"A dream to be there": Afro Deli among new Minnesota State Fair food vendors
MINNEAPOLIS – Fair officials on Tuesday dished out the new food options at the Great Minnesota Get-Together this year: cheesecake curds, lutefisk steamed buns and dill pickle lemonade to name a few.
But next month when the doors open, Twin Cities restaurant Afro Deli will get the chance to serve up some of its own creations as one of the seven new vendors at the 12-day event that can draw more than two million people.
"It's a prime location. It's a prime event for the state of Minnesota, so we want to be a part of that," said founder and CEO Abdirahman Kahin.
He's waited for years for the opportunity to take his African cuisine to the State Fair stage, but 2023 was his "lucky" break, he told WCCO. On the menu: their signature sambusa -- a pastry with chicken, beef or veggie filling.
There will also be sweet plantains and a special sweet, spicy Somali tea. It's generally served hot, but Afro Deli is offering it iced for the state's biggest summer occasion.
"As an entrepreneur, as a restauranteur, it's something that you dream to be there," he said. "When you see 250,000 people can be there in one day, you cannot get that anywhere."
Kahin was recently named the 2023 National Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. That award introduced his vision to the White House, but he hopes his State Fair debut back home will be a cultural and culinary introduction to thousands of Minnesotans.
RELATED: Where you can find new foods at the 2023 Minnesota State Fair
"That representation of bringing food from Africa matters a lot to us. And that's the reason we have four restaurants in the Twin Cities," he said. "We know we're missing a big segment of the community. And going there to the State Fair, we're gonna reach a lot more people. People that we have never reached."
The fair begins Aug. 24 and runs through Labor Day.
To find out where all of the new fair foods are located, click here.