ultimate BBQ increased in popularity in its second year at the fair with the introduction of Three Pigs in a Bun, a bun filled with a pork sausage topped with pulled pork and bacon.
Also new at the fair was a craft beer pub, which served craft beers from each of the six New England states. Lavoie explained that they plan to rotate the beers on offer each year, still representing the New England states. “It did really well,” she said of the pub. “Our crowd is funny here. They either like the craft beers or they’re Budweiser people. The ones that like Budweiser would never think about going into the craft beer. But the others really like it.”
The Big E’s healthier items weren’t completely ignored, although they weren’t the main focus for most fairgoers. “[The healthier items] don’t do as well during the beginning of the fair, but then after we get into a couple of days when people have tried some of the more exotic things that we have—or unusual, or greasy—they’ll want a nice salad with nice grilled chicken on the top, or frozen yogurt, or fruit,” Lavoie said. “I also find that a lot of our exhibitors and concessionaires—people that are participants here—will go for some of the less caloric foods.”
In Iowa, Shrimp is the New Corn Dog
At the Aug. 7-17 Iowa State Fair, Des Moines, some concessionaires benefited from the introduction of a new food contest, which pitted eight concessionaires against one another. The eight were narrowed to three by a panel, and then fairgoers voted on the overall champion. The winner was the shrimp corn dog, featuring three shrimp dipped in batter, fried and topped with a sweet jalapeno glaze. Second and third place were the frozen smoothie on a stick, and the bacon wrapped riblet on a stick, respectively.
Iowa State Fair Manager/CEO Gary Slater explained that the stands serving these items received a boost from the publicity. He didn’t have the numbers for the shrimp corn dog or the riblet, but about 20,000 strawberry smoothies were sold in the 11-day period. In case the pattern isn’t apparent, foods on a stick are a big draw to the fair, with more than 60 varieties of speared items offered this year.
From the approximately 165 food stands, rice crispy treats were another popular item, selling more than 24,000, and more than 68,000 pork chops were sold. Des Moines-based Campbell’s Concessions sold 100,000-plus corn dogs, and Barksdale Concessions sold more than 1 million chocolate chip cookies, which were served in tubs or cups. Another staple almost didn’t make it to the fair when Hostess shut down earlier this year. “We did have a stand that sold deep fried Twinkies,” Slater said. “Everybody was in a lurch all summer long because Twinkies went away. But they came back just in time.”
The fair placed heavy importance on local commodity groups: local pork producers, beef cattlemen, turkey producers, sheep growers and egg producers each had a stand. “We’re blessed here in the Midwest with commodity groups that serve all their respective [products] that they’re trying to promote on a year-round basis,” said Slater. “They try to do the best job they can so when people buy something from them [at the fair], they leave the fairgrounds and then purchase beef or pork or lamb from them the rest of the year.”
Holy Bacon Cannoli!
The Minnesota State Fair, held Aug. 22 to Sept. 2 in St. Paul, introduced a host of new items that spread across the fair’s approximately 300 concessions stands. Also renowned for its array of foods on a stick, the Minnesota State Fair offered about 70 different types this year. “It’s become a fair tradition,” said Brienna Schuette, marketing and communications manager at the Minnesota State Fair.
Of the new foods, however, many of the most buzzed-about items weren’t on a stick. The candied bacon cannoli, a traditional cannoli adorned with bits of bacon on the crème, was a popular item, as well as the dough-sant, the fair’s version of the cronut, or croissant-doughnut hybrid. In addition, one of the fair’s concessionaires, Blue Moon Dine-In Theater, created some particularly unique items: the chop dog — a Kramarczuk beef hot dog chopped into pieces and served on brioche, with fixings like chili — and comet corn, a combination of caramel and cheese popcorn, flash frozen in liquid nitrogen.
“You could walk down the street for a few blocks and it would kind of smoke and look like this sort of science experiment,” Schuette said.
But, keeping with tradition, one of the best-selling new items was deep fried olives, which were served, conveniently, on a stick.
And one item that continues to be a top seller year after year is the fair’s famous Sweet Martha’s cookies. “If you come here, you’ll see every third person on the fairgrounds with them,” Schuette explained. “It’s just this pure, unadulterated, all-American chocolate chip cookie that is fresh baked on the fairgrounds. They’re served with ice cold milk. That’s it. And they sell like crazy.”
Fair for the Foodies in Texas
Held since 1886, the State Fair of Texas in Dallas is considered by many to be the benchmark for creative — and daringly fried — fair foods. In the past few years, the fair has averaged almost $1 million per day in food and beverage sales. This year, the fair was held Sept. 27 to Oct. 20.
This year’s most creative item was the Fried Thanksgiving Dinner, featuring a ball of turkey and stuffing dipped in creamed corn, rolled in corn meal and fried, then served with giblet gravy and orange-cranberry sauce. The deep fried Cuban roll featured pork shoulder, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and secret sauce rolled in pastry dough, deep fried and served with mayo sauce. It was awarded Best Taste.
The Fletcher’s corn dog continued to be a fair favorite, selling more than 100,000 in the 42-day run. The founders, Neil and Carl Fletcher, claim to be the inventors of the corn dog. “It’s one of the traditions,” Risinger said. “People say, ‘I’m going to the fair; I’m going to have a Fletcher’s corn dog.’ They go hand in hand.”
Out of the nonfried, healthier options, what was the most popular? “Boy, that’s a good question,” Risinger said. “I’ve never been asked that question.” The fair does offer health-conscious items, but for most fairgoers, it’s about letting those concerns go once they step through the entrance.
“That’s what a fair is all about,” Risinger said.
Interviewed for this story: Carey Risinger, (817) 300-2040; Sue Lavoie, (413) 737-2443; Gary Slater, (515) 262-3111; Brienna Schuette, (651) 288-4452