Schmidt's toasts 110 years at Ohio State Fair with cream-puff giveaway

Schmidt's Sausage Haus is celebrating 110 years of bringing authentic German cuisine to the Ohio State Fair with a pretty sweet deal.

If you're among the first 110 lucky patrons to visit Schmidt's inside the fairgrounds beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday, opening day of the fair, you'll receive a voucher for a free cotton-candy cream puff . The voucher will be redeemable at any Schmidt's location throughout the fair.

In addition to the restaurant, Schmidt's will have two outdoor sites where fairgoers can claim their complimentary cream puffs: one on 17th Avenue at the northeast corner of Bricker MarketPlace and the other on 11th Avenue near the big OHIO gate.

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Created specifically for the fair, the new confection consists of the classic Schmidt's cream-puff pastry that fairgoers have loved for generations and a light, fluffy cloud of cotton candy-flavored filling.

This is the second year that Schmidt's has collaborated with the fair to introduce an exclusive flavor. Schmidt's invited a team of 40 members from the Ohio State Fair & Expo Center for a taste test and voting, with cotton candy emerging as the clear favorite, according to Andy Schmidt, CEO of Schmidt’s Sausage Haus.

“Last year, we created the lemon shake-up cream puff to sell exclusively at the fair and it was a big hit. This year, we tested several creations, and the cotton-candy cream puff was the overwhelming winner," Schmidt said in a press release. "We are excited to add a fun, new flavor to our rich Ohio State Fair tradition.”

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During more than a century at the Ohio State Fair, Schmidt’s has sold upward of 920,000 cream puffs to hungry fairgoers. The oldest vendor at the fair, Schmidt's also is the oldest family-owned and continuously operated food stand at a state fair in the United States.

bpaschal@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Schmidt's toasts 110 years at Ohio State Fair with cream-puff giveaway