4th Annual Governor’s Plate Competition at Colorado State Fair to Elevate Chefs from Pueblo, Wheat Ridge, Arvada and Denver

PUEBLO - Today, Governor Polis, the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Colorado State Fair announced the seven food trucks from across Colorado that have been selected to compete in the 2024 Governor's Plate competition at the Colorado State Fair. The event takes place at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at the State Fairgrounds in Pueblo.

"The Governor's Plate is a delicious event I look forward to every year, and a great celebration of Colorado's world-class agriculture and the talented chefs that call our state home. I'm excited to try everyone's dishes this year," said Governor Polis.

Returning champion Stoke Pizza will join six newcomers hoping to wow Governor Jared Polis and event attendees with sample-sized dishes created from Colorado Proud ingredients. This year, the competitors were required to use either Palisade peaches or San Luis Valley potatoes in their culinary creations. Governor Polis will award the Golden Plate to his favorite truck, while the crowd will vote to select the People's Choice Award winner.

The Governor's Plate competition celebrates the best of Colorado agriculture, as creatively interpreted by talented local chefs. Competing food trucks must be registered as members of Colorado Proud, meaning they utilize locally grown, raised and processed food and agricultural products, promoting Colorado's economy through support of local farmers, ranchers, greenhouses, manufacturers and processors.

The following food trucks will compete for the prestigious Governor's Plate and People's Choice awards:

• Mother Smothers (Pueblo) will serve San Luis Valley mashed potatoes topped with an award-winning green chili.
• Smith Grubs (Pueblo) will make a cinnamon roll using Palisade peaches.
• Returning champion Stoke Pizza (Pueblo) is creating a wood-fired, loaded baked-potato pizza featuring San Luis Valley potatoes.
• Wings on Wheels (Pueblo) will compete with a burger slider that has Palisade peach compote.
• Lady in the Wild (Wheat Ridge) will enter a Moroccan-spiced lamb meatball dish with pickled onions, Green-Goddess hummus, Palisade peach jam and chimichurri.
• MC2 Ice Cream Truck (Arvada) is making a gluten-free, Palisade peach and whiskey-pecan ice cream, flavored with Stranahan's Whiskey.
• Proto Taste (Denver) is offering a finely sliced grilled steak drizzled with Palisade peach steak sauce and topped with grilled onions, grilled peaches and melted brie cheese, inside Colorado's own City Bakery hoagie roll.

Tickets for the Governor's Plate are available at etix.com. Other fair tickets, including general admission, concert, and rodeo tickets, can be purchased by visiting ColoradoStateFair.com or at etix.com, by phone at 1-800-514-3849, and in person at the Colorado State Fair box office. Concert tickets purchased through August 22, 2023, include general admission to the Fair. Deals and discounts are also available.

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About the Colorado State Fair: The Colorado State Fair is an annual event held in Pueblo, Colorado that creates an entertaining, inspiring, and educational inter-generational experience highlighting the preservation, promotion, and exposition of our State's vibrant and diverse agricultural industry and culture. In 2021, the 11 days of the State Fair generated $43.7 million in total output which supported 506 total jobs and $14.9 million in total earnings in Pueblo County.