Zachary Bohn, owner of The Original Crunch Roll Factory food truck, has a new strategy this year for the 2018 Taste NY Food Truck Competition. He’s going to be the loudest.

Bohn and his team will bring their truck to the NY State Fair with a decked out and creative truck, sporting speakers on the roof to crank out music and televisions on the side for guest entertainment.

The Original Crunch Roll Factory is a food truck returning for its second year, with plans to bring its popular buffalo crunch rolls to the fair.

Family-owned and operated, Bohn said its unique center dish, the crunch roll, has become a hit by peaking consumers’ curiosity. Made with chicken, three cheeses and wing sauce and fried in a crispy shell, it’s an option that he said will have fairgoers coming back for more food.

“We just like to be the loudest,” Bohn said. “It’s just a fun atmosphere wherever we are, and people are really interested and curious as to what a crunch roll is, and once they know, they keep coming back.”

Started in 2015, the food truck event features nearly 50 food trucks, treating attendees to a variety of cuisines and dishes as part of a friendly competition over who has the best meals. Rachel Hawthorne, the event’s organizer for the past four years, said she has been planning the competition for a year.

“I see the entire competition to its final stage and have been there since the start,” Hawthorne said. “The thing about organizing these events is that preparation for the next competition begins immediately after the current one ends.”

With more than 20 trucks participating each day, Hawthorne said Saturday and Sunday are full-day events.

“Since the fair starts so early, people come for breakfast and end up staying for lunch and dinner,” she said.

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This year, event organizers upgraded the voting system, shying away from traditional print ballots and opting for a tech-savvy solution. Patrons can now cast one vote for their favorite food truck using a special phone number posted during the event. The truck with the most votes will be declared the “People’s Choice” winner.

“We always did this kind of old-style voting system where we printed ballots for each truck and people could vote for their favorite like that, but this year we went to text voting,” Hawthorne said. “It’s less work for the patrons and the trucks, as well.”

Successful trucks have gone on to do big things, Hawthorne said. The first winner of the People’s Choice award was Smokin Petes Barbeque, which has since set up shop at huge festivals such as Coachella.

Courtesy of Rachel Hawthorne

Food trucks this year include Sassy Taco, Smoothies Plus, Silo Food Truck and The Hen & The Hound.

Not only is the event something visitors can enjoy but competitors, as well. Many of the event’s participants are returners, but about half of the food trucks will be competing for the first time.

Another returner, 3.21 Salads, offers lighter meal choices and hopes to win over patrons with its signature mini wedge salad. The vendors proudly use homegrown ingredients, sporting New York-themed items, as well as state fruits and vegetables.

Not only does the food truck competition mean a lot to state fair organizers and vendors, but it’s also an opportunity to connect with Syracuse residents, giving them one last hurrah of summer.

Published on August 29, 2018 at 10:55 pm

Contact Leah: ltoney@syr.edu