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The Great New York State Fair The Taste NY Food Truck Competition Expands to
Two Days for 2017 Great New York State Fair
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Event Expands After Great Response from Fairgoers
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Registration Underway for Participating Food Truck Operators
The Great New York State Fair
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Syracuse, NY – February 2017 / Newsmaker Alert / The Great New York State Fair announced Wednesday (February 15) that its Taste NY Food Truck Competition will expand to two days for the 2017 Fair. The competition to find the best entrée, served by food truck chefs and made with New York State grown and produced ingredients, will take place Saturday and Sunday, September 2 and 3. Food trucks entered in the competition will be located around Chevy Court.

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “Taste NY represents the very best of New York agriculture and having our food truck chefs cook up exciting, new dishes for our panel of judges and for fairgoers is a great way to promote New York grown and produced foods. With the competition expanded to two days, we look forward to seeing every region of New York State represented.”

Acting Fair Director Troy Waffner said, “The 2016 competition featured some amazing food and big crowds of people waiting patiently to buy a sample. We’re expanding the competition to a second day so more people can participate and enjoy some of the best foods grown and made in New York State.”

To take part in the competition, food truck operators design signature entrées using primarily New York State products. A panel of judges made up of food industry experts and enthusiasts will sample the entrees to select a Judges’ Choice winner on both Saturday and Sunday. Trucks can then sell sample-sized portions of their entrée for $3 to fairgoers, who can cast one vote for the entrée they liked best. Those votes will then be tallied to declare the People’s Choice winners. Each daily winner of the Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice will receive a $750 gift card to Maines Food and Party Warehouse, while the People’s Choice runner-up will receive a portable generator on each day.

Registration is now underway for food truck operators who would like to take part in the competition. Visit nysfair.ny.gov/competitions/food-truck-competition for details and an entry form.

In 2016, Silo Food Truck of Ovid won the Judges’ Choice award for its Telekinetic Fried Chicken, a fried drumstick over a slaw flavored with peach and raspberry and purple sticky rice, while The Meatball Cup from The Meatball Truck of Rochester won the People’s Choice. More than 2,500 fairgoers voted in the competition.
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The Taste NY Food Truck Competition Expands to Two Days for 2017 Great New York State Fair
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Katie Foley, co-owner of Silo Food Truck, said, “It was quite an honor both to participate as well as win the Judges’ Choice for the Taste NY 2016 Food Truck Competition. It was a crazy, fun-filled day that flew by. We sold about 1,200 samples to very enthusiastic patrons, making it well worth our while. We are looking forward to the two-day competition this coming year and are already working on our new submission. Being recognized at the state level has given us more opportunity locally and has helped us expand into larger festivals across the East Coast. It’s been quite the feather in our cap.”

Michelle Yancey of The Meatball Truck said, “The Meatball Truck was honored to compete in the second annual Food Truck Competition at the New York State Fair and bring home first place in the People’s Choice competition. We are looking forward to defending our title in 2017. It’s always great to be among the enthusiasm of the crowd and long-standing traditions of the New York State Fair.”

The two sponsors of this annual event are Maines Food and Party Warehouse and Taste NY, Governor Cuomo’s initiative that promotes New York food and beverage products.

Taste NY was launched in 2013 to promote New York’s food and beverage industries. It is overseen by the Department of Agriculture and Markets and has created opportunities for local producers to showcase their goods at large public events, such as the Great New York State Fair and the Barclays Tournament at Bethpage State Park. The Taste NY initiative has seen steady growth and recognition. The program reported sales of $4.5 million in 2015 and nearly tripled those sales to more than $13.1 million in 2016. Today, New York products sold under Taste NY branding are available in more than 60 locations throughout the State as well as the New York State Office of Trade and Tourism in San Juan, Puerto Rico. For more information about Taste NY, please visit www.taste.ny.gov. Connect with Taste NY through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

About the Great New York State Fair
The New York State Fair, operated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, runs from August 23 to September 4, 2017. The Fair’s mission, reflected in its theme, “Find Your Great...,” is to showcase the best of New York agriculture while providing top-quality entertainment.

The 375-acre New York State Fairgrounds is undergoing the most significant transformation since it first opened its gates in 1890. The $50 million plan, announced by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, revitalizes the grounds in many ways, improving the quality of the fairgoer’s experience and providing greater economic benefits for the region. Improvements include the dramatic new Main Gate— the arches of which recall the carriage gate that greeted fairgoers in 1900, a larger, 15-acre Wade Shows Midway that will hold more rides than ever, and the brand new 315-site Empire RV Park with underground water, sewer and electrical service. The plan will better position the New York State Fairgrounds as a premier year-round, multi-use facility that can attract more events and visitors from across the nation. Renderings can be viewed here.

A year-round schedule of events is available on the Fair’s website. Find The Great New York State Fair on Facebook, follow @NYSFair on Twitter, and enjoy photos from the Fair at Flickr.com/photos/nysfair. Also, New Yorkers are invited to send their ideas for the Great New York State Fair at statefairideas@agriculture.ny.gov.

Media Contacts:
Jola Szubielski
Public Information Officer
NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets
518-457-0752

Dave Bullard
Public Relations
New York State Fair
315-487-7711 x 1377

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Publishing Dates: 02/16/17 – 04/16/17
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