A close up with the new peanut butter cream puff.
Reminder Publishing photo by Chris Maza
WEST SPRINGFIELD — With just a few weeks remaining until the Big E opens its doors for the 2026 season on Sept. 18, the fair hosted its annual media food preview on Aug. 27.
As always, local vendors brought their latest concoctions for the media to taste test ahead of the fair. Alongside Executive Editor Chris Maza, fellow Managing Editor Ryan Feyre and Staff Writer Tyler Garnet, we taste tested everything they offered.
Big E Bakery
As always, the Big E Bakery brought their cream puffs, but with a new twist this year. In recent years, the bakery has experimented with cookies and cream and espresso cream puffs but this year was the big one for me, a peanut butter cream puff, topped with a marshmallow fluff.
This in my opinion was the best tasting cream puff I have had at the Big E; I’m a sucker for anything peanut butter so this was an automatic hit for me. However, it is extremely messy, and I would recommend grabbing a fork and plenty of napkins.
Chris said he was also a fan but noted that his typical tactic for eating the cream puff doesn’t work with the marshmallow sauce.
“The bakery does it again. So many times, peanut butter-flavored foods carry the peanut butter heaviness or stickiness. The filling packed the peanut butter flavor in while the consistency stayed light and airy,” he said. “There’s still plenty of sticky in this one, though, in the form of the marshmallow drizzle over the top. While adding the trademark Fluff sweetness to the treat, it does make my ‘smush and twist’ tactic for eating the cream puff a much messier affair. The best bet for this one is either embracing the mess or finding a fork!”
Top row, from left: V-One Vodka’s new Late Checkout seltzer. The fried turkey dinner from E.B.’s Restaurant. The birria bomb from Macho Taco. Second row: The maple bacon and candied jalapeno sliders from The Paddock. The Hush Puppy Skewers from NOLA Cajun Kitchen & Raw Bar. The push-up sushi from K’s Japanese Restaurant. Third row: Fried Oreos from Simply Gluten Free. The “Stack” from The Paddock. The homemade fried chicken with Chef Vin’s Special Sauce from the Storrowton Soup Shack. Bottom row: The Yankee Boy colossal centennial lobster roll. The Uncrusta Double Burger from White Hut and the Maple Bourbon Corn Beef Sandwich from Harpoon Beer Hall.
Reminder Publishing photos by Chris Maza, Tyler Garnet and Dennis Hackett
Dolly’s Honky Tonk
Over at Dolly’s Honky Tonk, attendees will have plenty of choices of cheese dogs to pick from. Located on Industrial Avenue, people will have the choice of a chili cheese dog, a classic cheddar cheese dog and a pulled pork cheese dog.
Tyler was a big fan of the chili cheese dog.
“The chili cheese dog got me excited for fall. The chili served as a warm and comforting bite, and the hot dog was a perfect vessel and partner for a delicious handheld bite,” he said.
Chris opted for the pulled pork cheese dog.
“What’s better than a hot dog? At hot dog topped with more meat and cheese! The Dolly’s Dog with pulled pork would certainly be a belly-filler and I would not recommend getting right on their mechanical bull after eating one of these. But if you’re looking for something you can eat on the go and will definitely satisfy your hunger, this high-quality dog topped with tender pork and melted cheese definitely fits the bill,” he said.
E.B.’s Restaurant
E.B.’s Restaurant, which will be located at the Food Court, is bringing a fried turkey dinner to the fair this year. This fried concoction is turkey, craisins and stuffing, rolled in panko crumbs, fried and topped with turkey gravy, served with a side of cranberry sauce.
I was a big fan of the dinner and was amazed with what they were able to stuff into a fried ball. It really was Thanksgiving dinner in a single bite, and I will be returning for more when I make my trip to the Big E this year. While I am not the biggest fan of cranberry sauce, I thought the combination of turkey, stuffing and the craisins, along with the gravy was excellent.
Chris said the meal was balanced.
“It’s Thanksgiving dinner packed into a deep-fried ball. The stuffing in some bites overtakes the flavor of the ground turkey and is a bit salty for my taste, but the tart cranberry sauce creates a nice balance,” he said.
Ferrindino Maple
Over at Ferrindino Maple, which will be located at the Better Living Center, they were sampling their maple creemee bacon waffle, which is their maple creemee soft serve topped with a toasted Belgian waffle, then finished with maple bacon pieces and drizzled in maple syrup.
Ryan said that this was his favorite thing he tried.
