It's a dream come true for some new vendors at this year's Minnesota State Fair
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — There's exactly 44 days until the Great Minnesota Get Together — and to add to the anticipation, the Minnesota State Fair released its official new foods.
There's a total of 33 new foods, including deep-fried ranch dressing and dill pickle tots, and six new vendors.
"It feels like a big achievement for the family," Milissa Silva, El Burrito Mercado CEO said.
It's a dream come true for Silva and her family.
"Our marketplace is just a robust place with flavors and colors and sound that we feel represent a little bit of Mexico right here in Minnesota," she said.
It's a mission Silva hopes to continue at the fair with their Quesabirria Taquitos, a twist on a favorite at the St. Paul restaurant, Esquites, a Mexican street corn dish and Aqua de Dandia Loca, a watermelon drink with chamoy and bit of seasoned dried mango.
"It feels very fulfilling," Silva said. "My parents as immigrants came in starting this little 800 square marketplace, not knowing what this business would grow into."
Silva says her family has applied to be a part of the state fair's food lineup for more than a decade. This year also marks El Burrito Mercado's 45th anniversary.
Another newbie on the list: Paella Depot.
"We have literally been applying for like eight or nine years," Paella Depot's Doug Huemoeller said.
It's an exciting journey for Huemoeller and his team. Huemoeller remembers starting out selling paella pans — but ended up doing something completely different.
"Started street sampling paella to sell pans. Ultimately, people just love the paella more than they loved the pans — so then, we just started selling paella," he said.
Paella Depot will share that love come August with chicken and chorizo paella, a traditional Spanish caramelized rice dish and six aqua fresca flavors.
"It's a dish, honestly, that virtually everybody loves," Huemoeller said. "It's super flavorful, not spicy hot."
Other new vendors include Midtown Global Market's Indigenous Food Lab, Loon Lake Iced Tea, Kosharina Egyptian Cuisine and Chan's Eatery.