The more diverse the Fair food is, the better in my opinion!
The Great New York State Fair’s first-ever kosher food booth will debut at the 2016 Fair, offering traditional kosher dishes with a Fair theme, Acting Fair Director Troy Waffner announced today.
“Food is consistently one of the Fair’s greatest attractions. People come to get their Fair favorites and to try something new and fun. Every year, we dedicate ourselves to providing both delicious Fair classics and new, exciting foods for people to enjoy. We are the coming together of New Yorkers, and the best way for us to show that is through a diversity of food representing the diversity of our great state,” said Waffner.
Catering by The Oaks has prospered at Menorah Park in Dewitt for four years, and is the only kosher restaurant in Upstate New York between Buffalo and Albany. At the Fair, Catering by The Oaks will be located in the Horticulture building next to Doug’s Fish Fry. The Fair and the Director of Kosher Law Enforcement for the Department of Agriculture and Markets have been working together for several years to bring kosher food to the fairgrounds. The menu will include a mix of traditional kosher dishes such as potato knishes, bagel and lox sandwiches, gluten-free citrus salmon lettuce wraps and chopped salads as well as kosher dishes given a Fair twist-deep-fried apple blintzes coated with cinnamon and brown sugar, deep-fried cheese blintzes served with sour cream and fried matzo balls.
“We are ecstatic to bring our one-of-a-kind menu to the Fair. You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy these tasty delights. We had a taste panel with people who ate strictly kosher and people who did not; both groups absolutely loved them,” said The Oaks Catering General Manager, Jarrod Charsky.
Catering by The Oaks and all other vendors on the fairgrounds can be located by downloading the Fair Food Finder application for smartphones and using the app’s interactive map of the Fair. For fairgoers without smartphones, the application may also be found on the Fair’s website, here.
In recent years, the New York State Fair has increased its diversity of food offerings. In 2015, the first ever vegan vendor, Strong Hearts Café, was introduced and plans to return in 2016.
The New York State Fair,operated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, runs from August 25 to September 5, 2016. 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. More information on the revitalization is available here and renderings can be viewed here.
