Sporkies Contest Brings Gator Nuggets, Swamp Juice to State Fair

2025 Sporkies and Drinkies competition. Photo taken July 29, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.

In the 13 years since Wisconsin State Fair launched its inaugural Sporkies competition, entries have grown increasingly over the top as vendors angle to outdo creations from years prior.

The lineup has evolved from relatively simple, craveable offerings — Cajun mac and cheese and an iced Irish coffee float were among the finalists in 2013 — to Mad Libs-style mashups like 2025’s blueberry breakfast bratwurst, as vendors lean into viral food trends, unexpected ingredient pairings and eye-catching presentations in hopes of capturing judges’ and fairgoers’ attention.

And 2026 is no exception. Wisconsin State Fair officials announced this year’s finalists in late April, selecting the top eight of 29 Sporkies entries and four Drinkies from a pool of 24. The list includes a mix of sweet and savory entries — several featuring global influences and most with a deep-fried component.

Exotic Meat Grill’s Bayou Crunch Cup layers alligator nuggets and breaded crawfish bites over sidewinder fries with Cajun slaw and comeback sauce, finished with pickled okra and a whole crawfish.

WürstBar leans into Milwaukee flavors with the Cream City Cone, a soft pretzel cone dipped in dill pickle mustard and filled with bratwurst, sautéed onions and mushrooms, melted cheddar and a cheese curd.

Bud Pavilion’s Porky Puff wraps pulled pork, peach filling and garlic-herb cheese in puff pastry, finished with hot honey and mustard seeds.

Sweet options include Deep-Fried Horchata Balls from Badger Bites and Sweet Lemon Berry Cheese Curds from Saz’s BBQ; the company took home top honors in 2024 with another lemon-flavored creation: Deep-Fried Lemonade Bites.

Blue Moon Tavern at the Park will serve Tinga Tango Chicharrones — a twist on traditional nachos featuring housemade pork rinds and toppings, with additional finalists including Al Pastor Pizza from Charlie’s Pizza and Birria Flamin’ Bombs from Fiesta Grill & Cantina.

Drinkies range from Fluffy’s Candy Cut Donuts’ Cookie Butter Coffee Float to Old Fashioned Sipper Club’s Tilt-a-Spritz, a SpinCity-inspired mocktail. All Things Jerky’s Color-Changing Swamp Juice combines blue raspberry lemonade with a syringe of “swamp potion,” plus gummy gators, candy frogs and Pop Rocks, while Deep-Fried Mashed Potatoes On-a-Stick’s Hot Honey Chicken Lemonade blends fresh-squeezed lemonade with Mike’s Hot Honey and honey popping juice pearls, topped with honey-battered chicken nuggets.

A panel of celebrity judges will crown a winner for each category on Aug. 4. The 2026 Wisconsin State Fair will run from Aug. 6 through 16.

Korean Pub and Restaurant For National Avenue

Hae Jin Park has a keen eye for potential, often envisioning the ideal business to fill empty buildings she passes by.

“It’s in my blood,” she said. “I see a place and think, ‘That could be a successful tea store, or that would make a great restaurant.'”

At 839 W. National Ave., Park sees a cozy dining room with lanterns glowing overhead, a social bar counter framed by a Korean-style roof and a peaceful, plant-filled patio. In her vision, guests are digging into fried dumplings and beef intestine soup, toasting trendy highball cocktails and sipping soju.

This project is one she’ll get to bring to life. Park and her brother, Jungwoo, plan to open Soonja’s Seoul Pocha there this summer. It is set to replace The National Cafe, which closed last December after 17 years in business.

Read the full article

Lawsuit Seeks to Block Food Truck Curfew

One week after rallying at Milwaukee City Hall, food truck operators are escalating efforts to block a new ordinance limiting late-night operating hours.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a lawsuit against the City of Milwaukee on Thursday, seeking an emergency court order to prevent the rule from taking effect May 9.

The ordinance, approved unanimously by the Milwaukee Common Council in April, bans food truck operations after 10 p.m. in areas of Downtown and after 11 p.m. near Burnham Park.

“This ordinance is going to shut down small businesses and provide less affordable food options to workers and residents of our city,” said Abdallah Ismail, owner of The Fatty Patty and a plaintiff in the suit, in a statement. “Food truck owners create good food and provide a real service, but the city has made us into scapegoats for violence and crime. This cannot stand.”

