State fairs are about crazy food, and the craziest food at most fairs along the East Coast can be found at the Fried Specialties booth run by Jim Hasbrouck.
Hasbrouck, a Wayne County native now based in Florida, spends most of the year moving from fair to festival, slinging snacks, entrees and desserts that emerge from a bath in boiling oil. He's been cooking most of his life but found cooking for fairs and festivals engaged his creative side the most.
"You need something fried," he shouts at a passing New York State Fair patron, who does not stop. But many do.
They come for the wild creations, usually featuring a new idea every year. Past years have featured deep-fried hot dogs adorned with melting pieces of Hershey's chocolate bar or entire Thanksgiving dinners deep-fried and served in a mega sandwich.
This year, though, Hasbrouck is playing the hits. He's brought back his first major and most popular creation: The Defibrillator. It's a half-pound hamburger, grilled and finished in the fryer, covered in a mound of deep-fried pickles and deep-fried bacon, sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches.
"The Defib is back with a vengeance this year," Hasbrouck says, adding that he hopes it will sell as many times as it has been in the past. "22,000 would be a nice number."
Fairgoer Steve Converse of Rotterdam ordered one. His wife said he had been looking at the Defibrillator all day and finally came back to get one.
"I had one before and it was one of the greatest things I ever had. So I've been thinking about it all day and here I am," Converse said. "I'm expecting a dynamite burger and lots of cholesterol. But thankfully, I'm on a statin for that. So I hopefully will survive to my next birthday."
"Best 20 bucks you ever spent," Hasbrouck said to Converse as he put the massive sandwich in his hands.
It's not always about money, though. Moments later, a woman and her elderly mother stopped so the daughter could buy a dessert called Death By Peanut Butter. As they waited, the mother admired the picture of deep-fried cheesecake on the stand's walls.
"Hey, do you want a little piece on me? I'll treat you to a piece of cheesecake," Hasbrouck said and ordered his cook to fry up half a slice of cheesecake. The mother and daughter left, their day having been made by a small gift in a place where food can be expensive.
"She was an 87-year-old lady who would have never tasted a cheesecake like that in her life," Hasbrouck said. "Why not make her happy and smile? A piece of cheesecake that cost me 80 cents to put out, I just got a smile and it made her happy."
He mentioned that earlier in the day, he offered a free candy bar (another fried item on the menu) to a young boy. Instead, a dozen boys lined up and each left with a freebie candy bar.
"That's what makes the fair the fair," he said.
