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Passing by Fair Deli Craft Beer’s stand, Fred Whitt immediately noticed the weirdest things on the menu: the Dr. Pickle drink and a large fried mozzarella stick topped with icing and coated in Fruity Pebbles cereal.

“Salty and sweet is a great combination,” Whitt said.

The Great New York State Fair is home to a plethora of never-before-seen foods, whether they’re found in the Dairy Products Building or in food trucks and stands lining the Midway rides. Some are trying items for the very first time, while others come back for the same wacky Fair foods every year.

Whitt’s originally from Massachusetts, and had never been to Syracuse or the Fair before. The purpose of his inaugural visit was to check out the Fair with friends. Quickly, it became a chance to try fun menu items. Whitt also ate a hot honey fried chicken and pickle plate to go with his Dr. Pickle. The drink is a concoction of Dr Pepper and pickle juice with a pickle garnish on top.

While Whitt wasn’t sure about the concept of Dr. Pickle right off the bat, he changed his mind after the first sip. It was a pretty unexpected find at the Fair that day, but in a good way, he said.

Fair Deli created Dr. Pickle last year and is selling it at the Fair for the second year in a row, Zach Marji, the Deli’s owner, said. He experimented with dirty sodas before settling on the Dr Pepper and pickle combo, and created the drink’s own branding: mascot stickers and a flag.

Trisha Togni enjoyed the Krunchy Dog from Fair Deli. She said the mozzarella stick breaded with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos was delicious and had a great cheese pull, the most important part of the whole experience to Togni. A bite out of the flamin’ hot food proved her claim to be true — a string of gooey mozzarella cheese kept growing as Togni pulled the Krunchy Dog away from her mouth.

“I just try to think of something that is aesthetic when you’re actually taking a picture of the food,” Marji said. “Everything we put out doesn’t only have to taste good, but I want it to be Instagram worthy.”

Togni is from Warners, but even as a regular NYS Fair-goer and a frequenter of Fair Deli, it was the first time she’d seen food like this at the Fair. When she saw what foods Fair Deli was serving this year, she knew she needed to try the Krunchy Dog.

When you think fair food, you think fried food. Piche Concessions fries Oreos and candy bars for fairgoers. Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor

Marji inherited the Fair Deli storefront from his parents who opened it in 2000. Since then, Marji opened a food truck, which goes to different events like Taste of Syracuse, but focuses on finding the weirdest and wackiest things to sell during the 13 days a year the Fair runs.

Dan Johnson tried the Dr. Pickle after his wife found it on Facebook. Fair Deli has 5,000 followers on Facebook and 3,900 on Instagram. Johnson’s experience is exactly what Marji hoped would happen.

Marji wants people to come to the food truck because of social media, and then increase its reach by sharing their own pictures. The Deli offers craft sandwiches at its storefront — but you can’t find the crazy concoctions made there. So people flock to his truck during the Fair.

“It was never sandwiches out of the food truck. It was always just trying to be creative. We always knew that if you were going to come to the Fair, you had to stand out,” Marji said.

Egg Roll Love boasts flavors inspired by both of its owners’ backgrounds. Fairgoers can choose from egg rolls like fried chicken and soul food. Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor

While creative foods might draw you to some places, for Egg Roll Love, it isn’t necessarily the food. It’s their seven different jingles.

You might hear the lyrics “egg roll like us” to the tune of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Or “We’re egg rolls” to the tune of “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Or even “We egg rolling” as an alternative to Chamillionaire’s lyrics on “Ridin’”: “They see me rollin’.”

For Eric Macias, who was visiting from Maryland, the song is exactly what “dragged him in.”

“It sounds really silly, but it’s really catchy,” Macias said.

Lisa Padilla, who owns Egg Roll Love with her husband, said he’s a singer. They used to sing at church, but now they get creative in their at-home studio. When they played their “Not Like Us” parody at other fairs or events, “It was a hit,” Padilla said.

At night, fairgoers go crazy for the songs, Padilla said. It’s the duo’s first time at the NYS Fair, but probably not their last.

It might be easy to assume the egg rolls they love are simple. But they’re not.

