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Food Management
18 state fair-inspired foods
Tara Fitzpatrick Jun 03, 2019

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Popcorn
Cheryl Fliss

A single kernel that gets that state-fair vibe poppin’ like no other, popcorn is always a good first step. At Klingberg Family Centers, a nonprofit agency providing help to children and families in Connecticut, caramel corn was made in-house, a special end-of-year labor of love by the kitchen staff.

Sticky situation
Cheryl Fliss

Making caramel isn’t an everyday thing, obviously, but once the melting starts, you’ve gotta work fast to combine the popcorn and the sticky sauce

Finished product
Cheryl Fliss

The caramel corn treat was a huge hit, but FSD Cheryl Fliss says it’ll be a long time before she can look at popcorn again.

DIY popcorn

For a more hands-on approach, Flik Hospitality has set up season-your-own popcorn bars with seasonings like white cheddar, garlic salt, cinnamon sugar and more.

Pop up to right field

New this year for Tulane baseball games, gourmet popcorn has joined the concessions roster. It comes in 13 wild flavors: Bananas Foster (this is New Orleans, after all!), cookies and cream, fruit smoothie, caramel corn, birthday cake and Green Wave caramel apple.

Mac ‘n cheese, please

The comfort casserole has established itself as a state fair staple, seen here fried and on a stick for an outdoor barbecue by American Dining Creations.

Mac ‘n cheese waffle bowl

Tender pulled pork and gooey mac ‘n cheese make the best teammates for this trendy bubble-style waffle, found on TD Garden’s Delaware North concessions menu.

Chicken-and-waffle cone

For carnival-themed events, American Dining Creations builds on the success of its fried chicken concept Farm 2 Fryer with this housemade waffle cone filled with chicken tenders, mashed potatoes, bacon, Nashville hot sauce and coleslaw.

Black bean fritters
Bush’s Best

Fritters are rarely seen outside the county fairs for the world, and that’s a shame, because there are creative ingredients to add to fritters, as in these black bean fritters.

Elote fritters

University of North Texas Chef Zach Miller just developed these elote fritters, made with the components of Mexican street corn and served with a Tajin aioli (don’t know Tajin? It’s a chili-lime spice worth having on your spice rack for instant fresh, Mexican flavor).

Veggie fritters
Idahoan

And on the healthier side of fritters, these shredded potato-veggie fritters were created at the University of Connecticut using the shortcut of dehydrated potato mix.

Chili cheese for the win
Bush’s Best

Chorizo chili cheese curds spice up a classic combo, made even better when served over fried cheese curds.

Chili cheese empanada
General Mills

Another cool way to do chili cheese, these empanadas make the situation grab-and-go friendly.

Chili cheese mini corn dogs
Tyson Convenience

And just when you think chili cheese couldn’t get any better, add it to mini corn dogs for a show-stopping snack.

Hot dogs gone wild

Off the Leash Dogs is a new concept by Flik Hospitality that starts with a traditional hot dog and then upgrades them into Korean dogs (topped with beef bulgogi, housemade kimchi and gochujang), Tex-Mex dog (topped with guac, salsa and sour cream) and vegetarian dogs (carrot tempura topped with spicy mayo and veggie slaw).

Olive mania
Olives from Spain

The briny flavor of olives takes center stage with these Spanish hot dogs.

Year of the Pig

Pulled pork is a great starting point for fun festival fare like this pork parfait from the University of Mary Washington’s Sodexo foodservice team.

Fried corn on the cob

The local corn is battered and deep-fried at the College of William and Mary of Virginia. As delicious as it looks, they gild the lily with lime-hickory-cilantro butter.

Chicken chip nachos

The surprising twist on nachos here is the fact that they’re made from chicken!

Savory and sweet

This double cheeseburger at TD Garden by Delaware North has glazed doughnuts for a bun and gets even more flavor with bacon, fried jalapenos and crispy onions.

Deep-fried Oreo sundae

Slightly over the top, but sophisticated all the same with vanilla gelato, this state fair favorite is also found at TD Garden by Delaware North.

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