Behind the scenes of the new State Fair foods: How do vendors get picked?

Minnesota Now

It's one of the most anticipated days of the summer for Minnesotans. The list of new State Fair foods for 2024. The list includes 33 official new foods and six new vendors selling a variety of foods from dill pickle tater tots to grilled purple sticky rice with shredded Hmong beef jerky on a stick. But how does someone get a coveted spot to sell food at the fair? Maria Hayden is a spokesperson for the Minnesota State Fair. She joined Minnesota Now to explain how many submissions the selection committee ate their way through, and how the new vendors made the cut.