Egg Roll Love was originally founded in Mississippi by Padilla and her husband. They had their big break when they were featured on Food Network’s “Carnival Eats” Season 12 Episode 12. Now, they’re opening their first franchise at Alcorn State University: a drive-thru food truck.

“I’m Filipino, and my husband is Black — so we do Black, Asian, Blasian egg rolls,” Padilla said. “The concept is my husband and me together in an eggroll.”

Some egg roll creations are born accidentally. Padilla once dropped an egg roll into a chicken wing batter and created a roll “like a chicken wing on the outside, but the egg roll on the inside.”

Macias enjoyed all the music outside without having bought an egg roll. He then negotiated with Padilla to earn himself a free egg roll. Padilla chose the “Soul Food Roll,” which has collard greens, mac ‘n cheese and grilled chicken.

“The music definitely matches the taste of the egg roll,” Macias said.

On their socials, Egg Roll Love has drawn attention for fun flavors and songs.

Caitlin Kraushaar and Jayson Russell are Syracuse locals, and the Fair is always a highlight for them each year; they just can’t miss it.

The Villa Pizza Fritte — two feet of pizza dough stretched out, deep fried and rolled in sugar — is their favorite handheld food. Kraushaar said it’s “easy peasy lemon squeezy” to eat, like a hot, fresh doughnut.

“We come every single year, it’s my favorite thing,” Kraushaar said. “That’s what we do.”

Scotty’s has brought their Tater Twists to the NYS fair for 48 years now. The spiral shaped potatoes are flavored and speared on a stick. Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor

Like Kraushaar and Russell, Scott Smith comes to the Fair every year, except he brings his food truck. Smith has owned Scotty’s Smokehouse BBQ for 48 years, and he’s been coming to the NYS Fair for the last 35. The business is most well-known for its Tater Twisters.

After going to a trade show in England and purchasing the franchise, Smith decided to bring the business back to the United States. His debut stop was the NYS Fair to introduce the Tater Twisters — sliced potatoes fried and salted on a stick — to a large audience. Smith said some people make his truck their first stop and then grab another Tater Twister on the way out.

David Erickson, from Auburn, New York, has also been coming to the Fair for a “long, long time.” So long that he’s perfected his version of the best food day at the Fair.

It starts with Shake It Up’s hot beef sundae in the Dairy Cattle Barn. There’s nothing sweet about it: no cherry on top, no hot fudge and certainly no ice cream. Instead, this sundae features mashed potatoes, gravy, cheese, a cherry tomato and, of course, beef.

“I come to the Fair one day a year, and this is the first thing that I get every year,” Erickson said.

This sundae doesn’t include ice cream or a cherry on top. The hot beef sundae from Shake It Up is much more savory. Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor

He started the tradition with his wife. She died in April of 2024, and he returned to the Fair for the last two years, carrying on their tradition. Every time he has that hot beef sundae, he thinks of her.

They’d always get a prime rib sandwich and, as it’s the Fair, they’d end with something deep fried. The Fair is proof that anything and everything can be deep fried.

Jessica Hunter, a Marquette University student from Wisconsin, came to the Fair for the first time ever while working the food truck for Piche Concessions, a vendor based in Massachusetts. The food truck travels to state fairs across the country.

Hunter said the fried strawberry shortcake, topped with whipped cream, is a fan favorite at the Piche truck. Others love the fried candy bars, including deep-fried Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. One customer even requested for Oreos and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to be fried together, an interesting choice in Hunter’s opinion.

Frozen candy bars and Oreos are dipped into the batter in fryers set to 350 degrees, and it takes about a minute to a minute and a half before they’re sprinkled with powdered sugar and served to customers.

“It depends on how busy the day is, but we sell hundreds of Oreos a day,” Hunter said.

Since Smith debuted Scotty’s at the NYS Fair 35 years ago, the franchise has grown. He’s seen babies become moms and dads and come back. It makes Smith feel older, but it’s also a full-circle moment for him.

“I just love to see their happy faces. When people come back to see us it makes me feel good,” Smith said.

Published on August 28, 2025 at 12:04 am