“I thought this would be too sweet, but honestly the smoky bacon flavor is welcome contrast to the sugary storm of Maple Creemee and maple syrup. It’s the inverse of how you should eat your meals. By the time you get to the caramelized Belgian Waffle, you’ve essentially hit your calorie mark for the day. It’s devilishly good, and as a waffle lover, probably my pick of event,” he said.
Chris said it was a sweet treat that eats like a hearty breakfast.
“The classic creamy ice cream and maple drizzle you’ve come to love from Ferrendino Maple now comes on top of a Belgian waffle, topped with bacon for good measure. The bacon adds that little bit of savory to cut through all the sweetness and complexity. They don’t skimp on anything with this one, so bring your appetite (or a friend) to tackle this one,” he said.
Harpoon Beer Hall
Harpoon Beer Hall, which will be located on New England Avenue, offered a Maple Bourbon Bacon Corned Beef Sandwich. This corned beef sandwich came smoked on rye, topped with a maple bourbon glaze, candied bacon and powdered sugar.
If you’re looking for a combination of sweet and savory, this may be the pick for you. Alongside the traditional corned beef flavor, there is a pleasant burst of sugar biting into the sandwich. I would consider it a steady, safe pick if you don’t want to go too crazy but want something that represents the best of both worlds.
K’s Japanese Restaurant
K’s Japanese Restaurant is making its debut at the Big E this year and will be located at the Food Court on East Road. Hearkening back to a push pop ice cream, K’s is offering sushi in a push up tube with a side of soy sauce. In terms of the sushi, they offer spicy tuna, tuna with avocado and topped with shrimp. While I did not give this a try, I have to say it may be the most convenient, hands-free item you can get walking around the fair.
Tyler called it one of the most interesting food items he has ever seen at the Big E.
“The push-up sushi contains multiple pieces of sushi inside of a tube. Outside of the tube is also a smaller tube of soy sauce. When you are ready to eat, you pop off the plastic lid, dump some soy sauce in if you choose and use the tube of soy sauce to slowly push the sushi to the top of the tube. This makes it easy to eat while at the fair and no chopsticks are needed. Besides the entertaining process of eating a piece of sushi, it also tasted delicious,” he said.
Macho Taco
Macho Taco is bringing a birria bomb to the Big E this year, and they will be located on East Road. The birria bomb is a deep-fried ball of rice, slow-simmered shredded birria beef and nacho cheese coated with Hot Cheeto dust and served with a birria broth for dipping.
This was the first thing I tried, and nothing came close to topping it. I always have an eye on what Macho Taco is going to bring after being blown away by their birria tacos a few years ago. The combination of the fried rice, nacho cheese and a Hot Cheeto dust coating is just unbeatable. Tyler also pointed out that there is an incredible cheese pull when pulling the ball apart.
Moolicious
Moolicious, located on West Road and Springfield Road this year, is bringing a new ice cream concoction in the campfire on a stick. The campfire on a stick is two graham crackers that are piled with marshmallows and torched until they are golden and gooey. Finally, the smore is topped with vanilla ice cream before it is rolled into a warm chocolate.
Chris was the lone member of the team brave enough to take a bite of the campfire on a stick.
He said, “Ice cream packed between two graham crackers on a stick covered in chocolate. Need I say more? OK, I will. This is a cool, sweet treat that plays on those classic s’mores flavors and figures to be a real crowd pleaser. A word to the wise, though, if it’s a warm day, you’ll want to eat it quickly, unless you’re like my 8-year-old, in which case, the messier the better!”
Moolicious will also offer salted butter popcorn soft serve.
NOLA Cajun Kitchen & Raw Bar
NOLA Cajun Kitchen & Raw Bar, which will be located on New England Avenue, is bringing a Crawfish Po’ Boy, which includes crispy crawfish on a fresh roll with lettuce, tomato, Cajun slaw and remoulade along with Hush Puppy Skewers made with lobster tail coated in hush puppy batter, flash-fried, drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey butter and finished with Cajun remoulade.
Tyler said the hush puppy was the best thing he tried all day.
“The hush puppy batter was not too sweet and worked really well with the Mike’s Hot Honey Butter and Cajun remoulade. The Cajun butter poached lobster stayed soft and buttery through the flash fried process. The entire dish hit a lot of different flavor profiles and worked so well. I can’t wait to look for this food item when the Big E officially starts,” he said.
Simply Gluten Free
Simply Gluten Free will be taking the Big E stage for the first time, offering a variety of traditional fried fair food but with a gluten free twist. They will offer funnel cakes, fried Oreos, corndogs, chicken tenders, a jumbo mozzarella stick, fountain lemonade and other assorted cold drinks.
