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Andrew Zimmern’s Favorite Foods at the Minnesota State Fair

What to Eat at the Minnesota State Fair I like to stick with tradition when it comes to the State Fair, never passing up an opportunity for cheese curds, a foot-long hot dog, an ice cold 1919 root beer and a bucket of Sweet Martha’s cookies. Fair food doesn’t need to be, and probably shouldn’t…  Read More

Minnesota Honey Producers at the State Fair

Minnesota Honey Producers at the State Fair After you’ve had your cheese curd fix in the Food Building, make your way next door to the iconic octagon-shaped Agriculture & Horticulture Building for a scoop of honey ice cream and a quick lesson on beekeeping. There’s a large footprint dedicated to honey and honey products made…  Read More

Andrew Zimmern’s Minnesota State Fair Eating Strategy

Minnesota State Fair Eating Strategy There are a few simple rules when it comes to a successful day of eating at the fair. First, don’t overload on your deep-fried fantasies in the first hour. Go with friends so you can indulge in your favorite fair classics along with a couple new food items. Do a…  Read More

Mini Cinnamon Rolls at the Minnesota State Fair

The Story of Cinnie Smiths I always make a stop at Cinnie Smiths a priority. The cinnamon rolls are made in the booth from scratch right to order, with real butter, real cinnamon and real sugar. I’m getting hungry right now thinking about the gooey center of the warm cinnamon rolls, dipped in their homemade creamy…  Read More

The Story of the Gizmo Sandwich at the Minnesota State Fair

Gizmo Sandwiches at the Minnesota State Fair Carla Wood and her Gizmo sandwich embody everything I love about the fair. The Gizmo is a ground beef and Italian sausage sandwich covered in their secret red sauce, topped with melted mozzarella. Every sandwich is made on premise from scratch. It’s an edible torpedo of pleasure and my idea…  Read More

The Best Cheese Curds at the Minnesota State Fair

Mouth Trap Cheese Curds All cheese curds are not created equal, trust me. My go-to at the Minnesota State Fair is Mouth Trap inside the Food Building. What makes their product so perfect? Ellsworth cheese curds, fresh from the creamery, delivered daily—a total of 65,000 pounds of curds over the course of the 12 day…  Read More

Why Andrew Zimmern Loves the Minnesota State Fair

What is so great about the Minnesota State Fair? I’m sure you’ve heard me wax poetic about the food at the fair, but honestly, it’s the people that make me want to visit all 12 days. From the animal barns and seed art to bundt cakes and machinery hill, there’s much more to the fair…  Read More

Andrew Zimmern’s Top 5 Minnesota State Fair Foods

Top 5 Minnesota State Fair Foods My most frequently asked question has to be: “Andrew Zimmern, what is the best thing to eat at the Minnesota State Fair?” It’s a really tough question to answer, there are too many great options. Alas, I’ve tried to dwindle it down to a few items you should absolutely…  Read More

Minnesotans Take a Spectacular Seat at the Winter Table

The Great Northern is an annual celebration of Minnesota’s most iconic season—but you already know that. What’s so exciting about this year’s festival is the food component, and none are more tantalizing than the debut of the Winter Table. As part of the 10 day festival of outdoor food, arts, and activity, The Bachelor Farmer and Spoon…  Read More

The Great Northern Brings the Outdoor Party to Minnesota

We are the North. Let’s celebrate it. Northerners don’t apologize for winter—they embrace it. The Great Northern, a new collaborative winter experience founded by event leaders in the Twin Cities, has recently announced an exciting lineup of 10 days of outdoor winter dining events. It’s time to celebrate this place we call home (and the weather that comes with it).…  Read More

This Might Be the Best Deal at the Minnesota State Fair

Morning, Noon & Night at Tejas Express Located at the corner of Underwood Street and Dan Patch Avenue in The Garden, Tejas Express is an institution at the Minnesota State Fair. They’re serving restaurant quality food reminiscent of the Southwest-inspired menu at the original location, which closed in 2009 after whopping 22 successful years in…  Read More

The Best Bite at the Minnesota State Fair

The Best Thing I Ate Last Week By Andrew Zimmern I wait all year for the first foot long hot dog from my favorite booth. The first bite is a toe curler. The snap of the skin, the peppery frank, the well done caramelized onions and kraut. It’s simply the best bite of the year…  Read More

All the Food Worth Trying at the Minnesota State Fair

We tasted new food at the Minnesota State Fair – here’s our take. By AndrewZimmern.com Staff Tasked with sampling a slew of new foods at the State Fair, we skipped breakfast and headed out early Thursday morning with empty stomachs and open minds. There were pleasant surprises (maple bacon shaved ice!), a few safe bets (anything with…  Read More

Minnesota State Fair Scavenger Hunt

52 Things to Look for at the MN State Fair Looking for a fun way to explore the Minnesota State Fair this year? Try completing this State Fair scavenger hunt. Mullets, crazy tattoos, award-winning baked goods, celebrities, fair hair… if you can think of it, you can find it at the Great Minnesota Get-Together. So…  Read More

