Attending the Maryland State Fair is an annual tradition for many families within the state and surrounding areas. When you think of state fairs, you probably start thinking about the food — corn dogs, funnel cakes and other fried delights. While you can find all of that at the fair, veteran attendees know the best place to find state delicacies that the whole family will enjoy, and at a reasonable price, is at the Maryland Foods Pavilion.
The Maryland Foods Pavilion began about 40 years ago in a green army tent in the Midway area of the fair. It was the brainchild of folks at the state Department of Agriculture who thought it would be good to have Maryland producers representing their various commodity groups — fruits and vegetables, pork, lamb, turkey, chicken, beef and seafood.
Maryland Foods Pavilion Director, Stan Dabkowski, was one of the first producers brought into this project and continues to represent the state’s fruit and vegetable growers. He was joined by producers representing the other commodities. Each producer featured a food item highlighting their commodity and helped fair attendees learn more about not only the products coming from within the state, but also about their producers. In an effort to drive business to the Maryland Foods Pavilion, they committed to keeping prices competitive or better than those found in the concessions throughout the main fairgrounds.
Today, the pavilion is filled with various vendors that continue to represent the state, with about 90% of all that’s grown and sold coming directly from Maryland. They are also very strict about food quality. The result — fresh, delicious, and local options sure to delight every fairgoer.
Beloved by both fair organizers and visitors, the Maryland Foods Pavilion has become a high point for the fair. Among the fan favorites are the pit beef sandwiches, fresh peach sundaes and “Pork Sundaes.”
Kurt Krouse and his family have run the pork booth since 2005, and together, they developed the famous Pork Sundae. With a base of sweet cornbread topped with smoked pulled pork barbecue, house-made coleslaw and a cute barbecue sauce drizzle that looks just like strawberry syrup on a traditional sundae. “The sundae is well over a pound of food,” Kurt says.
The pork booth is a family endeavor with Kurt’s wife, daughter and two grandkids working alongside of him. The family works together on recipe development. During the fair, Kurt’s granddaughter works the register, his grandson helps him with food preparation and his wife and daughter pitch in when anything else needs to be done.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to be a part of the Maryland Foods Pavilion, representing the state of Maryland,” Kurt says. “Every vendor in the pavilion helps each other out, and it’s like a big family.”
Some of the highlights of the Maryland Foods Pavilion include:
- Lamb barbecue and shaved leg of lamb
- Pit beef sandwiches and burgers
- Pork Sundaes
- Turkey drumsticks and snacks
- Smoked half chicken with sides
- Crabcakes
- Fresh peach sundaes
- Giant corn fritter and corn on the cob
Hungry for more? Come on out to the Maryland State Fair and visit the Maryland Foods Pavilion. Read more about ag education at the fair.
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