NOEL KING, HOST:
The pandemic meant that a lot of state fairs were canceled this year and state fair foods, too - the funnel cakes, the fried Oreos, the Italian ices. And then this guy and his sister got an idea.
JOSH ZAMANSKY: My name is Josh Zamansky. I am founder and CEO of statefairtogo.com. And I actually credit my sister with coming up with the idea of this DIY-style meal kit of fair foods for families.
KING: When the Minnesota State Fair canceled, Zamansky figured, look; you can get everything else to go at this point, so why not state fair food? He started in Minnesota. Then he expanded his venture into Texas.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Zamansky has a background in catering corporate events. And he says this isn't just about indulging in fair food - although, it certainly is about that. State fairs are big business for local economies.
ZAMANSKY: Minnesota's attendance in 2019 was a little over 2 million. Texas was closer at 2.5 million.
INSKEEP: Zamansky teams up with fair vendors to include items they would have sold during a normal year. So what's in a meal kit?
ZAMANSKY: A pound of Fernie's funnel cake mix, 2-pound turkey leg from Farm Pac Kitchens, 1 1/2 dozen fried Oreos, over a pound of fried okra and creamed gravy, with a pound and a half of seasoned curly fries and five corn dogs from the Dock restaurant.
KING: How many calories is that? Zamansky didn't have an exact number. He just says...
ZAMANSKY: Quite a few (laughter).
KING: Quite a few. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.