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    All the Food That's Fit To Fry

    Hold on to your arteries: State Fair of Texas announces finalists for Big TexChoice Fried Food Awards 2012

    Teresa Gubbins
    Aug 29, 2012 | 10:03 am
    • Fried Coke, side by side with Big Tex.
    • 2011's fried bubblegum was ooey-gooey.
    • Fried beer: Ravioli filled with Shiner Bock.

    Grab the Lipitor and take a deep breath: The 2012 State Fair of Texas has announced the finalists for its eighth annual Big Tex® Choice Awards, the Oscars of fried foods.

       
    • Chicken-Fried Cactus Bites
    •  
    • Deep Fried Divine Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
    •  
    • Deep Fried Jambalaya
    •  
    • Deep Fried Mac-N-Cheese Slider
    •  
    • Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll
    •  
    • Fried Mexican Fire Crackers
    •  
    • Picnic on a Stick
    •  
    • Fried Pork Wing

    Descriptions of the Big Tex Choice Award finalists 2012:

     Chicken-Fried Cactus Bites. Handpicked prickly pear cactus pads, thinly sliced, chicken battered and deep fried. Served with sweet and spicy secret jalapeno ranch and agave nectar dipping sauce.

     Deep Fried Divine Chocolate Tres Leches Cake. Chocolate tres leches cake soaked in buttermilk batter and fried. Finished with a sprinkle of cinnamon, whipped cream, strawberry slices and peaches drizzled with syrup.

     Deep Fried Jambalaya. From-scratch jambalaya with shrimp, Cajun sausage and seasonings, coated in lightly seasoned flour and fried. Served with spicy ranch sauce.

     Deep Fried Mac-N-Cheese Slider. Three-cheese mac is baked, battered in bread crumbs and deep fried until crisp on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside. Placed on a slider bun with a griddled beef patty.

     Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll. Cinnamon roll dipped in pancake batter, rolled in crispy fried bacon crumbles, deep fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. It’s a main course and a dessert all in one.

     Fried Mexican Fire Crackers. Spicy chicken, cheese and jalapeno mix wrapped in masa dough and deep fried. Served with fiery TNT sauce.

     Fried Pork Wing. Slow cooked for six hours then deep fried, rolled and tossed in a smoked bacon chipotle glaze. Accompanied by homemade potato chips dusted in barbecue seasoning.

     Picnic on a Stick. Pieces of spicy fried chicken alternated with tater tots and dill pickles. Repeated three times on a stick, then dipped in batter, rolled in bread crumbs and fried. With choice of BBQ sauce, ranch or honey mustard. BYO ants.

     The history behind the Big Tex Choice Awards

    Originally known for its signature Fletcher's Corny Dogs, the State Fair of Texas took its first walk on the fried side in 2005 when it launched the Big Tex Choice Awards to draw attention to what the fair does best: fried foods. Concessionaire Abel Gonzales came through in 2006 with his inspired creation, fried Coke, consisting of Coke-flavored batter fried into a crunchy ball.

    From there, it’s gotten crazier ever since: Who could forget 2009's fried butter, a ball of fried dough with a buttery center? Then came fried beer, a ravioli contraption with a "filling" of lukewarm beer. And last year's controversial fried bubblegum, a gooey bubblegum-flavored marshmallow coated in a pink-tinted crust. The awards have brought international notoriety to the State Fair beyond what was ever dreamed. The awards also made the fair hugely influential, as other state fairs around the country follow suit with their own copycat recipes.

    Vendors submit recipes for two categories: Best Taste and Most Creative. Dozens of contestants compete, but the field is narrowed to eight. The finalists present their creations to a panel of judges, who will announce the winners on Labor Day.

    The State Fair of Texas opens September 28 and runs through October 21.

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    Matcha News

    TikTok star Keith Lee crafts matcha latte for Hill Country flood relief

    Teresa Gubbins
    Jul 11, 2025 | 9:30 am
    Keith Lee and matcha drink
    Instagram
    Keith Lee hoists his special matcha drink.

    The devastating floods that swept across Central Texas on July 4 are bringing out all kinds of charitable endeavors — and that includes a limited-edition beverage from Texas-based TikTok food influencer Keith Lee.

    Lee, a social media sensation whose online food reviews have benefited hundreds of small restaurants, is partnering with La La Land Kind Cafe on a special drink: Called the La La Land X Keith Lee Latte, it's a matcha drink in which 100 percent of the proceeds will go towards Kerr County flood relief.

    La La Land is the coffee chain founded in Dallas in 2019 with a mission to provide opportunities for fostering youth and individuals in need. It has three locations in Houston, along with 10 across Dallas-Fort Worth and six in Southern California.

    The new Keith Lee Latte will consist of double ceremonial matcha, with secret syrup, matcha cloud, a whole fresh strawberry, flaky salt, and matcha powder. (See Lee enjoy the latte in the video below.)


      
     
     
     
     
     
     
    View this post on Instagram
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    A post shared by Keith Lee (@keith_lee125)
     


    Matcha is the Japanese green tea powder that has experienced a surge in popularity, appearing in everything from drinks like the matcha latte to desserts like matcha mousse.

     Keith Lee Latte Keith Lee Latte is a matcha drink.Instagram 

    Lee, who relocated to Dallas in 2024, has been on a matcha kick ever since he tried it in Chicago, which he says "led me down a rabbit hole," and it has become his trademark drink. In May, he visited seven cafes across DFW in search of the perfect matcha in town, and that included La La Land, where he ordered a matcha with almond milk.

    He also has a charitable history, including a special visit he made to Taste Project in Fort Worth to donate $4,000 to support the nonprofit's mission to fight food insecurity.

    The Keith Lee Latte will be available at all La La Land cafes beginning Friday July 11, for a limited time only. From July 11-27, 100 percent of all proceeds will support flood relief efforts in Kerr County — "a community in our home state that’s hurting," La La Land Cafe says.

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