a day ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana State Fair announces 2025 Taste of the Fair winners
The Indiana State Fair has announced the winners of its annual Taste of the Fair competition, the rare contest at the Fair where the entrants are eaten before receiving a blue ribbon.
After 10 days of voting by fairgoers, Sheridan-based Wilson Concessions claimed first place Aug. 13 with its Cinnamon Toast cookie butter pretzel bites. The dish, which features doughy hunks of pretzel doused with cinnamon, sugar, cookie butter spread and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, also tied for the highest-rated concession in IndyStar's annual fair food ranking. In addition to the obvious glory, Wilson Concessions will receive $2,500 for its first-place finish.
Coming in behind Wilson was Florida-based Swains Concessions, who narrowly missed out on its third overall victory in four summers with its latest frightening twist on pizza, this year topped with pickles, bacon and ranch dressing. The 2025 runner-up receives $1,000.
Another familiar name rounded out the podium as 2024 Taste of the Fair champ Nitro Hog BBQ took third with its BBQ Machos, tortilla chips topped with macaroni and cheese, pulled pork, cheese sauce and barbecue sauce. Nitro Hog owners Jessica and Jeff Orme are no strangers to top-three finishes and finally broke through last year with their prize-winning fried sugar biscuit with pulled pork and apple butter barbecue sauce. The Ormes will take home $500.
The three finalists were the highest vote-getters among 39 competing vendors, whose creations included deep-fried pickle-topped Oreos, burgers sandwiched between grilled Little Debbie Honey Buns, cotton candy-flavored beer and five different funnel cakes.
The State Fair runs through Aug. 17.
That means you still have nearly four full days to try this year's most acclaimed fair foods, or perhaps whichever ones strike you as the best balance of delicious and unsettling.
