Get ready for a culinary adventure at the Maryland State Fair with our Annual Food Competition, The MALLET, sponsored by The Restaurant Store!

Vendors compete for Best Sweet, Best Savory, and Most Creative dishes, and YOU get to enjoy these delicious creations!

Join us for the live judging of the 2025 MALLET New Food Competition on Sunday, August 24, 2025, at 10 am on the State Fair Park Free Stage, presented by Maryland Lottery and T-Mobile.

Look for the 10′ flags marking the winning vendors as you explore the Fair!

2025 MALLET Results

Sample all MALLET finalists at the Fair!

All finalist dishes will be available for purchase and marked with a special sign.

Join us Sunday, August 24 at 10 am on the Park Stage to see who wins Best Sweet, Best Savory, and Most Creative New Food Items for the 2025 Maryland State Fair!

Overall Winners

Best Sweet Item

Paradise just hit the fryer! This island-inspired twist on a fair classic starts with a freshly fried funnel cake coated in sweet powdered sugar and loaded with coconut and passion fruit ice creams, fresh strawberries, bananas, and mango, a double dose of shredded coconut, and a dollop of fluffy whipped cream. It’s fruity, frosty, and fun—like a beach vacation on a plate!

Best Savory Item

Big flavor is rolling in small this year! Get BAKED is turning heads (and taste buds) with their brand-new Mini Stuffed Pretzel Rolls—but don’t let the size fool you. These bite-sized beauties are bursting with bold, crave-worthy fillings: the crowd-favorite Philly Cheesesteak, the Maryland-proud Chicken Chesapeake made with fresh local blue crab, and the ultimate breakfast bomb, Bacon, Egg & Cheese. It’s a trio of mini masterpieces packed in soft, salty, golden-baked pretzel perfection. One bite and you’ll agree—good things really do come in small rolls.

Most Creative Item

Flavor that feeds your soul. We’re wrapping up comfort food perfection with these deep-fried dream rolls, packed with seasoned southern-style greens, creamy smoked cheddar mac & cheese, brown sugar & honey sweet potatoes all married together in a crispy golden wonton shell. It’s sweet, savory, soulful—and unforgettable.

Sweet Finalists

A drink that looks like the fair—and tastes even better! This whimsical wonder starts with smooth, Southern-style sweet tea, blended with the nostalgic flavor of classic cotton candy. But we didn’t stop there. It’s topped with a fluffy cotton candy cloud, garnished with a mouth puckering sour gummy belt, and finished with a dazzling crystal blue rock candy stick. It’s part drink, part treat, and totally over-the-top in the best way.

Think the bright, tart twist of a State Fair Lemon Shake-Up—now on a stick and dressed in candy! Inspired by the iconic fair treat made by muddling fresh lemon wedges, sugar, water, and ice until perfectly summery and refreshing, our Lemon Tanghulu wraps that same lively flavor in a glossy, hard sugar shell. Zesty lemon wedges are skewered and dipped into molten sugar syrup to create a shatteringly crisp candy shell that crackles with each bite. The result? A sweet-tart, juicy burst of citrus in every snap—like holding a mini lemonade on a stick.

Cheers to Maryland! In celebration of the Orange Crush being named the official State Cocktail of Maryland in 2025, we’re serving it up float-style! This cool and creamy treat combines bubbly Orange Crush soda with a scoop of sweet vanilla ice cream for the ultimate refreshing summer float. It’s citrusy, fizzy, frosty—and full of state pride.

Savory Finalists

Golden brown tater tots fried to perfection and loaded with a generous helping of Costas Inn’s legendary crab dip—rich, creamy, and packed with fresh Maryland crab. It’s a fair food mashup you didn’t know you needed… but won’t stop craving.

Fresh from the farm to the fair! Dig into our hearty homemade vegetarian chili, made with green tomatoes and sweet corn, slow-simmered to perfection and poured over a bed of hand-cut French fries.Topped with shredded cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro, this is a comfort food classic with a garden-fresh twist. Locally grown. Boldly flavored. Utterly irresistible.