The LA County Fair is opening this weekend at the Fairplex in Pomona with a lineup of wild and wacky foods for sale, everything from a Kool Aid-flavored chicken sandwich to a Cheetos soft drink.

This is the first time the fair is taking place in May. It has traditionally taken place in September, after two other big Southern California fairs, the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, which opens in early June, and the OC Fair in Costa Mesa, which opens in July.

“It’s a game changer,” said Charlie Boghosian, owner of Chicken Charlie’s, a concession at all three fairs. “Now, instead of closing the season, we open the season. People are always excited to find out what’s new, and you find that out at the beginning of the season. The LA County Fair has jumped to the forefront now.”

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Because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, a full-scale LA County Fair hasn’t taken place since 2019, although there was a scaled-down event called Bite-Sized Fair in 2021.

Both Boghosian and Dominic Palmieri, also known as the Midway Gourmet, said in separate phone interviews that they’ve had two years to come up with exciting menus for the Fairplex.

“What we have planned is everything in our power to make this the best fair ever,” said Boghosian, who is based in San Diego.

Upping the game

Chicken Charlie’s is leaning into a craze that has been sweeping fast food chains the last couple of years.

“As you know, Popeyes and Chick-Fil-A have been going crazy with the Nashville-style chicken sandwich,” Boghosian said. “We’re upping that game by bringing in four or five different types of chicken sandwiches, including a Kool-Aid chicken sandwich.”

That item is made with a chicken breast that is fried and dipped in syrup made with cherry-flavored drink mix and served on a bun with spicy pickles.

“We tried grape. That was delicious. We tried Blue Raspberry Lemonade. I liked that too. We even tried orange. But my chicken mafia team and I, the group that behind the scenes does all the fun stuff, we all agreed cherry was the best.”

The other chicken sandwiches will be original; Buffalo chicken with mac and cheese; and the FryBQ, made with a barbecue sauce batter and topped with onion rings and spicy pickles.

Boghosian is also bringing back some “oldies but goodies,” including the deep-fried Oreos that put Chicken Charlie’s on the map 20 years ago. He is also serving the Krispy Kreme Triple Decker, a cheeseburger with Krispy Kreme doughnuts instead of a bun, and the Krispy Kreme Chicken Ice Cream Sandwich, made with a raspberry jelly doughnut.

Chicken Charlie’s has two locations on the fairgrounds.One is on Broadway and Oak Street, near the grandstand, and will be serving fried chicken. The other is on Broadway and Palm Street and will be serving rotisserie chicken. He also has a charbroiled corn stand next to the Palm Street location.

Both Chicken Charlie stands will serve the special chicken sandwiches, Boghosian said.

‘All the stuff you love’

Phoenix-based Dominic Palmieri has a lot going on at the Fairplex.

“After a two-year hiatus, we have been innovating, we have been testing, we have been coming up with new creations, and we are thrilled that we are going to have about seven or eight new ideas for the Los Angeles County Fair.”

He said he is involved in 28 stands. Stands that he owns include Biggy’s, which specializes in barbecue, and Squeezers Lemonade. Others are run by family and associates including Fried A Fair and Totally Baked Cookie Joint.

Biggy’s does big meat, like bacon-wrapped pork belly on a stick and a spicy turkey leg that’s marinated to the bone.

This year Biggy’s is going big on Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, with the marquee asset being a cheeseburger.

“We figured out a way to encrust ground-up Flamin’ Hot Cheetos onto the outside of a buttery hamburger bun. And then we have a special Cheetos cheese sauce we use inside and we put in whole pieces of Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Cheetos as well as lettuce and tomatoes and all the stuff you love on a burger,” Palmier said. “It’s spicy, it’s creamy, and it’s got that nice crunch to it.”

Cheetos and cheese sauce are also going into fries, tater tots and an extra-large crinkle cut pickle chip.

“This one is the quintessential blend of salt, fat and acid, the three components that you need to make your tastebuds dance in your mouth.”

There’s also a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Float.

“This is probably one of the most unique food offerings at the fair,” Palmieri said. “ We figured out a way to infuse all the flavors and spiciness of Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into a soda float. We use Sprite soda that turns a nice, bright red. We top it with whipped cream and top it again with ground-up Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and whole Cheetos as well. That way you can run the Cheetos through the whipped cream.”

“It’s a little spicy, it’s a little sweet, but it’s a lot of carnival magic.”

Other sweets include a Dole Whip taco at the Nitro Treats stand.

“This is a giant wedge of watermelon cored out in the center so you have like a giant taco shell, and we fill it with Dole Whip ice cream,” Palmieri said. “We then top it with Tajin seasoning that just brightens up the watermelon and makes the Dole Whip come to life. We top it of course with a little cocktail umbrella, and it comes with a chamoy-coated straw.”

Time to mobilize

Fair food vendors can’t just let their imaginations run wild, according to Boghosian.

“Each fair has to approve the items that you want to sell. If you have a new item, they have to try that out and see if it’s any good,” he said.

The LA County Fair’s switch from September to May isn’t a big deal to Boghosian, who only does four fairs a year, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties and Fresno in October.

The switch will have a bigger impact on Palmieri, who works the Pima County Fair in Tuscon. It takes place in April.

“We normally had the month of May off to mobilize to get to California. Now we only have like a week to get to California,” he said.

“We’ll have the month of September to do some different projects and start working on some of the new foods that we will start at the end of next season and continue through next year.”

Both men serve more than wacky foods. Boghnosian said the heart of his menu is chicken strips, fried chicken and chicken and waffles.

“Even the traditional fair items are going to be the absolute best that you can possibly find,” said Palmieri.

“When we talk about funnel cakes and corn dogs, any of the traditional foods like caramel apples or candy apples, we are absolutely bringing the best of the best.”

LA County Fair

When: Through May 30

Where: 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona.

Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

Tickets: $15-$25 for adults, $8-12 for ages 6-12 and 60 and older. Multi-day passes are available. Parking is $15 online in advance, $20 at the gate.

Information: lacountyfair.com

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