Alameda County Fair Takes Fair Food to Next Level with First Annual SNACKDOWN Competition
A dozen new vendor dishes compete for Grand Champion title
PLEASANTON, Calif., June 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- It's a fact. From classic corndogs to deep-fried Twinkies, "crazy-good" food is one of the top reasons people love going to the Fair.
This year, Alameda County Fair is taking "fair fare" to new heights with the first annual SNACKDOWN, a live, competitive event featuring food vendors and their newest creations. Twelve finalists will compete for the titles of "Best Taste," "Most Creative" and "Best Theme" ("Taste the Red, White & Blue"). From those winners, an overall "Grand Champion" will be named.
KPIX's "Foodie Chap," Liam Mayclem, will host the event at the Fairgrounds' Festival Square Stage on Tuesday, June 24 at 12pm. A panel of esteemed Bay Area "foodie" judges will sample and score each entry to determine the winners. Interested fans should also watch the Fair's Facebook page for a chance to win a spot on the judging panel.
"Each year, concessionaires customarily introduce creative new items to their menus and the SNACKDOWN is way to add some fun to the process, for both the sellers and the food fans," said Judy Carrico, Fair Operations Manager at Alameda County Fair. "This will be a fun event. All of the finalists are great and we look forward to seeing who takes the prizes."
The Fair's food vendors were invited to participate earlier this year. A first-round judging panel chose the top 12 from the submissions received. Contestants were allowed to enter as many items as they wished. Entries were evaluated individually and some contestants have more than one item in the final competition. "SNACKDOWN Finalist" signs will be posted to food stands to help fans identify the contestant dishes they wish to try.
2014 SNACKDOWN Top 12 Finalists:
- Spaghetti Ice Cream
- World's Hottest Ice Cream
Anthony Verdome
Cardinali Ice Cream
- Crisp Bacon Bowl Slider
Molly Johnson
Gastro Pub
- Pickle Dog
- Drunken Pickle Poppers
Get Pickled
Nathan Janousak
- Deep Fried Grilled Cheese
- Deep Fried Peanut Butter Cup
The Monster Dog
Tom Stroud
- California Burrito
Erica Quintero
Pepe's Mariscos
- Red, White & Blue Crepe
Planet Popcorn/Planet Crepes
Sharla Gandy-McBride
- Red, White & Blue Pizza
Pizza by the Slice
Jill Moyer
- Lobster Fries
Sharky's Fish Fry
Don Delahoyde
- Macaroni & Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burger
Stuffy's Char Broiler
Don Delahoyde
CONCESSIONAIRES EXTRAORDINAIRE
Look for these and dozens of other great food vendors at the 2014 Alameda County Fair:
Juicy's Grill
Burgers, Grilled Cheese, Chicken Sandwich, Sausage-on-a-Stick
Funnel Cakes West
Fresh, homemade funnel cake with cream and fruit
New: Breakfast Funnel Cake with powdered sugar, maple cream and bacon bits!
Sharky's Fish Fry
Fish & Chips, Lobster-on-a-Stick, Fried Veggies
New: Lobster fries!
Willamette Valley Pie Co.
Fresh Pies, Cobblers & Turnovers
Pepe's Mariscos part of Kaiser Healthy Picks Menu Options
Mexican Food, Fresh Seafood, Fish Tacos, Fresh Fruit
New: California Burrito!
Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls – New Vendor!
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls & Cinnamon Bread
Big Bubba's Bad BBQ
BBQ Pork, Chicken & Beef, Tri Tip, Beans, Cole Slaw, Corn on the Cob
Get Pickled - New Vendor!
Pickle Dog, Drunken Pickle Poppers, Fried Pickle-on-a-Stick, Chips
Planet Popcorn / Planet Crepes
Fresh Popped Flavored Popcorn, Homemade Crepes
New: Red, White & Blue Crepe!
Cardinali's Ice Cream
Ice Cream, Sundaes & more
New Spaghetti Ice Cream and World's Hottest Ice Cream!
Mrs. J's Chocolate Pot
Chocolate-dipped Bananas, Ice Cream Bars & Cheesecake
The Monster Dog
18" Corn Dog (12" & 16" dogs, too), Hot Dogs & Burgers
New – Deep Fried Grilled Cheese Sandwich!
Gastro Pub
17 different Sierra Nevada beers on tap & Farm-to-Table Menu
New: Crisp Bacon Bowl Slider!
Stuffy's Char Broiler
Burgers, Hot Dogs, Salads
New: Macaroni & Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burger!
2014 Big O Tires Concert Series, 8pm nightly:
6/18 – Brett Eldredge (country)
6/19 – Eddie Money (classic rock)
6/20 – Shaggy (reggae fusion)
6/21 – Creedence Clearwater Revisited (classic rock)
6/22 – La Unica Sonora Santanera y Selena Tribute featuring Irene Davi (Latin/Tropical) (Tejano)
6/24 – Evolution (Journey tribute /classic rock)
6/25 – Con Funk Shun (R&B /funk)
6/26 – Coco Jones (Disney)
6/27 – Paul Rodriguez (comedy)
6/28 – JT Hodges (country)
6/29 – Tesla (rock)
7/1 – True 2 Crue (Motley Crue tribute / classic rock)
7/2 – Ashanti (contemporary R&B)
7/3 – America (folk rock)
7/4 – Blues Festival (multiple performers / blues) (1pm – 9pm)
7/5 – Building 429 (contemporary Christian)
7/6 - Night Ranger (classic rock)
2014 Alameda County Fair Information
Dates: June 18 – July 6 (Open Tuesday – Sunday)
Hours: 11am-11pm daily
Horse Racing: Thursday through Sunday, June 19-22, June 26-29, and July 3-6
Big O Tires Concert Series: 8pm nightly, followed by fireworks & tribute video at 9:45pm in the Safeway Amphitheater
July 4th: Blues Festival, 1-9pm, Fireworks Spectacular, 9:45pm
Gate Admission*:
Adults (13-61) $10
Seniors (62+) $8
Kids (6-12) $8
Children under 6 – FREE
*Purchase in advance (before June 17) and save up to 33%
Special Pricing:
Season Pass (admission for all 17 days) - $30
Fun Pack (4 general admission tickets and 1 parking pass) - $30
Special Days (special pricing ends at 5pm):
Opening Day: June 18, $1 Admission & $1 Rides
$2 Tuesdays: June 24 & July 1, $2 admission
Seniors FREE Thursdays (62+) – June 19, June 27, & July 3
Kids FREE Fridays (12 and under) – June 20, June 27, & July 4
Feed the Need Food Drive & $1 Rides, benefitting Alameda County Food Bank. (Bring 4 non-perishable food items and receive FREE admission) – June 25
Military Appreciation, FREE Fair admission with valid Military ID - Daily
The Alameda County Fair is operated by the Fair Association, a non-profit organization, without any tax funding from the government. It is ranked one of the Top 50 North American Fairs and the 7th largest Fair in California. The Fairgrounds is home to the Oldest One-Mile Race Track in America.
SOURCE Alameda County Fair
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