Alameda County Fair Takes Fair Food to Next Level with First Annual 'SNACKDOWN' Competition

It’s a fact. From classic corndogs to deep-fried Twinkies, “crazy-good” food is one of the top reasons people love going to the Fair. 

This year, Alameda County Fair is taking “fair fare” to new heights with the first annual SNACKDOWN, a live, competitive event featuring food vendors and their newest creations.

Twelve finalists will compete for the titles of “Best Taste”, “Most Creative” and “Best Theme” (“Taste the Red, White & Blue”). 

From those winners, an overall “Grand Champion” will be named. 

KPIX’s “Foodie Chap”, Liam Mayclem, will host the event at the Fairgrounds’ Festival Square Stage on Tuesday, June 24 at 12pm.

A panel of esteemed Bay Area “foodie” judges will sample and score each entry to determine the  winners. Interested fans should also watch the Fair’s Facebook page for a chance to win a spot on the judging panel. 

“Each year, concessionaires customarily introduce creative new items to their 
menus and the SNACKDOWN is way to add some fun to the process, for both the sellers and the food fans”, said Judy Carrico, Fair Operations Manager at Alameda County Fair. “This will be a fun event. All of the finalists are greatand we look forward to seeing who takes the prizes”.

The Fair’s food vendors were invited to participate earlier this year. A first-round judging panel chose the top 12 from the submissions received. 

Contestants were allowed to enter as many items as they wished. Entries were evaluated individually and some contestants have more than one item in the final competition.

“SNACKDOWN Finalist” signs will be posted to food stands to help fans identify the contestant dishes they wish to try.

2014 SNACKDOWN Top 12 Finalists:

• World’s Hottest Ice Cream
• Spaghetti Ice Cream
• Anthony Verdome
• Cardinali Ice Cream

• Crisp Bacon Bowl Slider
• Molly Johnson
• Gastro Pub

• Pickle Dog
• Drunken Pickle Poppers 
• Get Pickled
• Nathan Janousak

• Deep Fried Grilled Cheese
• Deep Fried Peanut Butter Cup
• The Monster Dog
• Tom Stroud

• California Burrito
• Erica Quintero
• Pepe’s Mariscos

• Red, White & Blue Crepe
• Planet Popcorn/Planet Crepes
• Sharla Gandy-McBride
  

• Red, White & Blue Pizza
• Pizza by the Slice
• Jill Moyer

• Lobster Fries
• Sharky’s Fish Fry
• Don Delahoyde

• Macaroni & Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burger
• Stuffy’s Char Broiler
• Don Delahoyde

CONCESSIONAIRES EXTRAORDINAIRE

Look for these and dozens of other great food vendors at the 2014 Alameda 
County Fair:

• Juicy’s Grill: Burgers, Grilled Cheese, Chicken Sandwich, Sausage-on-a-Stick

• Funnel Cakes West: Fresh, homemade funnel cake with cream and fruit New: Breakfast Funnel Cake with powdered sugar, maple cream and bacon bits!

• Sharky’s Fish Fry: Fish & Chips, Lobster-on-a-Stick, Fried Veggies New: Lobster fries!

• Willamette Valley Pie Co.: Fresh Pies, Cobblers & Turnovers

• Pepe’s Mariscos part of Kaiser Healthy Picks Menu Options: Mexican Food, Fresh Seafood, Fish Tacos, Fresh Fruit New: California Burrito!

• Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls – New Vendor! Homemade Cinnamon Rolls & Cinnamon Bread

• Big Bubba’s Bad BBQ: BBQ Pork, Chicken & Beef, Tri Tip, Beans, Cole Slaw, Corn on the Cob

• Get Pickled - New Vendor! Pickle Dog, Drunken Pickle Poppers, Fried Pickle-on-a-Stick, Chips 

• Planet Popcorn / Planet Crepes: Fresh Popped Flavored Popcorn, Homemade Crepes

• New: Red, White & Blue Crepe!

• Cardinali’s Ice Cream: Ice Cream, Sundaes & more. New Spaghetti Ice Cream and World’s Hottest Ice Cream!

• Mrs. J’s Chocolate Pot: Chocolate-dipped Bananas, Ice Cream Bars & Cheesecake

• The Monster Dog : 18” Corn Dog (12” & 16” dogs, too), Hot Dogs & Burgers New – Deep Fried Grilled Cheese Sandwich!

• Gastro Pub: 17 different Sierra Nevada beers on tap & Farm-to-Table Menu New: Crisp Bacon Bowl Slider!

• Stuffy’s Char Broiler: Burgers, Hot Dogs, Salads. New: Macaroni & Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burger!

2014 Big O Tires Concert Series, 8pm nightly:

6/18 – Brett Eldredge (country)
6/19 – Eddie Money (classic rock)
6/20 – Shaggy (reggae fusion)
6/21 – Creedence Clearwater Revisited (classic rock)
6/22 – La Unica Sonora Santanera y Selena Tribute featuring Irene Davi 
(Latin/Tropical) (Tejano)
6/24 – Evolution (Journey tribute /classic rock)
6/25 – Con Funk Shun (R&B /funk)
6/26 – Coco Jones (Disney)
6/27 – Paul Rodriguez (comedy)
6/28 – JT Hodges (country)
6/29 – Tesla (rock)
7/1 – True 2 Crue (Motley Crue tribute / classic rock)
7/2 – Ashanti (contemporary R&B)
7/3 – America (folk rock)
7/4 – Blues Festival (multiple performers / blues) (1pm – 9pm)
7/5 – Building 429 (contemporary Christian)
7/6 - Night Ranger (classic rock)

2014 Alameda County Fair Information
Dates: June 18 – July 6 (Open Tuesday – Sunday)
Hours: 11am-11pm daily
Horse Racing: Thursday through Sunday, June 19-22, June 26-29, and July 
3-6

Big O Tires Concert Series: 8pm nightly, followed by fireworks & tribute video 
at 9:45pm in the Safeway Amphitheater
July 4th: Blues Festival, 1-9pm, Fireworks Spectacular, 9:45pm
Gate Admission*:

• Adults (13-61) $10
• Seniors (62+) $8
• Kids (6-12) $8
• Children under 6 – FREE

*Purchase in advance (before June 17) and save up to 33 percent

Special Pricing:

• Season Pass (admission for all 17 days) - $30
• Fun Pack (4 general admission tickets and 1 parking pass) - $30
• Special Days (special pricing ends at 5pm):
• Opening Day: June 18, $1 Admission & $1 Rides
• $2 Tuesdays: June 24 & July 1, $2 admission
• Seniors FREE Thursdays (62+) – June 19, June 27, & July 3
• Kids FREE Fridays (12 and under) – June 20, June 27, & July 4
• Feed the Need Food Drive & $1 Rides, benefitting Alameda County Food 
• Bank. (Bring 4 non-perishable food items and receive FREE admission)— June 25
• Military Appreciation, FREE Fair admission with valid Military ID - Daily

Follow the Alameda County Fair on Facebook.

Related fair articles on Patch:

• Alameda County Fair Promotes Education with Free Tickets for Elementary School Students
• How Can You Win Free Tickets to the Alameda County Fair?

—Information submitted by Alameda County Fair