When the Great New York State Fair opened Wednesday, Taste NY was there to provide fairgoers with ample opportunities to buy and sample--for free--some of the best homegrown and homemade New York food and beverage products from across the State. This year's Taste NY Pop-up Market, located in the back of the Horticulture Building, is showcasing and selling more than 100 unique food and craft beverages from across the State. In addition, the Taste NY Marketplace, next door to the Pop-up Market, features dozens of vendors sampling their local products.
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, "Taste NY at the New York State Fair showcases an array of New York State products, providing a great platform for farmers and producers to introduce their products to the Fair's more than one million visitors. We encourage fairgoers to stop by the Taste NY Marketplace and Taste NY Pop-Up Market store and explore the very best of New York agriculture."
Interim State Fair Director Sean Hennesey said, "From salt potatoes, to spiedies, to Utica Greens, craft beer, cider, wine, spirits, and so much more, our state is known for producing wonderful food and beverage options. Taste NY provides opportunities for farmers, and food and craft beverage producers to showcase their products, and introduce fairgoers to new flavors and favorites."
Featured vendors sampling product at the Taste NY Marketplace will change daily throughout the Fair's 13-day run. A full list of participating vendors can be found here, but include:
- Cooper's Daughter Spirits (Hudson)
- Finger Lakes Harvest (Geneva)
- Four Fights Distilling (Corning)
- Lakeland Winery (Syracuse)
- Luff Farms (Three Mile Bay)
- Mojo's Sauce (Ithaca)
- Nelson Farms (Cazenovia)
- Next Chapter Brewing Company (Auburn)
- Once Again Nut Butter (Nunda)
- Partyka & Sons Farms (Kendall)
After fairgoers sample products in the Marketplace, they can visit the Taste NY Pop-Up Market to see if it carries their newfound favorite selections to bring home. The popular Taste NY Pop-Up Market, located next to the Taste NY sampling area in the back of the Horticulture Building, features a variety of products from Taste NY Markets across the state: The North Country, Adirondacks, Finger Lakes, Central New York, Mohawk Valley, Capital Region, Western New York, Southern Tier, Hudson Valley/Catskills, New York City and Long Island. Open from 10:00 am to 9:00 p.m.daily, the Pop-Up Market is a joint effort by all Taste NY operators. Staff rotate in from every region, bringing insight and information about products directly from the vendors they work with locally. Some products featured include:
- Barkeater Chocolates (North Creek)
- Syracuse Salt Company (Syracuse)
- Chocolate Pizza Company (Marcellus)
- Fat Crow Gourmet (Troy)
- Avital's Apiaries (Ithaca)
- Hahn's Bakery (Farmingdale)
- Caliva Cookie Co. (Ballston Lake)
- Hudson Valley Cold Pressed Oils (Pleasant Valley)
- Point of View Farm (Stanfordville)
- Popinsanity Gourmet Popcorn (Airmont)
- Birch Boys, Inc. (Tupper Lake)
- Swiss'er Sweet Maple (Castorland)
- New York Chips (Gainesville)
- Chenez's Popcorn LLC (Lockport)
Laura Duryea of Cooper's Daughter Spirits (Saugerties), said, "Cooper's Daughter Spirits is thrilled to have our products showcased through the Taste NY initiative! One of the main goals of our business is to support our local New York State farms and small businesses and use their produce to make our own small batch spirits. Having the chance to exhibit at the fair allows us to reach those who live all across our state and is a very special opportunity for us."
Amanda J. Taranto, director of Nelson Farms (Cazenovia), said, "It's truly something special to be a part of Taste NY. Shedding light on and supporting New York State farmers, growers, and producers is something we completely support. We've been a Taste NY partner since the beginning and are looking forward to coming back this year to showcase Nelson Farms and SUNY Morrisville student products."
Heather Ward, Taste NY market manager at the Equal Rights Heritage Center (Auburn) said, "The Taste NY Market at The Equal Rights Heritage Center is excited to be involved in the Pop-Up Taste NY Market at the Great New York State Fair again this year. Working at the Taste NY Pop-Up Market is a great opportunity to showcase all the amazing products that are produced in New York State. The best part of being at the fair is meeting all the fairgoers from different states and sharing our vendor stories with them. Come see us in the Horticulture Building and shop the market for Cayuga County and NYS made products."
Molly Vigrass,Taste NY market manager at the Western NY Welcome Center (Grand Island) said, "Taste NY at the Western NY Welcome Center is looking forward to sharing the Great New York State Fair experience with all the fairgoers as we are involved in the Taste NY Pop-Up Market again this year! It's a wonderful feeling- bringing folks from across the State together and making connections with the power of local, New York State products. Seeing the look on people's faces when they find out that one of their favorite products is made in New York is priceless; not to mention when they find other fabulous New York State products to obsess over! You can find Western NY vendors among all the New York State goods in the Horticulture Building at the Taste NY Pop-Up Market. We are excited to share our New York State product knowledge with you!"
Other Attractions in the Horticulture Building
The Horticulture Building exhibits some of the very best growers, producers, and manufacturers from across the state. A variety of interactive and product booths highlight the diversity and quality of agriculture found across New York State. Exhibitors, including the Empire State Honey Producers, SUNY Cobleskill, Syracuse Rose Society and others, will set up shop within the Horticulture Building through the Fair's 13-day run.
Fairgoers can also take in the following attractions:
- Butterflies by Sky River
- Flower Show Competitions
- Forage and Grain Competition
- The NY Maple Center, where you can buy candy, syrup, and ice cream made with New York maple syrup
- Taste NY Sampling
The Fair began Wednesday and continues through Sept. 5. Founded in 1841, it is oldest state fair in the United States, and the third largest fair in the country.
Categories: New York, Rural Lifestyle