These Iconic Fair Treats Have Been Inducted to the 2024 CNE Food Hall of Fame

This new tradition aims to celebrate the foods that have shaped the CNE experience over the years
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The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) announced the inaugural Inductees to the 2024 CNE Food Hall of Fame, a new legacy commemorating the iconic, the innovative, the creative, and the memorable foods that have shaped the culinary reputation of Canada’s favourite fair.

Five food items from iconic treats to culinary curiosities are inducted as part of a special ceremony to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the beloved Food Building.

With a plethora of carnival treats to choose from that have been enjoyed over the decades by generations of visitors, the CNE plans to make the CNE Food Hall of Fame an ongoing tradition to select a handful of food items to induct each year. 

Each Inductee will be recognized with a banner that will hang in the iconic Food Building year-round, and for years to come.  

The 2024 class of inductees to the CNE Food Hall of Fame are…

Deep-Fried Butter – back for 2024!

The one that started it all…Deep-Fried Butter was introduced at the CNE in 2010 as a novel food item offered by Vicky Skinkle’s Sweet Treats concession stand in the Midway.  She perfected the recipe to deep fry frozen butter in funnel cake batter to create the perfect consistency.  Deep-Fried Butter was an instant hit with fans who flocked to the CNE for the unapologetically outrageous treat, and media were just as fascinated for the attention-grabbing headlines.

PLUS To celebrate the inaugural year of the CNE Food Hall of Fame, the CNE is bringing back Deep-Fried Butter starting today until September 2 (or until quantities last).

Find it at the Deep Fried booth in the Food Building, and Legend Dairy in the Midway. 

Tiny Tom Donuts

Since making their CNE debut in 1960, Tiny Tom Donuts have captivated fairgoers as they watch perfectly-piped miniature donuts float down its signature conveyor belt in the Food Building – churning out tens of thousands of donuts over the 18-days of The EX. 

The smell of deep-fried dough and cinnamon is synonymous with the CNE, and what makes Tiny Tom Donuts a CNE Food Hall of Famer.

Ice Cream Waffle Sandwich

The combination of good ol’ fashioned vanilla ice cream sandwiched between warm freshly made waffles is a match made in CNE heaven.  It’s hard to believe that the Ice Cream Waffle has been a staple at the CNE for more than 80 years! 

The first Ice Cream Waffle sandwich was served in 1940, out of the original Conklin booth in the Midway; and its recognizable cow-patterned booth is still go-to destination in the Midway, and still serving the original recipe that has stood the test of time.

Pickle Pizza

A relatively recent food item that made a name for itself in 2019, the Pickle Pizza was not just a novelty, it was downright delicious.  The wood-fired pizza made fresh to order in the Midway, consisted of a dill-ranch sauce base, pickles, cheese and sprinkled with more dill on top. 

It would become one of that year’s best-selling food items, and  inspired the creativity of CNE food vendors alike, as pickles have found their way into almost every sort of food iteration one can imagine.

Primo Spaghetti 

In a cornucopia universe of outrageous foods, deep-fried delights, and carnival staples, it’s amazing how a humble cup of perfectly al dente spaghetti with tomato sauce can evoke such nostalgia for so many generations of CNE visitors. 

For more than four decades, the Primo booth was known as the home of 99 cents spaghetti, a budget-pleasing price that that remained the same since the early ‘80s; but not even a mighty cup of spaghetti could beat inflation food costs – so while it’s now $1.99 spaghetti, it’s still a fan favourite.


While the subject of “wacky foods” has become synonymous with the CNE in recent decades, the fact is that food has played a significant role at the Fair since the inception of the Food Products Building, back in 1954.

Some of the interesting products offered in the Food Building in the ‘50s and ‘60s included:
  • The introduction of Heinz’ Cream of Tomato canned soup
  • Canned Fish
  • Ketchup
  • Liquorice Confections
  • Corn Syrup and Starch
  • One-A-Day Vitamins
  • Chili Sauce
  • Maraschino Cherries
  • Fruitcake
  • Alka-Seltzer

The 145th annual CNE runs from August 16 to September 2, 2024. Find out all the new wacky foods you can find at the CNE this year here.

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