Are some of our favorites your favorites, too?

The gates are now open and the fairgrounds is bustling with activity. As we’ve made our way around the grounds this week, we’ve been making mental notes on which of our personal favorite food items are back. Mini-donuts, yes! Roasted corn, check! Apple dumplings, absolutely! Gyros and pizza, they’re here! Fresh-cut fries, check, check! Steak sandwiches, check! Gourmet candy apples, yipee-yummo yes! Deep-fried Oreos, ooooh yeah! Strawberry shortcake, mmmm yes it’s here! Cinnamon buns, yesssssssssss! Blooming onion, absolutely! Chocolate-covered bananas, yep! When you spend 11 of the 11 days of the Fair on the fairgrounds, you get to experience a lot of…

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Behind the scenes with…Letrice Vines, commercial space administrator

The N.C. State Fair kicks off in a few months, but there’s a ton of preparation already in motion. We’ll bring you behind-the-scenes interviews with fairgrounds employees working to bring you “A Whole Lotta Happy” when the gates open Thursday, Oct. 15. Food is the No. 1 reason people come to the State Fair, a fact Letrice Vines knows well. As commercial space administrator, Letrice chooses and coordinates each and every vendor for the Fair, including the folks behind your favorite crazy-creative deep-fried creations. After the exhibitor application deadline on July 1, Letrice is tasked with combing through each application…

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Making lists and checking them twice

We dedicated State Fair Press Office types consider it our duty to sample a variety of foods during the fair. After all, if we are to be credible sources of information about State Fair cuisine, we must do extensive research. A couple of us take this work so seriously that we write up a “wish list” so we can keep track of our consumption (see above). As you’ll notice by the scratch marks and checks, we made a lot of progress this year — and consumed a lot of calories. All in the name of public service.

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Where to find it: Fried mac’n’cheese and pecan pie

Because of the HUGE response we’ve gotten to the deep fried pecan pie and mac’n’cheese, we tracked down Alan Rubin to tell us exactly where Fair visitors can find these tasty treats. You can find them at the Sam Rand Grandstand food exhibitor area, circled above in red, near the middle of the fairgrounds. Chef Vince Thomas’ Chef’s D’lites right across from the Grandstand restrooms will also be serving up the deep friend mac-n-cheese. Click here for a larger map, where you can use the zoom tool to get in really close…and eat away! UPDATE: We scoped out the booth…

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What’s your favorite fair food?

In surveys taken at the Fair, people say again and again and again food is the top reason they come. And they certainly have plenty of options to choose from. Nearly 350 vendors have signed up for 2008 and a few more may be added before gates open Oct. 16. Now mind you, not every vendor is a food vendor, but there are hundreds of food booths to choose from. What the Fair’s most famous for is good old Southern deep-fried fare, the inspiration behind this blog. Seriously, is there any kind of ho-ho or chocolate candy bar that hasn’t…

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Fair Fan: Jean-Marie Odom

Meet Fair fan and guest blogger Jean-Marie Odom, a brave soul who documented everything she ate at last year’s State Fair. She’s sharing her tried-and-true staples along with free samples, new offerings, and tips for Fair newcomers. Welcome, Jean-Marie! For my husband and me, the N.C. State Fair is a time to enjoy the art of eating and the variety the Fair has to offer. When we go to the Fair, it’s a full-day event that leaves a lot of time to get hungry. In an effort to enjoy this experience to the fullest last year, I kept a list…

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Sights, Sounds and Smells: Mtn. State Fair, Part I

I mentioned a few posts ago that the corn on the cob cupcakes (which won a blue ribbon, by the way!) had me craving roasted corn. Well, here at the Mtn. State Fair they have deep fried corn on the cob, making our Deep Fried blog very proud. I vote to bring this to the State Fair! The theme of “Best of the West” was used here in one of the 4-H club displays in Davis Arena. I couldn’t resist putting up NCSU’s Mr. Wuf decked out in chaps and holsters. These four vegetables are “fraternal quadruplets,” meaning they all…

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