Fletcher’s has transformed the humble nerdy dog into a multi-generational family business, serving more than 500,000 people each year.
DALLAS — Every fall, the State Fair of Texas transforms into America’s test kitchen for the fried imagination, where fried cheesecakes, bacon-wrapped creations and gravity-defying desserts compete for visitors’ attention.
But behind these extravagant dishes are months of recipe testing, thousands of dollars of development and a competition that can turn a family recipe into a viral sensation — and give a small business a major boost.
The Big Tex Choice Awards, held before the fair opens, give vendors the opportunity to showcase their most creative concoctions and earn a coveted spot among the year’s must-have foods. This year, 77 entrants competed for four coveted titles, many of which were the result of months of testing and tinkering before the judges took their first bite.
“It’s not something you can jump into at the last minute,” Melanie Linnear, senior vice president of concessions for the State Fair of Texas, told Fox News Digital. “You have to have a plan.”
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Josie May Nevins is among the food vendors who help fuel the State Fair of Texas’ reputation for inventive and extravagant fair food. (Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital/Fox News)
For Josie Nevins Mays, that meant spending about three months and going through about seven recipes before landing on Nevin’s Soft Serve Peach Bellini Float, a boozy peach soft serve finished with sparkling wine.
One of the challenges was getting the alcohol-infused mixture to freeze while maintaining the creamy consistency she wanted.
“I wanted it to be perfect,” Nevins Mays told Fox News Digital. “I wanted real, creamy soft serve ice cream.”
The work earned Nevins Mays her fifth finalist appearance in six years since entering the competition – an achievement she says can be transformative for dealers, even without winning a trophy.
“It’s truly life-changing for us dealers to enter the competition and benefit from the publicity that is available to us,” she said.
Dwania Morris created Sunset Soft Serve Rita, a finalist in the Sipper category at the 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards at the State Fair of Texas. (Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital/Fox News)
Fellow vendor Dwaina Morris started even earlier, experimenting at last year’s fair with what eventually became the Sunset Soft Serve Rita — a strawberry-mango margarita topped with vanilla soft-serve ice cream and finished with Tajín, chamoy and a warm Tajín honey topping.
It took about 10 tries to get it right, but for Morris, reaching the final means the work can pay off even before a winner is crowned. The finalists and their creations are featured in the materials available to visitors, helping to drive customers directly to their stands.
“It draws people to your booth because they want to see what it looks like,” Morris told Fox News Digital.
Veteran dealer Isaac Rousso entered this year’s competition with Rousso’s Bacon Jam Caramel Apple Hard Cider, a hard cider blending flavors of apple, caramel, cinnamon sugar and smoked bacon jam.
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Rousso’s Concessions is a veteran of the State Fair of Texas culinary scene, offering creative takes on the fair’s classic flavors. (Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital/Fox News)
Rousso has reached the finals for 10 years and won four times, with previous creations including a smoked bacon margarita, a fried Cuban bun and cotton candy bacon on a stick.
For Rousso, competition is as much about building a brand as it is about winning a trophy.
“For us, it’s just about having the opportunity to talk to you, to build our brand with the public,” Rousso told Fox News Digital. “It’s great.”
The creations may be outrageous, but the business calculations behind them are practical: Can sellers make them fast enough to handle fair crowds, and can they sell them at a price customers will pay?
A dish enters the Big Tex Choice Awards, where winning can bring valuable recognition to vendors and help attract visitors to their booths. (Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital/Fox News)
“The more time you take, the more money you put on the table,” Linnear said.
Those calculations have become more difficult as food costs have soared 30 to 40 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Linnear, prompting organizers to encourage competitors to consider affordability when developing their entries.
For many sellers, planning for the next competition begins before the current show even ends.
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Josie May Nevins prepares to attend the Big Tex Choice Awards before the State Fair of Texas. (Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital/Fox News)
Linnear said some kept books full of potential recipes, while others quietly tested future creations in their booths to see how quickly they could produce them.
Morris is one of them. Even before this year’s show opened, she already had her registration for next year.
“We already have our item for next year,” she said.
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