A Love of Fairs

People always ask me why I am passionate about the State Fair of Texas. My love of fairs started at the Erie County Fair in Buffalo, NY. My parents let me join the local 4-H club, which was mostly about cooking and household topics.

Food Competitions at the Erie County Fair

I loved entering the demo competitions and did well, but my heart was always in the barns with the horses. When my parents finally gave in and let me join one of the horse clubs, my first competition (and my first date!) was at the Erie County Fair. This was indeed the start of my Lifestylist® Brand and the foundation of what has helped me succeed to this day in business and life.

I still competed in the 4-H culinary and arts competitions. I can still set a pretty good tabletop, and I love setting a beautiful table in my model homes. The confidence I received from having to present and cook in front of a crowd of people in 4-H probably is one of the reasons I love to speak and do demonstrations now.

My memories of being free to explore the fairgrounds with my friends and to hang out between classes are some of the best memories of my life.

The tradition continued after I moved to Texas with my kids and grandkids. My daughter inherited my love of horses, and I became part of the "pony patrol" parents in the stands cheering their kids and friends on. My grandkids and nephew loved to compete in the kid's cooking classes.

Sam Davis with his State Fair of Texas Award Winning Fortune Cookies

Sam was a natural, winning a second-place ribbon for his fortune cookies the first time out! I have been entering and judging in the cooking competitions ever since.

My first State Fair of Texas Blue Ribbon!

Winning my first blue ribbon in the cooking contests was life-changing. It happened on the day that Oprah was also at the fair. I won a blue with my salted caramels and gave some samples to one of her handlers riding with her. I always like to think she tried them and liked them as much as the judges did! It will always be one of my favorite cooking stories.

In the heart of it all - The State Fair of Texas Celebrity Kitchen

It has been years since the celebrity and competition kitchens at the State Fair of Texas have been renovated. A few years ago, after "Snowgeddeon," the Creative Arts building had power troubles that fried (pun intended) some of the appliances and damaged others. When I heard about this a few weeks before the fair started, I called my friends at Beko for help. Beko is an appliance company that stands for many things that the State Fair also believes in. Protecting the environment, sustainability, and a healthier planet with less food waste is becoming more critical to all of us.

Celebrity Chef Janice Provost using the Beko HarvestFresh Refrigerator in the State Fair of Texas Celebrity Kitchen

They were terrific and saved the day by bringing in and installing one of their innovative new HarvestFresh® refrigerators and a CornerIntense® dishwasher days before the fair started.

The State Fair of Texas Celebrity Kitchen

Thanks to them, the 96 celebrity chefs could do their demos to thousands of excited fairgoers and will continue to do so this year as well. This year Sunnye Knight who is the guardian angel of the celebrity kitchen, shared that 45% of this year’s chefs are women, and 33% are people of color. I’m also excited to share that my favorite Top Chef (and client) Tiffany Derry, will be one of the chefs that you will get to watch cook their favorite dishes and sample at the end of the presentation!

The State Fair of Texas Competition Kitchen

On October 3, the Creative Arts kitchens will host the 4-H National Food Challenge. It would be impossible to get these kitchens completely redone by then, but I am hoping that Beko or some other appliance companies will step up and adopt these kitchens with me to show the

4-Hers and the 3 million plus other attendees of the fair why everything is bigger and better in Texas. This has become my passion project, and I want to give other kids, cooks, and families a chance to create memories like mine.

Last year South Dallas - the area around the fair nonprofits received $576,000 through the State Fair Grant and Sponsorship program.

Youth Livestock Competitors at the State Fair of Texas

This year will be the 75th Annual Big Tex Youth Livestock Auction for 4-H and FFA youth exhibitors. The kids invited to participate in this life-changing event have earned the top honors in their respective categories. The fair has awarded over $30 million in auction awards and scholarships through this program. Last year was record-breaking; almost $2 million was raised, with the prize-winning steer going for $130,000. Imagine the difference that will make in Aven Horn, a 4-Her from Jones County's life. It was great to see a woman winning as well!

The Greenhouse at the State Fair of Texas

Because of the State Fair of Texas and its vendor's commitment to minimizing food waste, after the fair closes, the food and beverage concessionaires donate unused and leftover food to the local food banks and shelters as part of their State Fair Cares Initiative. The Big Tex Urban Farms greenhouse, where fresh produce is grown on the fairgrounds, also contributes to this Big Tex-sized event.

I'm hoping this will make more of you as excited about the State Fair of Texas as I am, and I'm always available to give you a Lifestyle tour and share my favorite foods. If you know anyone willing to put a new sparkle in the Creative Arts kitchens, please feel free to reach out, and I will get you with the right people to make it happen.

A Fletcher’s Corny Dog and a Cold Drink at the State Fair of Texas

See you at the fair!

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