The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), held in Toronto, is showcasing an array of unconventional food offerings this year, including Kraft Dinner smoothies, nitrogen-infused Oreo treats, and pickle-flavored coffee. The event's culinary highlights were previewed for the media ahead of its official opening on Friday.
Mark Holland, CEO of the fair, emphasized Toronto's reputation as a culinary hub, stating, “Toronto is one of the greatest food cities in the world and so we take our responsibility really seriously to be a big part of that.” He expressed his excitement for the creativity displayed by participants, noting that many of the new foods are quite delicious. His personal favorite this year is the butter chicken taquitos.
The Kraft Dinner smoothies are described as a “refreshing” treat that combines cheesy KD Shaker dust with mango, pineapple juice, and vanilla frozen yogurt. Other unique food items on the fair's menu include jerk chicken hotdogs wrapped in waffles and ramen shell kimchee chicken tacos, both of which incorporate bright pink cotton candy and the CNE's new Sweet Heat cotton candy hot sauce.
Additionally, Greekery Bakeshop is introducing a range of surprising summer flavors, featuring a smoky bacon and white chocolate iced mocha, alongside a dill pickle Greek iced coffee. Employee Audrey St-Gelais highlighted the significance of incorporating pickle flavors into the menu, stating, “The pickle flavor has just been a staple at the CNE for so long, so we’ve been trying to incorporate it into our menu and this year we finally figured out how to do it with our own dill pickle flavor.” The pickle is blended into the coffee along with sugar and other ingredients.
Reflecting this year's galactic theme, with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen slated to answer questions about the Artemis II mission on the opening day, a frozen treat known as “Space Rocks” has been created. The Oreo treats, which were showcased at the media preview, were served from a freezing cold bucket, releasing clouds of nitrogen fog.
Among the offerings, some are bite-sized delights, like edible spheres filled with blue raspberry dirty soda and strawberry cold foam, while others are more substantial, including a foot-long butter chicken taquito filled with fragrant basmati rice and accompanied by a creamy aioli.
Beach Hill Smokehouse stands out with a unique twist on Southern American dishes, offering warm, crispy waffle cones filled with sweet candied yams, topped with a generous portion of house-made mac and cheese. Pitmaster Jaden List recounted how the idea came together effortlessly during a family discussion.
In conjunction with the event, the city’s public transit agency plans to enhance service on bus and streetcar routes to Exhibition Place while the CNE runs through Labor Day. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) will also operate dedicated CNE shuttle buses that will connect the subway line at Dufferin Station and the Dufferin Loop near the exhibition grounds.
