Winners of the 2024 Big Tex(R) Choice Awards for concessionaires are: Best Taste Savory-Dominican Fritura Dog by Justin Martinez; Best Taste Sweet-Cotton Candy Bacon on a Stick by Isaac Rousso; and Most Creative-Texas Sugar Rush Pickles by Heather Perkins.
After attending today’s media preview for this year’s awards in the Briscoe Livestock Center, my friend Karel Anne and I floated home on a sugar high. We were invited backstage to sample the wares of all ten finalists, discovering we disagreed with the celebrity judges on a few choices. All ten finalists deserve special recognition for their over-the-top creativity; and have raised the bar even higher for future contestants.
Justin Martinez Dominican Fritura Dog
Holt photo
Justin Martinez was a finalist in both the savory and sweet categories, with his Dominican Fritura Dog winning Best Taste Savory. It’s composed of Dominican salami and fritura cheese, deep fried in corn dog batter, and split open, topped with garlic plantain chips, Dominican sauce, and cilantro for a flavor explosion.
Martinez said, “Hopefully, we’re opening another avenue for people at the State Fair to try something they don’t normally try. That’s what the State Fair is about.”
Isaac Rousso’s Cotton Candy Bacon on a Stick
Rousso’s entry was a showstopper as the winner of Best Taste Sweet. A thick, 12 inch piece of bacon on a stick, coated with a cotton candy glaze on top and spun inside a cotton candy machine, then torched to caramelize the center and lock in its sweet flavor. It will be hard to find a kid passing by this booth without begging for one of these sweet treats. Rousso’s family have been State Fair concessionaires for many years, and have won several awards in the past.
First time winner Heather Perkins was awarded the Most Creative title for her Texas Sugar Rush Pickles. Cotton candy-flavored pickle slices are coated in three cereal varieties and layered in cotton candy, sugar crystals, and powdered sugar; then drizzled with strawberry sundae syrup and served with a helping of vanilla ice cream.
Judges of the Big Tex Choice Awards faced the tough task of selecting the winning Fair foods, and this year’s task was not easy with an especially competitive field. The other 2024 finalists include: The Drowning Taquitos by Tony & Terry Bednar; Hippie Chips by Rose & Tom Deschenes; and Hot Chick-in-Pancake Poppers by Palmer & Amanda Fortune. Also, Texas Fried Burnt End Bombs by Nick Bert; Nevins Nutty Bar-laska by Tami Nevins Mayes & Josey Mayes;, Strawberry Pop-Tarts® Beignettfle by Justin Martinez; and Tropical Two-Step Punch by Binh Tran.
My favorite sweet treat was the Nevins Nutty Bar-laska, soooo good and maybe the biggest food bargain at the Fair for only 10 coupons! I’ll make a beeline for their booth every time we go to the Fair this year. Chef’s favorite sweet treat was the Strawberry Pop-Tarts Beignettfle by Justin Martinez. We both loved the Hot Chick-In-Pancake Poppers by Palmer and Amanda Fortune, although I liked the Dominican hot dog enough to give it a tie for Best Taste Savory. This year’s entries were all so creative this year, it was really difficult to choose just one.
Big Tex Celebrity Judges
The panel of judges featured Brad Batson–Co-Founder, Karbach Brewing Company; Leslie Brenner—Food and Beverage Personality; and Calvin Golden—Franchise Expert & Business Consultant. Also on the panel were Donovan Lewis—96.7SportsRadio/1310 The Ticket Host; and Nikky Phinyawatana—Founder of Asian Mint Restaurant Group and ChefNikky.com.
Since its inception in 1886, the State Fair of Texas has celebrated all things Texan by promoting agriculture, education, and community involvement through quality entertainment in a family-friendly environment. The State Fair of Texas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with proceeds helping to preserve and improve our home, Fair Park; underwrite museums, community initiatives, and scholarship programs to support students throughout the Lone Star State pursuing higher education; and help improve State Fair operations. The 2024 exposition runs from September 27 through October 20 in Fair Park. Visit BigTex.com for more information, including special discounted packages to help save you money.
