Famous Death Row Last Meals
PHOTOS: 7 Foods You'll Be Eating In The Future
Photo: Texas Fried Frito Pie
Some compared it to a rookie winning the Super Bowl MVP when three culinary novices swept the Best Taste award at the sixth annual Big Tex Choice Awards yesterday.
The creators of Texas Fried Frito Pie beat out the competition to take the prize at the Texas State Fair, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The team was made up of Michael Thomas, the originator, Richard Roznowski, the motivator and Jeffrey Lovel, the facilitator, all of whom had a hand in creating the Texas Fried Frito Pie -- balls of cheese and chili rolled in corn chips and then battered and deep fried -- and getting it to the fair.
"We're all big time fair-goers. I probably go six or seven times a year, which for a 3 week fair is a lot. We'd been looking for a classic fair food that hadn't been done fried, and Frito pie just made sense," Lovell told Slashfood.
The trio tried many brands of chili, chips and cheese before settling on Texas Chili Company's chili and a "basic" cheese and chip, Lovell said. "We combine the chili and the cheese and then we surround it in chips and then we freeze it and then we batter it and fry it."
They spent about six months on the recipe, the Morning News reported. "We had to increase our exercise considerably," Roznowski told the paper. Neighbors were asked to taste-test along the way, Lovell said.
To get the pie in the hands of fair-goers, Lovell turned to family friend Nick Bert, whose family has had a fair concession stand since 1919. The Texas Fried Frito Pie can be purchased at Bert Concessions throughout the fair, Sept. 24 to Oct. 17.
In addition to becoming the best tasting food at the fair, beating out both sweet and savory deep fried treats like Fried Beer -- which won the Creativity Award -- Lovell said the group intends to market the product for wider distribution at stadiums and music venues.
"It's good stadium food and it's really good fair food," he said. "It's one of those things where you want to keep getting it... I don't think its going to be a one-year, pique-your-interest fair food."
How does it feel to have the best tasting food at the state fair?
"It was great. One of the best feelings in the world. Not quite as high up on the list as getting married or having a kid, but its a pretty cool feeling," Lovell told Slashfood.
PHOTOS: Tornado Aftermath Leaves Trail Of Destruction
Live from Microsoft's New Generation Xbox event!
PHOTOS: This Is The Best Response To Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries We've Seen Yet
Xbox Reveal liveblog on Joystiq
Dozens Killed in Oklahoma Tornado; Death Toll to Rise
Who Won 'DWTS'?
Justin Bieber Booed, Gets Standing Ovation at Billboard Music Awards
2013 Billboard Music Awards Best and Worst Dressed
JODI ARIAS WANTS LIFE
Watch: Kansas Meteorologist Seeks Shelter From Tornado
Xbox One architecture panel liveblog!
Rescuers Continue Search For Tornado Survivors
Two Pilots Fired After Brazilian Pop Star Takes Captain's Seat Mid-Flight
Selena Gomez Leaving Justin Bieber's House: Booty Call Rumors Swirl
WATCH: Mom's Emotional Reunion With Son After Tornado
Tornadoes Strike Oklahoma
WATCH: Tornado Victim Finds Dog During CBS Interview
Grossed Out Student Finds "Worm" In His McMuffin
Wolf Blitzer's Embarrassing Moment With Tornado Survivor
Oklahoma Senators Face Difficult Options On Disaster Relief
PHOTOS: Tornado Devastates Moore, Oklahoma
CBS Pulls 'Mike & Molly' Tornado-Set Finale
15 Incredible Cat Photobombs
Justin Bieber BOOED While Accepting Award
Mila Kunis And Ashton Kutcher Put Their Romance On Display
LOOK: The 14 Most Endangered Heritage Sites In Europe
LOOK: Aishwarya Rai Stuns At Cannes
PHOTOS: Tornadoes Wreak Havoc On Central U.S.
WATCH: Tornadoes Rip Through Central U.S.
Student Expelled, Charged With Felonies For Same-Sex Relationship
PHOTOS: Stars Shine On The 2013 Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet
9-09-2010 @10:14AM Michelle said... "... I don't think its going to be a one-year peak your interest fair food."
Who edited this? It should be "pique," not "peak." In fact, it should actually be, "pique-your-interest" because those three words are combined to form an adjective.
Reply
9-09-2010 @2:09PM OOPHIE said... It's all horrible. How about "In addition to becoming the best tasting food at the fair, beating out both sweet and savory deep fried treats like Fried Beer -- which won the Creativity Award -- Lovell said..." -- So "Lovell" was the best tasting food at the Fair.....which is also not capitalized. And there were two sweet and savory treats? Pathetic writing about worse-sounding food!
9-09-2010 @2:57PM maxiesmom067 said... Oh for pity's sake! Get over yourselves! It's a silly little fluff piece about artery-clogging, fried weirdness! Nobody likes an annoying little perfectionist. You two don't have much of a social life, do you?
9-09-2010 @2:35PM Justcomet said... Okay to the two of you Oophie and Michelle. . .what the heck does anything you said have to do with this article?? Nothing, but a chance for you to degrade someone you don't even know, says a lot about you.
Reply
9-09-2010 @3:03PM joeomar said... They are denigrating (not "degrading") the author and editors of this piece, who are in the writing profession. People whose job is to produce written materials DESERVE to be criticized if they can't write properly. Proper writing skills are the MINIMAL requirement for being a reporter or editor.
9-09-2010 @4:18PM Teri said... I think 'degrading' works too. I also think the topic of creating outrageous fried food is funny.
9-10-2010 @12:09AM lita said... joeomar--you are so right. We are becoming more and more tolerable of poor basic English skills, incredibly, to the point where the worst slang and laziness seems to be leeching its way into more formal forms of writing and speech . Recently, I recently saw a news story that about institutions that allow the use of a spell checker on writing tests. This is idiotic. There are too many situations where the use of software to check spilling is not available. (
9-09-2010 @5:25PM vic1665 said... Deep Fried morons, now that's something to pique- your-interest!
Reply
9-09-2010 @5:28PM John F.C. Taylor said... I don't care how much publicity this gets. The Englishman rinning the fish and chips shop in a NY burrough was first with deep frying something other than chicken. I'd like to try the deep fried pizza if I ever get to his place.
Reply
9-09-2010 @6:40PM Bobby said... YUM. You Northerners Do Not Know What You Are Missing. Nothing like Frito Pie with plenty of Fritos, Wolf Brand Chili, Lots of Melted Cheddar Cheese and Topped of With Lots Of Sliced Spicy Jalapeno Peppers. Layer On Layer. NOW BATTERED AND FRIED....OOOWWWWW!!!!!!!......
Reply
9-09-2010 @9:44PM barbara said... sound good i would like to make it can i have repiece
Reply
9-09-2010 @8:05PM Josh said... Six months working on a recipe to come up with canned chili. Couldn't make their own chili?
Reply
11-05-2010 @12:01AM Jackie said... I am interested in becoming a food vendor at the Fair. Is there an application procedure? Any kind of legal requirements such as a food license, etc? How much rent for a space? Are foods that are NOT fried welcomed to participate?
Reply