WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Eastern States Exposition has been working on new culinary partnerships for the Big E and other events at its grounds. That has resulted in a new Cajun restaurant, a cafe-style restaurant with three bars, and a complete revamp of the Better Living Center, which formerly housed a Dunkin’.
Better Living Center
E.J. Dean is the owner of BLC Ventures LLC, which is behind the Better Living Center revamp. His family has three generations of food and amusement experience and he is approaching his ninth year of running the Big E bakery, along with his wife, who works as chief baker. The exposition approached him about the Better Living Center last fall.
“[We’re trying] to turn the Better Living Center into its own destination,” said Dean. “Just try out, bring some excitement back to the Better Living Center from a food and beverage standpoint that has never been there before.”
All restaurants along the outside rim of the building have gotten a facelift, he said. The Dunkin’ has been replaced with Dribbles, which will sell freshly-made doughnut holes and four accompanying sauces. Doughnuts start at $6. A bucketfull is $18.
The Nook will serve sweet and savory crepes for around $14.
“The machines are right out front, being made fresh in front of the customers,” said Dean.
The Emporium doesn’t have a visual aspect to it, but it does have the Craz-E Burger, which consists of a smashed patty, cheese, bacon and onion rings in between two doughnut buns. There are two new versions this year: an “insane” version with double the patties, cheese, bacon and onion rings; and a spicy version where the doughnuts will be rolled in Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. That also comes with jalapenos and secret sauce.
“It won’t burn anybody’s mouth, but it’ll definitely spice things up for people,” he said.
For all burgers, customers will have the option to swap out the patties for breaded chicken. Burgers start at $18, an increase from last year’s $16, but Dean said the quality of the ingredients has increased, too.
Two establishments will feature alcoholic drinks. Cantina has a Mexican feel, said Dean. It will serve Dos Equis, sangrias and four signature cocktails topped with cotton candy, also available as flights. The second-floor Wine Loft will feature wines by the Francis Ford Coppola Winery by the bottle, the glass or as flights. It will also sell charcuterie boards.
The entire renovation “brings a variety of new additional food items, but just a tremendous amount of innovation within their food and drink offerings,” said Dean. He recommends fairgoers not overlook it.
NOLA
Bill Collins, who has been chef of the Big E Farmers’ Market for the past seven years, is behind a Cajun restaurant at the former Craz-E Burger building by Gate 5 and the Better Living Center. To turn it into NOLA Cajun Kitchen and Raw Bar, the exposition added a new kitchen, outdoor seating for 70 people and a 24-foot bar.
“I wanted to bring something fun to the fair,” he said, noting that the nightly Mardi Grad parade goes right past the building.
Collins is the owner of Center Square Grill in East Longmeadow and BarBurrito in Ludlow, the latter of which opened in late July. NOLA will offer food more upscale than the typical Big E fare, he said. He is going for a “party atmosphere that’s going to be classy,” he said.
“It encapsulates for me the ability to really create a party for the Big E,” he shared. “That’s what Mardi Gras and New Orleans is all about.”
The menu includes chicken etouffee, blackened shrimp over rice, sticky ribs and Cajun meatballs in Cajun gravy, said Collins. Also on the menu, according to a Big E press release, are Cajun crab cakes, fried crawfish tails, Jamaican jerk chicken and dirty rice, beignets and bread pudding. The raw bar will serve raw oysters, shrimp cocktails and shellfish towers.
Drink options, said Collins, include mimosas, craft beers and a pumpkin beer with a cinnamon rim.
On Mondays, the crab cakes will be $3. Most items are around $13 to $15. Collins said the pricing is reasonable compared to other items at the Big E and he hopes to make up for it with the sales.
“I think it’s going to be a new hotspot at the Big E,” he said. “Between the food menu and the drink menu, I think it’s one of the most exciting new spots to come to.”
Mick Express
Lastly, Mick Corduff is bringing an extension of the historical Delaney House’s Mick bar to the Young Building, where West Side Grille used to be. The Mick Express will be cafeteria-style, he said, serving burgers, sandwiches, pasta and pizza. There will also be coffee and freshly baked muffin tops.
Beverages start at $4, sandwiches and pizza between $7 and $9. A pizza meal deal can range from $12 to $16.
“It’s just another venue we can offer, and [there’s] the uniqueness during the fair to have an event space,” Corduff said.
Corduff has been the chef at Holyoke’s Log Cabin for the past 30 years; he is also the executive chef at the Delaney House. He has been working with the Eastern States Exposition for 13 or 14 years, he said, operating the American Craft Beer Tent for the past seven. He’s behind the Polish Godfather sandwich that’ll be at this year’s tent, which stuffs a kielbasa patty and sauteed peppers and onions between two pretzel rolls. The patties will be sourced from Chicopee, Corduff said.
“[It’s a] nice hearty, handheld sandwich, grilled to order. Really tasty,” he said.
The Mick Express will have some eccentric food of its own, such as a barbecue red onion pizza. The star of the show, however, will be the chocolate chip cookie dough croissant: Savory, flaky, butter croissant on the outside. Cookie dough stuffing on the inside. Baked.
Corduff has seen this dessert in coffee shops around Boston, Cape Cod and Europe. On TikTok, videos of the dessert can garner millions of likes.
“It’s hard to describe it, really,” Corduff said. “It’s a nice, warm, ooey-gooey cookie in the middle with the buttery flakiness of the croissant. It’s a match made in Heaven.”
For the adults, The Mick Express will feature a bar with offerings by Ireland’s Dingle Distillery, as well as Downeast Cider Airstream and non-alcoholic beer from Athletic Brewing.
“My goal would be to serve great food, great drinks in a nice environment, in a great environment, fresh food cooked to order,” said Corduff.