Chris ended up having his first-ever corn dog from Simply Gluten Free.
“Let it be known that my first corn dog ever was at the Big E media taste and was gluten-free to boot. And it was downright enjoyable. The deep-fried Oreo wasn’t overtaken by batter and grease, which can sometimes be the case with those kinds of treats, and the flavor of the chocolate cookie and cream filling were still very prominent,” he said.
Storrowton Soup Shack
Storrowton’s presence at the Big E has gotten a bit of a mythological status from Reminder employees past and present with many of us looking back fondly on the cheeseburger chowder they offered years ago. This year they are bringing homemade fried chicken with a side of Chef Vin’s Special Sauce.
Chris said the chicken was perfect.
“The Storrowton Soup Shack’s fried chicken is perfectly done. I’m not a big fan of heavily breaded, heavily fried foods in general, but this version is light and flavorful and the Chef Vin’s Special Sauce for dipping adds some extra flavor and a little kick,” he said.
The Paddock
The Paddock will be setting up shop on West Road and will be bringing their stack, which is four specialty sliders topped and stacked, then drizzled in smoky, spicy scauce made with ancho chiles, barbeque sauce and crispy onion straws.
At the preview, they offered a maple bacon slider along with a slider with candied jalapeno.
While most of our crew opted for the maple bacon one, I knew I had to try the candied jalapeno one, and I was not disappointed. The blend of the kick from the jalapeno and the sweet, candied flavor was an impressive mix of sweet and spicy. The burger also had a great flavor.
Ryan said he enjoyed the maple bacon version.
“I don’t know why, but I guess I was just infatuated with the salty-sweet combination today, even if my stomach doesn’t want me to be. The Paddock’s maple burger with cheddar cheese and bacon was another delight in that canon thanks to the intersection of those disparate flavors. I also like the handheld portion; it’s the perfect amount of sweet and savory; one flavor never subsumes the other,” he said.
V-One Vodka
As always, V-One Vodka brought a variety of drinks to this year’s preview, including their new Late Checkout Vodka seltzer, a caramel espresso martini and a spirited Christmas bar.
I went for the raspberry seltzer and I was impressed with the flavor. I felt the raspberry flavoring was natural and had the signature taste of V-One Vodka, but it wasn’t overpowering. It was the perfect palette cleanser after a bunch of food and will be a refreshing grab to bring with you throughout the fair.
Chris gave the caramel espresso martini a try.
“I am not a martini drinker, but I am certainly a coffee fan, so this was one I had to try, albeit with some trepidation. My bravery paid off, however. The caramel sweetness and bitterness of the espresso play off each other really nicely in this drink, complemented by some alcoholic bite that is present but not overpowering,” he said.
V-One Vodka will be located at the Young Building this year.
White Hut
This year, White Hut is bringing an Uncrusta Double Burger, which is exactly what it sounds like. A burger with two fried Uncrustables serving as the buns.
Chris said the burger is a good flavor for people looking to try new things.
“It’s sweet, savory and salty, all rolled into one. At times, the peanut butter and jelly can overwhelm the burger patties on the pallet, but then your next bit might do the opposite. It’s an interesting change-up and if you’re one who heads to the fair with a flair for the adventurous, this is worth taking a bite,” he said.
White Hut will be in the Food Court.
Yankee Boy
Yankee Boy, which is celebrating its 100th birthday, is bringing a colossal centennial lobster roll with lobster meat sauteed in warm butter and served on a brioche roll with lemon and Old Boy/garlic aioli. They also offered honey barbeque sticky wings.
While Tyler said he loved the lobster roll, he wished he could’ve had one of the full size ones.
“My only complaint about the lobster roll is that we were only allowed a small sample bite because I wanted more. The lobster itself was super soft, warm and buttery and had all the qualities you look for in a good lobster roll. The bun we had at the media preview was not the one that will be served during the actual fair, so I will be going back for a lobster roll when the Big E starts,” he said.
Ryan said he enjoyed the wing and was surprised it wasn’t messier.
“The flavor profile snuck up on me here. I’m so used to sweet barbecue sauce that I was not ready for how tangy the wing was right off the bat. By the time you’re done with that first bite, though, you’re graced with that classic sweet barbecue flavor. Surprisingly, I enjoyed that roller coaster ride,” he said.
Yankee Boy will be located on Springfield Road.
Readers will have the opportunity to try all of these new menu items when the Big E kicks off on Sept. 18.
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