Ottawa County, MI: Ottawa County Fair Food Draws Hungry Patrons

Some West Michigan vendors at the Ottawa County Fair this week are banking on their food being a little different.

Beechwood Inn’s Coyote Cafe barbecue wagon is frequented by the other vendors because the Ottawa Beach Road restaurant offers something they can’t get at every stop on the summer circuit, said cook Greg Roberts.

“It’s real food,” said Roberts, who during his summers off from Michigan Technological University, is a cook at the Beechwood Inn.

It’s the wagon’s first year at the fair and Beechwood is catering company picnics at the fairgrounds this week, he said.

They offer fries, barbecue pork and beef brisket, but the most popular dish is something called “Redneck Fries.” On a base of French fries the cooks pile barbecue pork, melted cheese, an extra squirt of barbecue sauce and top it with jalapeños.

They’ve been selling about 60 to 100 pounds of barbecue every day at the fair, which runs through Saturday.

It is the first year for Grand Rapids-based Sanse, too. The family-owned food truck also frequents Holland’s Farmers Market with its Filipino cuisine.

It’s too soon to tell how the fair will be for Domingo and Jeana Galang’s Sanse (which means “little sister” — Jeana is the fourth sister in her family).

Domingo Galang thinks it takes people a little longer to warm up to food they don’t expect to see at the fair.

“We’re selling different,” he said.