DALLAS — The Big Tex Choice Awards, held ahead of the State Fair of Texas, gives concessionaires a chance to promote inventive foods and compete for recognition. This year, 77 entries vied for four titles, with some recipes shaped by months of experimentation, according to Fox News Digital.
Melanie Linnear, the fair’s senior vice president of concessions, said competitors need to plan well in advance. Developing a dish involves more than creating an unusual flavor: vendors also have to consider whether they can prepare it quickly during busy periods and price it within customers’ reach.
For Josie Nevins Mays, developing the Nevin’s Soft Serve Peach Bellini Float took about three months and roughly seven recipe versions. The drink combines peach soft serve with sparkling wine. She said it was challenging to make an alcohol-infused mixture freeze while keeping the creamy texture she wanted.
This was Nevins Mays’ fifth time reaching the finalists in six years of entering the contest. She said participation and the publicity it brings can make a substantial difference for concessionaires, even if they do not win.
Dwaina Morris began developing her Sunset Soft Serve Rita during the previous year’s fair. The layered strawberry-and-mango margarita includes vanilla soft serve and is topped with Tajín, chamoy and a hot honey Tajín mixture. Morris said it took about 10 attempts to settle on the recipe.
She said being named a finalist can direct fairgoers to a vendor’s stand because people want to try the featured dish. The competition’s promotional materials include finalists and their creations, giving vendors visibility before the awards are decided.
Isaac Rousso’s entry was Rousso’s Bacon Jam Caramel Apple Hard Cider, combining apple, caramel, cinnamon sugar and smoky bacon jam flavors. Rousso has reached the finals for 10 years and has won four times. Earlier entries included a smoky bacon margarita, a deep-fried Cuban roll and cotton candy bacon on a stick.
Rousso described the contest as an opportunity to build recognition for his business as well as compete for an award. That promotional value is one reason the event matters to vendors, whose sales can benefit when a finalist’s dish draws customers to a booth.
Organizers and concessionaires must also account for the realities of serving a large crowd. Linnear said slow preparation can mean lost sales. She added that food costs have risen 30% to 40% since the COVID-19 pandemic, making affordability an important consideration when competitors design new items.
Planning often continues throughout the fair season. Linnear said some vendors keep notebooks of possible recipes, while others test prospective dishes at their stands to see how efficiently they can produce them. Morris said she had already chosen an item for next year’s competition before the current fair opened.
The contest therefore serves both as a showcase for unusual fair food and as a business opportunity. The entries may be designed to attract attention, but vendors also need recipes that can be made consistently, served quickly and sold at a price customers will accept.