Read the full article

Pizzeria Planned For Burleigh Street

Great pizza starts with quality dough, and Stephen Meenk has spent decades perfecting his. After years of sharing it with a limited audience of friends and family, the hobby chef is now preparing for a leap into the restaurant industry, with plans to open Meenk Bros Pizza Co. at 8415 W. Burleigh St.

The proposed restaurant would feature New York-style pies made with “simple, high-quality ingredients” such as San Marzano tomatoes, specialty pepperoni and Tuscan olive oil — all on a base of cold-fermented dough.

Its preparation has become muscle memory for Meenk, who “can pretty much do it blindfolded,” he said. But it hasn’t always come easily. “The first time I made pizza, it was awful. It’s like, ‘What did I do wrong here? What happened?'”

The pizzeria would add to Meenk’s existing career; he also works full time as a respiratory therapist. Though he acknowledged balancing a new project will mean “burning the candle at both ends,” Meenk said he’s prepared for the challenge. Entrepreneurship, like pizza dough, is something he’s confident he will master in time.

Read the full article

Florida Educator Would Take Over Historic Trimborn Farm

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors will vote on a lease of the historic Trimborn Farm to a private operator in May.

Milwaukee County Parks, which owns the farm in the Village of Grendale, hopes the deal will reactivate the farm and lead to the restoration of the neglected historic buildings.

Milwaukee County Parks is recommending the board approve a contract with Virginia Emmons McNaught, doing business in Wisconsin as Two Weathervanes LLC. Emmons McNaught is originally from Greendale, and in 2023 she won the contract for the redevelopment and reuse of the Stelzer Barn and Dairy House in the Root River Parkway. She lives in the Miami-area and runs an education nonprofit in Miami Shores, Florida, called Educate Tomorrow and a college-preparatory public boarding school in Miami called The SEED School of Miami.

The 19th-century farm includes nine buildings sitting on approximately 7.3 acres of land at 8801 W. Grange Ave. Throughout its history, the property has been used for a variety of purposes, including lime production and dairy farming. The Milwaukee Parks Commission saved the property from encroaching suburban development in the early 1980s. The Park People of Milwaukee County restored the buildings in 2004, and the Milwaukee County Historical Society has run the farm as a historic park for the past two decades.

Read the full article

Could AI Be a Lifeline For Milwaukee Grocers?

Read the full article

Introducing the City’s Largest Flautas

A new vendor specializing in foot-long flautas is headed to Zócalo Food Park.

Flautas y Chilaquiles Los Villa plans to open full time at 636 S. 6th St. in the coming months, its first permanent home since closing its brick-and-mortar restaurant last spring.

Co-owner Israel Villarreal told Urban Milwaukee the truck would continue with the same menu, offering its namesake flautas — served in a cup with layers of fresh vegetables and a choice of sauce — along with customizable chilaquiles, tacos, salsa-dunked pambazos, tortas and burgers.

Drinks such as jamaica, an agua fresca made from hibiscus flowers, will also be featured.

Read the full article

New Bars and Restaurants That Opened in April

During a month marked by tightening food truck restrictions, at least three mobile businesses made big moves, establishing new long-term locations at Zócalo Food Park.

Isa’s Ice Cream was the first to open, returning to 636 S. 6th St. for a summer residency with a freezer full of signature flavors such as mango, tamarind, coconut and elote, alongside new additions.

Isabel Aviles Vences, Reynaldo Vences and Alexander Lopez Aviles lead the business, which, despite its name, specializes in nieve de garrafa — a Mexican frozen dessert made from fresh fruit, milk or water and sugar, hand-churned in a metal container.

Italian-inspired Nadi Plates also joined the vendor lineup, rolling out a menu of personal pizzas, handmade calzones and snacks such as truffle fries. The family-owned business officially opened April 30 and features regular specials. Based on customer feedback, the menu could expand in the coming months.

Read the full article

Good City Became Wayfinder, Now Becoming Event Space

Just over a year after opening in the former Good City Brewing space at 2108 N. Farwell Ave., Wayfinder will host its final restaurant service this weekend as the business transitions to an events-focused model.

A co-located tiki bar, The Rooftop, will remain public-facing.

Owners Mike and Joan Doble announced the shift in an online post Wednesday, expressing gratitude for customers’ “support, kind words and repeat visits” during Wayfinder‘s tenure.

“Over the past year, we’ve been incredibly proud to serve you—creating dishes we love and building a team that means the world to us,” the couple shared in a statement. “We’ve built a strong events business over the years, and we believe this space is a perfect fit for what’s next.”

Read the full article