Minnesota entrepreneur Josh Zamansky has never been to the State Fair of Texas. He’s never even been to Dallas. But he’s seizing an opportunity to sell food from State Fair of Texas concessionaires after the country’s largest fair was canceled this year.
Via a new company called StateFairToGo.com, founder and CEO Zamansky partnered with five Texas companies to sell six fair-food classics by mail. Each $59.95 box, delivered from Minnesota in freezer trailers, will be packed with ingredients and instructions to make the fair foods at home in three steps or less.
“I thought it was just perfect,” says Christi Erpillo, whose family would have operated five stands at the State Fair, selling longtime favorites such as Fernie’s Deep Fried Peaches and Cream. “It was the perfect answer, that we would be able to get our products out there this year.”
Many State Fair of Texas concessionaires spend 24 rigorous days at the fair, making a significant portion of their yearly incomes in less than one month. Zamansky’s box will allow small businessowners to make money even though the fair is canceled.
Clint Probst, a longtime State Fair concessionaire, says the box could bring him 25% of the profits he would have made at the State Fair of Texas.
“This is optimistic, but I’m an optimistic guy,” he says. “This is a huge windfall for me and my family during this very financially trying year. We normally depend on this particular State Fair for up to a third of our annual income.”
The State Fair of Texas is also hosting its own unrelated drive-through food event, selling items from five concessionaires. There is no overlap between the fair’s drive-through foods and Zamansky’s DIY meal kits.
Greg Parish, a second-generation State Fair of Texas concessionaire, would have celebrated 35 years at the fair this year.
“When they canceled Houston Rodeo right in the middle, my antennas went up. And I just began to prepare for the worst,” he says. “And when they cut off the NBA season, I made my assessment there: Let me prepare for the inevitable.” Luckily, Parish purchased a commercial kitchen in December 2019 and has been selling takeout and delivery dinners during the pandemic.
StateFairToGo.com boxes include:
- A 1-pound bag of Fernie’s Funnel Cake Mix, with instructions on how to fry funnel cakes at home
- 18 Oreos, with instructions on how to deep-fry them in waffle batter, from Parish
- 1 pound of fried okra and ingredients to make cream gravy, from Probst
- 1.5 pounds of frozen, seasoned curly fries from Nevins Concessions, which can be fried or baked
- 5 corn dogs (to be dipped in funnel cake batter and fried) from The Dock, a State Fair of Texas stand operated by Erpillo’s family
- A 2-pound smoked turkey leg from Farm Pac Kitchens in Yoakum, Texas
Erpillo and her family have two items in the State Fair To Go box: the funnel cake mix and the corn dogs.
The funnel cake mix was a good fit, Erpillo says, because her family will soon sell it in grocery stores.
The boxes are slated to be delivered in October, though customers can purchase one now. Zamansky says he can sell up to 25,000.
Zamansky got the idea to sell State Fair of Texas food after successfully launching a similar box following the cancellation of the Minnesota State Fair. The boxes in his home state initially sold out in 24 hours. His team was able to open production a few more times, then went to a waiting list.
“I was interested in Texas right away,” he says. “You guys have the biggest fair in the country. It’s a community of fairgoers. And like in Minnesota, this is a big deal — and it’s not happening.”
He thought, “How can we send some fun to people in their homes?”
Even The New York Times picked up on his efforts, spotlighting his to-go box in Minnesota in a recent article.
Zamansky says the make-at-home meal kits are “making people smile” and they’re also allowing State Fair concessionaires to do their jobs, without a fair.
“All around the country, small business operators care about the same thing: They care about putting people to work ... they care about putting their heart into the product. That’s true in Texas, it’s true in Minnesota, and it unites small business owners,” he says. “And it’s also cool to see these folks pivoting during the pandemic.”
Erpillo agrees, saying that State Fair of Texas concessionaires have banded together in a tough year.
“Usually, we’re really competitive,” she says. “But this year we’re all supporting one another.”
Erpillo had a hand in helping Zamansky choose the small businessowners whose food is part of the box. Zamansky still hasn’t met any of them in person.
But there’s always next year.
“I can’t wait to be there at the fair next year,” he says. “I am so coming: as soon as COVID calms down.”
