Inspired by the 70th anniversary of the CNE Food Building and the ever-growing food obsession of CNE Visitors and long-time lovers, the CNE Food Hall of Fame Awards is returning!
The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) announced the inaugural Inductees to the CNE Food Hall of Fame last year in 2024, and it started 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.
Vendors are selected based off of criteria related to longevity, innovation, popularity, and of course taste!
The 2024 class of inductees to the CNE Food Hall of Fame are…
The Corn Dog
The humble Corn Dog is a pillar of Fair fare and OG of food-on-a-stick that has inspired endless adaptations. From recent creations of Pickle Dogs to Peanut Butter Chocolate Corn Dogs and this year’s Maki Sushi Corn Dog, the evolution of the Corn Dog continues to reach new heights; but for CNE purists, there’s nothing better than a good ‘ol fashioned corn dog without the frills.
The Colossal Onion
What would the CNE Food Hall of Fame be without a deep-fried representative. This year, the deep-fried icon is The Colossal Onion, celebrated for its design ingenuity of slicing an onion into perfectly sharable, tear-able, bite-sized ‘petals’ of onion wedges that are the perfect shape for dipping into any sauce.
The concept was invented in 1988 in Texas; and made its CNE debut in 2012 with The Colossal Onion – made by a family-owned and operated Canadian company that annually delivers “the crispy treat that is fun to eat!”
Rainbow Grilled Cheese
One of the first picture-perfect foods created for the ‘gram in 2019. The Rainbow Grilled Cheese took social media by storm for its epic cheese-pull that would reveal brightly coloured stripes of cheese – an irresistible snapshot that still has foodies rejoicing.
Adal Aguilar, owner of Pancho’s Bakery who has perfected the Rainbow Grilled Cheese, will be offering a limited edition Red & White Grilled Cheese, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Canadian Flag available at his “I Love Churros” booths across the CNE.
Jumbo Turkey Leg
A beloved staple among CNE fairgoers, the Jumbo Turkey Leg is cured, smoked and dripping with novelty and nostalgia. Just follow the smoky scent of a charcoal grill, and it will lead you to Meester Mike’s stand owned by second- generation food vendor, Mike Zdebiak, who keeps his father’s recipe a secret; but credits the key to great-tasting turkey legs: everything is fresh, never frozen.
The Bug Dog
While hot dogs at the CNE have seen all sorts of creative toppings from cherries and whipped cream to Captain Crunch cereal, The Bug Dog will forever reign supreme for having the most talked-about accoutrement… crickets!
The all-beef frank, blended with cricket protein and topped with crispy crickets, was a culinary curiosity from Bug Bistro, that offered a truly progressive menu of arthropod-forward snacks including cricket tacos and beetle smoothies.
While Bug Bistro is no longer available at the CNE, owner Sheldon Cohen has passed the creative torch to son Adam Cohen who has seven booths in the Food Building serving up his own unique food inventions such as this year’s Hash Brown Ice Cream Sandwich.
Take a peek at the CNE’s first-ever inductees from 2024 here! Do you spot a favourite?
