WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Just days away from The Big E and we're talking about one of the fair's most famous treats: The cream puff!
This year, the largest fair in the northeast is celebrating its 100th year. The Big E runs from September 17 - October 2.
Prior to Friday's opening, Chaz “the Cream Puff Delivery Man” paid Good Morning Connecticut a visit Wednesday morning.
So what is the Big E Cream Puff, and what makes it so famous?
The real recipe to The Big E Cream puff is a secret, but it's 40 percent butter fat, vanilla, and a few other ingredients. The fluffy yet crispy pastry surrounds the cream center. It is made in-house at the state-of-the-art bakery on the fairgrounds in West Springfield, Mass. Chaz's friend Ray Billie and his team are back at their bake shop now making these delicious cream puffs, eclairs, and preparing for this year’s fair.
On average over a single 17 day fair, The Big E will sell around 50,000 of them.
But there are also plenty of other food to try and this year's fair.
For 2016, items like the Blueberry Pierogi Sundae are added and “Navajo Tacos” which are tacos with all the fixings folded into a fried dough. There’s also a new take on fry this year with the Chocolate & Bacon covered fries; funnel cake fries, and Tracy’s Idaho Taqueria’s Sweet Potato Fries.
Last year, The Big E saw over 1.3 million visitors pass through its gates and the exposition draws fair goers from all over the country, not just New England. The Big E is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
For more information on this year's Big E, click here.