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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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 |