Elevated offerings across the 2025 PNE Fair

Culinary Innovations & “Guilty Pleasures” Wine Pairing

The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) 2025 Fair promises to be a vibrant celebration of entertainment, food, and community, running for 15 action-packed days starting August 16. With over 3,000 performers, the PNE positions itself as “the best part of summer” and an opportunity for visitors to experience 115 years of fun. While the live shows, rides, and attractions remain a draw, food is once again at the heart of the Fair, this year with a noticeable culinary upgrade under the guidance of the new Executive Chef, Chef Andy.

Chef Andy, a Red Seal-certified executive chef with over 25 years of experience in large-scale events, is bringing a fresh vision to the PNE. His goal is to elevate offerings across the Fair and throughout the year for all PNE events. While traditional favourites remain, guests can expect an expanded selection of healthy, gluten-free, vegan, and other specialty items that are not typically found at fairs.

BC Blueberry Mascarpone Crumble Pizza photo courtesy of the PNE

Among Chef Andy’s new creations are dishes designed to stand out both visually and on the palate. The Smoked Gouda and Prosciutto Pizza offers a rich and savoury combination, while the BC Blueberry Mascarpone Pizza from Chiki Pizza delivers a sweet-meets-creamy profile that could be Chef Andy’s personal favourite. The BC Seafood Chowder Poutine is a twist on a Canadian classic, combining cheese curds, French fries, and a chowder loaded with Pacific cod, sockeye salmon, and topped with smoked salmon. For those seeking bold, international flavours, the homemade Chicken Bulgogi Sausage, served without a casing for a softer bite, comes nestled in a hot dog bun with light kimchi, daikon coleslaw, crispy rice noodles, and a gochujang drizzle.

Bulgogi Chicken Hot Dog photo courtesy of the PNE

One of Chef Andy’s own guilty pleasures makes its debut this year is the Spiral Dill Pickle Coated in Tortilla Chips. This portable fair snack is dressed with chipotle lime sauce and was inspired by his love of spicy dill pickles and Doritos Cool Ranch chips.

This year, the PNE introduces the “Guilty Pleasures Wine Pairing Experience”, a playful and unexpected way to explore how fair food can match with wine. Hosted in the on-site Wine Chalet, guests can sample an impressive range of wines alongside thoughtfully curated pairings. Examples include mini donuts paired with sparkling wine, or the spiral dill pickle matched with Sauvignon Blanc. The PNE is also looking at offering pre-purchased pairing packages for guests who want to secure their spot in this new tasting experience.

I participated in a pre-view of the Guilty Pleasures Wine Pairing Experience and can ensure you that you will have fun munching on PNE foods with BC wines. The pairings that I had were:

Diggity Dogs Deep Fried Spiral Pickle paired with Saintly Sauvignon Blanc
Jimmy’s Lunch Cheeseburger paired with Black Sage Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Bulgogi Chicken Dog paired with Saintly Rose
Fundunkers Mini Donuts paired with Saintly, The Good Sparkling

All pairings worked. I particularly enjoyed the Cheeseburger with the Black Sage Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. The fried onions were very flavourful and together with the beef flavour from the burger, made a complimentary pairing with the light tannins and full dark fruit flavours from the Cabernet Sauvignon. I also really enjoyed the Bulgogi Chicken Dog paired with Saintly Rose. I know some people cannot handle spicy food, and many Korean dishes are spicy, but this dish was quite mild, so anybody should be able to enjoy this dish. I particularly liked the crunchy pickled vegetables and how it went with the bright acidity and fresh red fruit flavours of the wine.

The Fair maintains a strong commitment to supporting Canadian producers. All food vendors are Canadian, and the menus feature Canadian-themed items like the maple bacon corn dog and the Pacific West Coast seafood chowder poutine, both delicious nods to local heritage and flavours.

Images, except as noted, courtesy of Karl Kliparchuk, MyWinePal.