Over nine months ago, Cooking Channel investigative eater Noah Cappe visited the New York State Fair to tape an episode of his series Carnival Eats. As reported on State Fair Hound (Tip of the Cappe, Aug. 29, 2015), Cappe made several stops on the grounds, including an early morning visit to Fried Specialties, sampling the notorious Defibrillator.

The show featuring that encounter was scheduled to premiere on May 5, but inexplicably didn’t air.

According to the Carnival Eats website, that show will be broadcast on May 8 at 11 p.m., May 15 at 7 p.m. and May 30 at 6 p.m. Usually CE splashes some scenes from the featured event between cooking segments, also stopping to chat with patrons of the starring eateries, so don’t miss a chance to see our State Fair on national television.

The Post-Standard recently quoted a local dietician they interviewed as advising State Fair visitors not to skip meals before heading out for a day on the grounds. In the interest of equal time, State Fair Hound offers this advice: Go hungry and eat a lot.

A good friend of The Hound once confessed to going to the Fair with her husband, but eating nothing, fearing that health and sanitary standards were lacking. Not true. Keep in mind that the vendors at the Fair are held to the same standards that restaurants are, including frequent inspections. These folks are professionals, often owners of year-round eateries or traveling diners that do this most of the year at locations all over the country.

When it comes to nutrition, not only can you find plenty to eat that’s healthy, if you don’t, no big deal. You’re allowed to splurge as part of the best festival of the year, so go for it. Unless you have serious medical issue, chow down and indulge yourself at the Fair. You can go back to minding your diet after Labor Day.

A television crew was on the grounds Saturday, taping the nationally-broadcast Cooking Channel show Carnival Eats, mentioned in our April 14, 2015 post, Chow Hound. Affable host Noah Cappe started early, interviewing Fried Specialties owner Jim Hasbrouck and getting the skinny—if you can call it that—on the Defibrillator sandwich, a decadent mixture of meats and cheese. Cappe then moved on to shoot several more segments at other stands to be broadcast on upcoming episodes.

Cappe, wearing the white shirt in these exclusive State Fair Hound photos, took time between to talk to The Hound, marveling at the size of the New York State Fair and revealing that he estimates that Carnival Eats, now in its third season, has presented about 200 foods from fairs and festivals in the US and Canada. This marks his first stop at our State Fair.

Watching the CE crew work was an eye-opener in terms of the elaborate and exacting effort that goes into each scene. First-rate production quality and expert editing make each show deliciously entertaining, allowing Cappe to gets his sparkling personality, as well as his hands, into each outrageous recipe. Off camera, the lanky Toronto native is as charming and personable as his television persona, taking time to chat and pose for photos between takes.

The State Fair scenes will appear in an upcoming season-three episode of Carnival Eats and the Hound will be watching.

The Hound heartily recommends a television show that never fails to bring to mind the New York State Fair. The Cooking Channel has been running a half-hour series called Carnival Eats. It features lanky Noah Cappe as the personable and enthusiastic host, traveling around the US and Canada visiting fairs and festivals to sample some of the unusual alfresco eats being cooked up by vendors.

We haven’t seen Cappe visiting our Fair, but some of the food looks familiar, as he has featured blooming onions, deep fried pickles and barbecued ribs. What’s most intriguing is his reveal on foods that haven’t made their way to us yet, some of which look delicious. Maybe we’ll soon get to sample a lobster corn dog, a peanut butter cobbler or a strawberry/arugula pizza. One guy showed him how to make a thanksgiving waffle, pouring stuffing mix into a waffle iron to make the platform for his roast turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce.

Some of the freakish foods lean toward the revolting as they deep fry everything from butter to gummy bears. Some vendors go for shock value, like the one who puts scorpions on pizza. Yuck!

After learning how to make the various fair treats, the quirky Cappe digs in and gives his reviews, which always come out positive, often glowing. He then interviews patrons for their take on what’s on the menu.

The show is tasty fun for midway connoisseurs, supplemented by camera shots of the rides and action nearby, again looking familiar to local State Fair hounds. The scheduling of Carnival Eats is irregular, so you’ll have to look for it. You can also find recipes and full episodes on the Cooking Channel website. For Fair fans, it’s mouthwatering inspiration.