Andrew Zimmern’s Minnesota State Fair Food Guide

Where to Eat at the Minnesota State Fair I love the Minnesota State Fair so much that I try to go all 12 days. Every year there’s a list of new food booths, serving all types of novelty deep-fried on-a-stick creations, but I’m a traditionalist when it comes to state fair chow. What’s the key…  Read More

One of the Single Best Plates of Food in Minnesota

The Best Thing I Ate Last Week (And the Week Before That) By Andrew Zimmern Of all the great regional Chinese cuisines, Sichuan food has a special place in my heart. While we don’t have as many great Chinese restaurants as I would like in Minnesota, we do have a few that absolutely blow me…  Read More

A Minnesotan culinary experience celebrating Ferran Adrià

I’m writing to invite my fellow Minnesotans to a once in a lifetime opportunity for anyone who loves food. As previously reported, on Friday, October 9 the Minneapolis Institute of Art is welcoming Ferran Adrià, an innovator widely considered to be one of the world’s top chefs, his protégé and award-winning chef José Andrès, and yours truly for…  Read More

New Minnesota State Fair Foods For 2015

New Foods at the Minnesota State Fair The Great Minnesota Get-Together always makes room for a host of new foods to try. This year is no exception, with over 50 fresh eats to sample. Fans of Sriracha, ice cream, and everything deep-fried will have plenty to celebrate, so here’s the line up for 2015: [Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”15″ gal_title=”New Minnesota State Fair…  Read More

7 Mouthwatering Minnesota Food Festivals

Minnesota summers may be short, but we never take a sunny day for granted. We jam-pack June-September with events celebrating the food, drink, art and music that make Minnesota an amazing place to live. You probably already know that my favorite food festival on earth is the Minnesota State Fair. But there are several other…  Read More

7 Real-Deal, Farm-to-Table Minnesota Restaurants

Minnesota Restaurants Supporting Local Farms I love all four seasons, but there are few greater things in life than the first days of a Minnesota spring. We love celebrating another winter survived, and if you’re anything like me, food plays a huge role. I can’t wait until restaurants unveil their spring menus, teeming with fresh…  Read More

My Favorite Winter Festivals in Minnesota

Embrace the Cold A lot of people think I’m nuts when I tell them I live in Minnesota. Yeah, it’s cold here. However, the difference between Minnesotans and most other folks is that we embrace the cold. We ski, ice fish, skate and sled. We even still cook outdoors. We pack our weekends with loads…  Read More

25 Things We Learned at the Minnesota State Fair

Another State Fair Has Come and Gone. We do things a little differently here at Food Works HQs. Where to start? The time one of us devoted a full day’s work trying to source live crickets for a cooking demo? Or maybe the time one of us once opened a UPS box with a whole…  Read More

AZ’s Minnesota State Fair Scavenger Hunt

50 Things to Look for at the MN State Fair Looking for a fun way to explore the Minnesota State Fair? Try completing this State Fair scavenger hunt. Mullets, crazy tattoos, award-winning baked goods, celebrities, unintentional innuendos… if you can think of it, you can find it at the fair. So to liven things up,…  Read More

18 Must-Try Minnesota State Fair Foods

Where to Eat at the Great Minnesota Get-Together I love the Minnesota State Fair so much that I try to go all 12 days. Every year there’s a list of new food booths, serving every type of novelty deep-fried and on-a-stick creations, but when it comes down to it, half of the food sales comes…  Read More

New Minnesota State Fair Foods

New State Fair Foods for 2014 Every year there’s a host of new foods at the Great Minnesota Get-Together, and while the imaginative deep-fried-on-a-stick creations can be hit or miss, sometimes the shear novelty is worth shelling out a few bucks to try. Without further ado, here’s the line up for 2014:   Photographs courtesy…  Read More

Only in Minnesota

#OnlyinMN I’m constantly traveling around the world, but there is no place I would rather be than my home state, Minnesota. What makes the land of 10,000 lakes so great? Check out just some of my favorites things to do only in Minnesota. MINNESOTA STATE FAIR I love the Minnesota State Fair so much that I try…  Read More

Go Fork Yourself: Minnesota State Fair 2012

Minnesota State Fair 2012 The Great Minnesota Get-Together Andrew and Molly go on a field trip to the Minnesota State Fair. They talk fair food, butter queens and Ye Old Mill. This episode is filled with fun snippets from the fair including interviews with Martha Rossini Olson from Sweet Martha’s Cookies and Carla Wood from…  Read More

Go Fork Yourself: Minnesota State Fair 2012

Minnesota State Fair 2012 The Great Minnesota Get-Together Andrew and Molly go on a field trip to the Minnesota State Fair. They talk fair food, butter queens and Ye Old Mill. This episode is filled with fun snippets from the fair including interviews with Martha Rossini Olson from Sweet Martha’s Cookies and Carla Wood from…  Read More

Passport Hospitality

Passport Hospitality Andrew Zimmern is the CEO and founder Passport Hospitality, a restaurant and food retail development company that provides consulting services and creates unique culinary concepts inspired by his travels. Passport Hospitality delivers original, authentic culinary concepts inspired by our travels to restaurants and markets. We provide project consulting and full-service restaurant development, managing…