A fried mexi-cone, a chicken wing on a frosted donut and a fried mango slice were the biggest winners at the 15th annual Big Tex Choice Awards.
The winners were announced during the awards ceremony Sunday afternoon at the Tower Building in Fair Park. Ten sweet and savory finalists were judged by a panel of eight judges including Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, Dallas City Council member Adam Bazaldua, Nick & Sam’s chef Samir Dhurandhar, Café Momentum founder Chad Houser, FreeRange Concepts owner Kyle Noonan, television personality LeeAnne Locken, Jose executive chef Anastacia Quinones and audience member Charles Archer. Radio personalities Michelle Rodriguez and Donavan Lewis from "New Country KSCS" and "1310 The Ticket" respectively served as the awards’ emcees.
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The first category to be sampled and reviewed by its judges was "Best Taste – Savory," with contestants including “Fernie’s Fried Burnt End Burrito,” “Southern Fried Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Balls,” “Texas Cream Corn Casserole Fritters” and the “Calypso Island Shrimp Bowl.” The eventual winner in this category was the “Stuffed Fried Mexi-Cone” by Ruth Hauntz, a barbacoa, black bean, cilantro-lime rice, pico de gallo, queso fresco and salsa verde combination packed into a tortilla shell that’s fried and molded into an ice cream cone shape. Ruth grasped her “Best Taste” award and her finalist plaque in excitement as she eagerly went up in front of the judges to accept the recognition.
“It's like winning the Super Bowl!” Ruth exclaims.
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The next category to be judged by the panel was "Best Taste – Sweet." Contestants in this category included the “Quick Fried ‘Black Gold’ Truffles,” the “Peanut Butter Cup Snookie” and the “Deep Fried Bayou Fruit Bites.” The prize went to Brent and Juan Reaves of “Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que” for the “Big Red Chicken Bread,” which is a crispy fried chicken wing on top of a Big Red-frosted donut. The two brothers embraced each other as they went up to the stage, with Brent tearfully thanking the panel upon accepting the award.
“It’s a blessing,” Brent says. “We’re just blessed to have this opportunity.”
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The Reaves’ were not the only ones in the sweet category to win a trophy. The Garza family won the "Most Creative" award for their “Fla’Mango Tango,” which is a deep-fried mango slice drizzled in a citrus fruit glaze and served with a side of strawberry-mango sorbet.
Want to grab a bite of these tantalizing Texas treats? Come try them at the State Fair of Texas starting Sept. 27! You can view a map of the available state fair vendors and purchase tickets online at BigTex.com