NYS Fair Food Hall of Fame #9: Tully’s Tenders, the ‘hottest and freshest’ you’ll find ‘em

Earlier this year, syracuse.com set out on a mission to identify the Top 10 all-time New York State Fair foods – the ones that belong in what we’re dubbing the The New York State Fair Food Hall of Fame.

We asked more than two dozen frequent fairgoers to pick their favorites. And our reporters and editors here at syracuse.com weighed in as well.

These are the iconic foods that define the NYS Fair. The ones you can’t go without on a visit to the fair. The ones you tell first-timers they MUST try.

Each day leading up to the Fair, we’ll “induct” another Fair food into our completely-made-up NYS Fair Food Hall of Fame.

***

Sure, anyone living in or around Central New York can grab some Tully’s Tenders any time of year they want.

But there seems to be something special about getting these delectable, deep-fried and battered chunks of chicken at the New York State Fair.

Tully’s Tenders came in at No. 9 on the syracuse.com New York State Fair Food Hall of Fame.

“It amazes me how many people HAVE to go to the Tully’s booth to get their chicken tenders,” said Amy Robbins, a long-time radio host who also joins with co-host Ted Long to provide the voice-over announcements on the fairgrounds. “Even though it’s an item that you can literally get every day of the year.”

The tenders made their overall debut in 1991 at the first Tully’s Good Times restaurant in Batavia. (There are now 14 Tully’s locations across Upstate New York and Pennsylvania).

Since then, roughly 200 million tenders have been served, said Dan Giamartino, whose family runs the Tully’s operations (and CopperTop and Good Buddy’s, too).

Tully’s Tenders made their debut at the State Fair around 2002. They come in the classic version (best served with Tully’s Honey Mustard), along with Buffalo or Asian flavors.

And there may be a good reason to get them at the fair, Giamartino said. It takes less time to get from the fryer to the customer at the fair than in the restaurants.

“At the fair is probably the hottest and freshest they’ll ever be,” he said. “You’re literally getting them as soon as they’re out of the fryer.”

And this year, you’ll find them in Tully’s brand-new $1.4 million permanent stand, which replaces the tent the company used for two decades. It’s not far from The Eatery, facing the entrance to the Midway.

“For those who are not into trying anything new, thank goodness for Tully’s chicken (tenders) to make them feel like it’s just a Tuesday in March and they are okay with that,” Robbins said.

Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.

See the rest of the list, so far: