Celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern skeptical of State Fair food 'gimmicks'
After a break in 2020, the return of the release of the Minnesota State Fair "new foods" list has got many a Minnesotan excited, but celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern is approaching with a little more caution.
The Minnesota State Fair revealed a list of 26 foods and four vendors that will debut this year for the return of the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
But prior to its release, Zimmern – who is a huge fan of the fair – argued on Twitter that there is already plenty of top quality food at the State Fair and there has been for years, expressing reservations about the lengths to which some vendors go to stand out.
"Here’s the deal … I could list another 30 simple delicious foods that could be run through the fair food prism to be plussed up in a fun way… we don’t need gimmicks," he said.
As we mentioned, Zimmern is a State Fair fanatic, and on his website you can find some of his essential State Fair dishes.
They include Fresh French Fries, Sausage by Cynthia, Duke's Poutine, Minneapple Pie, Izzy's Ice Cream, Kiwanis Malts, Gizmo, the Blue Barn, and of course, Sweet Martha's Cookies.
That's not to say he's not intrigued about some of this year's additions – albeit not the Sashimi Tuna Tacos at Scenic 61.
He explained some of his reservations in a response to fellow food writer Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, of MSP Magazine.
"Some of those items are ok in theory, or even appealing," he said. "But execution on a busy day at the MN StFair is a challenge and often the enemy of 'quality'."
Here's the full list of new foods at this year's State Fair.