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Heart-Clogging Foods At The PNE This Summer

While the Pacific National Exhibition may be known to most of you for their free concert nights, SuperDogs or Piggy races (one of my personal favourites), the star of the fair has to be the food.

RELATED: 19 Wild Things To Eat At The PNE This Summer

This summer, many familiar food truck faces come together with some new, interesting bites that may just make your heart stop – luckily mine is still ticking after eating all of these deep fried treats!

Heart-Clogging Foods At The PNE This Summer

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Deep Fried Pickle Corn Dog

Chicky’s Chicken is the creator of this slimy devil! Scott and Karlye Dennis own 13 concession stands that offer up a variety of food, yet this one was a home run with customers. It’s a hollowed pickle stuffed with a hot dog, then covered in batter and fried. Coming from someone who doesn’t particularly like pickles, I quite enjoyed the change up from the classic dog on a stick.

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Mac and Cheese Stuffed Burger

It’s as good as it sounds. This has to be one of my favourite creations at the fair this year. Think of a juicy burger patty (from locally sourced meat) that when you take the first bite, Mac and Cheese oozes out of it. Handmade Burgers whips up some creative beauties this fair, so be sure to visit Jason Au and his family for one of their specialties.

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Slumdog Millionaire Mac and Cheese

I love a good pun – or a fun take on a movie name cleverly used as a name for a new foodie invention. In this case, Reel Mac and Cheese hit the jackpot with their version of Bollywood-style Mac. Suzanne and Perry Poudrier transform their classic seven cheese mac and cheese by adding curry, peas and crispy onions. To give mine an extra kick, I drizzled on some Sriracha sauce.

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Chicken Teriyaki Perogies

New to the fair, Ryan Carlos brings his fabulous food truck, International Perogies. He focuses on bringing you around the world simply by taking a bite out of a Ukrainian staple item. Each item on the list will definitely be a hit: his perogies are cooked perfectly with ingredients that showcase different countries to the dime. I tasted the Chicken Teriyaki Perogies – pudgy little perogies topped with a crispy chicken tender, teriyaki sauce, sriracha mayo, seaweed crisps and green onions.

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Oreo Churros

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of the classic churro. But if you fill them with cream and cover them in Oreo goodness, they taste a whole lot better than the original. This has to be one of the best churros I’ve ever had! Owner Stephen Ford owns Steve O’s, which also serves up Deep Fried Tequila Shot Bites. No clothes will be coming off from these tequila nuggets though, don’t worry.

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Deep Fried Coffee

Are you starting to see a trend here? Deep fried seems to be popular this summer at the fair, and I can see why! Lorne Beckett of Ogopogo Concessions is new to the PNE and brings along a fabulous dessert worth checking out. These treats are cake bites dunked in coffee, then fried up to perfection. Choose from a variety of toppings, including: Mocha Chip, Salted Caramel, French Vanilla, Cream and Sugar, and my fave, Espresso Flake.

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Hercules Burger

The name does not do this puppy justice – nor does the photo! Gourmet Burgers has flipped patties for 15 years at the fair, and this year they’ve traded in a regular flipper for a pizza-sized one. The Jone’s family is known for their insane burger creations, so it’s no surprise that this 10 pound burger (12 pounds with the bun) made it’s debut this summer. It takes one hour to cook, but can feed up to 15 people! It’s literally the monster of all burgers.

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Perogies

Sure the name doesn’t have fancy ring to it, but Hunky Bill’s sure knows how to make a mean plate of perogies. I fell in love with Bill Konyk, the sweet, 85-year-old who started it all. He won a $10 bet in 1967 that he could get a booth to start selling his perogies, and the rest is history. Bill still dawns an apron every fair and works his prized booth. His homemade Ukrainian style perogies are simple, yet packed full of flavour with sauted onions, sour cream and sausage to pair alongside them.

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If you’re feeling flossy, order up some Bacon Flavoured Candy Floss! Warning: Must love bacon.

These are just a select few of the food options available this summer at the fair. And although the food definitely is amazing, the best part is that each of these trucks has a story to tell. Whether they are run by an entire family, or by a cute old man who won a bet, they all remind us that food truly can bring people together.

If you plan to visit the PNE this summer, take a moment to really appreciate the owners and their creations – even if they will clog your heart!

 

Photos by: Rory Coomey

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