Taste-testing at the fair: Check out these finds

Inspire Health & Wellness LLC’s steak bites with veggies

Inspire Health & Wellness, LLC
Steak bites w/veggies $16
Chocolate Dipped
Cheesecake on a Stick $5
The stir-fry was a generous and colorful portion with steak, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, red peppers and broccoli. It was very fresh and crunchy and a nice healthy food choice at the fair.
The frozen cheesecake on a stick is a delicious and creamy dessert option. It’s chocolate covered and has that delicious graham cracker crust, too!
Who loved this the best: Deb Steinfeldt, County Fair Board member, loved the cheesecake. Who says you can’t eat dessert first!

Inspire Health & Wellness LLC’s Chocolate Dipped Cheesecake on a Stick

Tina Gaffer, owner, out of Pemberton, is a certified life, diet and wellness coach that lost 100 pounds over 15 years ago and has continued to keep the weight off. She converted from a commercial kitchen to a food trailer during COVID. Her food trailer promotes wellness and healthy eating options, which are hard to find at a county fair. She does 100-plus events per season, including breweries, wineries, rallies, festivals and caters private events. She also specializes in brick oven pizza (with a cauliflower crust option). Stop at her trailer and ask her about it!

Taco King’s burrito, fiesta nachos and soft shell tacos

Taco King
Soft shell tacos (beef and shredded chicken) $4
Burrito $10
Fiesta Nachos $10
Check out the local fare of tacos, nachos and burritos. The tacos and burritos have a good quality tortilla and are served with fresh salsa and the option for sour cream on the side. The nachos are classic and are an excellent choice to grab for that sit-down meal or as you go into the Grandstand for the show.
Who loved this the best: We all loved the freshness of these options!
The Taco King has been coming to the Freeborn County Fair for about 15 years. Along with the two restaurants that they operate in Albert Lea, they go to four fairs over the summer and do numerous catering events. They love the interaction with all the people. If you have been to one of their restaurants, you know they have an extensive menu; however, at the fair they offer about one-fourth of it.

Praeliza Fusion Kitchen’s Buttered Chicken RIce Bowl, Pesto Gnocchi, Reina Pedia and Strawberry Nutella Crepe

Praeliza Fusion Kitchen
Buttered Chicken Rice Bowl $10
Pesto Gnocchi $12
Reina Pedia $15 (includes drink)
Strawberry Nutella Crepe $10

The Buttered Chicken Rice Bowl was very savory and had a little bit of spice from a curry flavor. The Gnocchi was absolutely delicious, and there was a burst of fresh flavor immediately. The Reina Pedia was an interesting combination of Tandori chicken, watermelon, mango salsa, guacamole and homemade bread and it worked! The Strawberry Nutella Crepe is a light dessert that’s a perfect compliment to any of the above (or just on its own).
All the portions were generous with lots of flavors, good balance and freshness galore!
Who loved this the best: Cindy Golbuff, Sarah Stultz and Lisa Foley were all big fans!
This is the second year that Praeliza Fusion Kitchen has been at the Freeborn County Fair. They also go to several additional county fairs in Minnesota and do many private events. The truck is run by husband-and-wife team Praveen Raj and Elizabeth Braun. He has been a chef for 15 plus years and is living his dream (full time) of fusing his specialties of Italian/American, Latin, Middle Eastern and Indian Fusion cuisine. Our suggestion: share a couple of dishes with someone so you can try more than one thing! Do not let the “uniqueness” scare you. Everything is delicious!

The Big Cheese’s Jerk Chicken Grilled Cheese

The Big Cheese
Jerk Chicken Grilled Cheese $12 (served with fries, add $2 for the poutine)
The sandwich consisted of boneless chicken, Caribbean spice, Jerk barbecue sauce and two slices of American cheese on Texas toast. It’s a perfect combination that saves all the flavor until the end when it packs a powerful punch. The Canadian Loaded Fries were crinkle cut fries covered “poutine” style with gravy and cheese curds.
Who loved this the best: Ayanna Eckblad loved the bread (but seriously, everything that was on that bread was so good!)
These vendors hail from Orlando as they are doing the reverse snowbird thing as they try to avoid the Florida heat (although they are finding that it is hot and humid here, too). They have a full-time food truck in Florida, and it is run as a family business. Their menu offers different kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches along with a few non-dairy options as well. They have been in Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota so far for county fairs. This is their ninth county fair this year. They were at the Worth County Fair where someone tasted their food and invited them to the Freeborn County Fair.

Smokin’ Bros BBQ’s Loaded Fries and Brisket Sundae

Smokin’ Bros BBQ
Loaded Fries $11
Brisket Sundae $10
Hand-cut French fries loaded with cheese, award winning homemade barbecue sauce and pulled pork. Yes, please! The sauce is smoky and deep and literally mouthwatering. It’s hard to get enough (even though the portion is generous!)
The Brisket Sundae is mac-n-cheese topped with brisket. The cup that it is served in says “Hot & Fresh” and it truly is! The Brisket Sundae is definitely “kid friendly” and adults will love it, too.
Who loved this the best: Val Kvale and Michelle Rasmussen
Smokin’ Bros BBQ spent seven years in a food trailer at the fair, and now they have a permanent stand. What started out as a hobby has become a family run business (parents, kids, grandkids) with lots of weekend events, catering and the county fair. They stay busy all year long. Their specialty is their ribs. At the fair, they start serving them at 5 p.m. and they are usually gone within an hour or two!

Bruno’s corndog

Bruno’s Corndogs
Corn dog $5
Bruno’s Corn dogs are famous around Albert Lea. They are a must have item when going to the fair.
Even people who typically don’t eat hot dogs enjoyed a Bruno’s corn dog. The batter is different from that of a “regular” corn dog and holds its crisp texture very well. In fact, it was said that some locals will only eat Bruno’s corn dogs.
Bruno’s Corn dog’s owner, Jeremy Brue, said the business has been open since 1977. He works the food truck full time and has an event in the area about every weekend.

Goodface Indian Taco’s Indian Taco

Goodface Indian Tacos
Indian Taco $12
This was a unique take on a familiar favorite. The Indian taco consisted of a sweet, bread-like base topped with seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa and sour cream with pickled jalapenos on the side. They were a big hit. Having the pickled jalapenos on the side was great because those who did not want a lot of spice could avoid it fairly easily. It was just familiar enough that it could be recognized as a taco without it falling into the basic taco category.
The owner, Korrissa Bordeaux, has brought Indian tacos to the Freeborn County Fair for 13 years. This is a part-time job for her, and she usually brings her food truck to three to four events a year. Among some of these events are Indian horse races and powwows. She also does graduation parties.

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