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Wendel's BBQ Products won the Blue Ribbon Bites Food Competition on Thursday at the Mercer County Fair for their BBQ parfait shown deconstructed here.
CELINA - A towering concoction of mash potatoes, baked beans and pulled pork topped off with mac and cheese won over a panel of judges on Thursday afternoon, making Wendel's BBQ Products the Blue Ribbon Bites Food Competition champion.
The coveted Mercer County Fair Blue Ribbon Bites best food trophy.
The Fort Recovery vendor on the opening day of the 172nd Mercer County Fair claimed a trophy in the form of a portly baker and $100 in cash.
The third annual Blue Ribbon Bites competition is like the opening ceremony of a culinary Olympics, highlighting the diverse and delectable food offerings available over the course of a week from 30-plus vendors at the fair. A survey conducted in 2022 found the No. 1 reason respondents come to the fair is the food, followed by livestock entries, according to fair marketing director Rachel Ungruhn.
"This is probably the second year that we've had a waiting list for vendors to come in," she said. "We have people all the way from Florida here that are vendors."
Judges Derrick Kuhn, a chef at Romer's Catering St. Henry; JoAnne Alig, owner and cook at Pub 49 Bar & Grill; and Ryan Guggenbiller, a St. Henry fair food enthusiast, gave the BBQ parfait served in a large styrofoam cup rave reviews.
Wendel's BBQ Products won the Blue Ribbon Bites Food Competition on Thursday at the Mercer County Fair with its BBQ parfait, shown here before scooping out of a styrofoam cup.
"Every single layer of that was done very well and they did complement one another beautifully," Alig gushed.
The judges noted that each layer in itself was delicious, too. Quite simply, the parfait encapsulates what fair food is becoming - different, fun and 100% outside of the box, Kuhn asserted.
Guggenbiller called it "BBQ's version of a walking taco."
"Instead of getting a sandwich at the fair, you get an entire meal inside of a cup," he said.
Kuhn, a chef who said he's spent 80% of his life in the hospitality and culinary industries, working catering, high-volume, low-volume and intimate dinner settings alike, concurred.
"You can walk with it and you can enjoy it while the kids are on a ride or if you come down to the beer tent, have a Tailspin, have like three Wally Posts and one of those. I think I'd be OK. I might not do anything the rest of the fair," he said.
"If this is not fair food, I don't know what is," Ungruhn added.
Coming in second place at the Mercer County Fair's Blue Ribbon Bites Food Competition was a batch of cinnamon bites made by last year's Blue Ribbon winner, Homestead Cinnamon Rolls of Colon, Michigan.
Coming in second place was a batch of cinnamon bites made by last year's Blue Ribbon winner, Homestead Cinnamon Rolls of Colon, Michigan. The vendor won $50.
The judges were taken with the bite-sized pasties drizzled with caramel. The overall consensus: scrumptious, portable and sharable - and not messy, like a traditional cinnamon roll.
"Just the way that they taste and the texture, to me, it doesn't seem like this is a bought-and-frozen type product," Kuhn said. "They're probably rolling out the dough … and they're frying it up."
"I've got four kids," Guggenbiller said. "We will be back up here tomorrow morning to get that because they can each grab two or there cinnamon roll bites and that's breakfast for them. It's quick, easy and easy to share, and it was very good."
Coming in third place at the Mercer County Fair's Blue Ribbon Bites Food Competition was a whole hog sausage, egg and cheese sandwich dished up by Buckland Bistro.
The third place winner was a whole hog sausage, egg and cheese sandwich dished up by Buckland Bistro. Kuhn said it was a really good breakfast sandwich to start out a day at the fair, adding he would like to splash some hot sauce on it.
"I felt like that was an extremely good value and the sausage was nicely seasoned," Alig said.
Kuhn was amazed at the sandwich's price tag.
"That's $6? That's awesome!" he said.
The judges scored each sample based on presentation/eye appeal, uniqueness/creativity, color and texture, aroma and taste, temperature, degree of difficulty and over-all presentation.
In addition to being a cook, Alig said she brought the perspective of a weeklong fairgoer eating daily at the fair. She noted her family has been involved with the fair for many years, showing animals and projects.
"But we're also camper goers, so many of us as camper goers appreciate the home-cooked food," she said. "There's a lot of people that love to wake up and go have breakfast at the Grange."
Kuhn, too, acknowledged the importance and appeal of fair food staples.
"You've got to have the Grange Hall and they've got to be doing their burgers, they've got to be doing their chicken sandwiches," he said.
At the same time, Kuhn also has to keep on searching out new taste experiences.
"If I'm not actively challenging myself to make new things or test new things or look at new things, I'm not doing my job as a chef and carrying Romer's where they need to be on the next level," he said.
Whatever kind of food locals are craving, they're bound to find it at the Mercer County Fair.
"Everybody comes out here and they are doing their best and they're killing it, no matter what they tackle," Kuhn said. "I think that's what's fun about the fair and that's what it's supposed to be about, fair food."
