A family tradition of fair food 

According to NCStateFair.org, 929,748 people were at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh this year. The fair has rides, music and an abundance of food options. Jeff Beaver, the owner of the Old Style food stand, sells two very different food items: roasted corn and fried candy bars.

“It’s totally different, you got the corn it’s a little more healthy than the candy bar,” Beaver said. “But it’s a great fair food on a stick, it’s chocolate, it’s deep fried.”

Walking through the candy bar and cookie section of his stand, it’s clear that this process is a sweet one.

“So we dip the cookies in a funnel cake batter, deep fry them and then we got deep fried candy bars we do, same batter, funnel cake type batter, put a stick in the candy bar, milky way, snickers, musketeers,” Beaver said.

Beaver is not only pleasing fair goers with his fried and roasted treats but he is also continuing a family tradition that started with his grandfather.

“He started that way back I’m going to say 50 to 60 years ago, maybe more. And then my dad started traveling to some of the fairs and so when I was young, during the summer, out of school, I would go with him and um then I started after that,” Beaver said.

Although he has two college-aged children of his own, Beaver does not have hopes that this family tradition will continue through them.

“I hope the education they’re getting will send them a different route,” Beaver said.

From the family, to the fried food, to the friends, running Old Style food stand is the perfect job for Beaver.

“I’ll tell ya I just love what I do now, it’s a good gig to have,” Beaver said.

You can be sure to find Jeff Beaver and his roasted corn and fried candy bars at the North Carolina Sate Fair and at other state fairs along the east coast next year.