The wait is over. After hosting the 14th annual Big Tex Choice Awards on August 26, this year's winners have been chosen.
Best Taste – Sweet was given to the Garza Family's Arroz con Leche (Sweet Crispy Rice). This cinnamon-spiced rice ball battered and coated in crispy puffed rice cereal is deep fried and sprinkled with powdered vanilla and powdered cinnamon crowns and drizzled with caramel sauce.
Best Taste – Savory was awarded to Fernie's Hoppin' John Cake with Jackpot Sauce by the Winter Family, an iconic southern New Year's Eve dish made with a twist. It combines classic ingredients like black-eyed peas, white rice, smoked sausage and green onions to create a Texas-sized cake that is then breaded in egg wash, flour and breadcrumbs before being deep-fried. And the dipping sauce makes each bite full of flavor.
And the Most Creative went to what we called the most Instagrammable option, the Cotton Candy Taco made by Justin and Rudy Martinez. This s'more-inspired dish starts out with a graham cracker waffle cone that's pressed into a taco shell. The inside is then coated with marshmallow glaze and stuffed with chocolate, toasted marshmallows and organic cane sugar cotton candy. To top it off, they add a handful of chocolate cookie crumbles and two chocolate cream-covered biscuit sticks with marshmallows.
So go ahead and get your State Fair of Texas tickets because you know you have to try all three of these winning dishes. And learn more about all 10 semifinalists here. We’ll see you at the coupon booth.