What to know
- The 2026 CNE Food Hall of Fame recognizes food vendors for their creativity, taste, popularity and longevity at the exhibition.
- This year’s inductees include Perogy Chef Perogies, deep-fried chicken feet, Bouchard’s Poutine, the 24K Gold Burger and roasted corn.
- Perogy Chef Perogies has been serving the same cheddar-and-potato recipe with onion-dill sauce for about 40 years.
- The 24K Gold Burger launched as a $100 full-size burger in 2018 and is now available as a more affordable $24 slider.
- Several of the Hall of Fame foods put a CNE spin on familiar favourites, including deep-fried chicken feet, loaded poutine and roasted corn with flavours like Mexican and Flamin’ Hot Cheeto.
Alongside fun carnival rides and diverse performances, the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is known for its wild food creations and flavour fusions, and some of them have become staples of the event.
The 2026 CNE Food Hall of Fame is back in 2026, awarding some of the festival’s most creative and valued food vendors for their beloved contributions. Vendors are selected for the permanent recognition based not only on how innovative their creations are, but also on taste, popularity, and longevity of their bites.
“People know the CNE for its food, and we have such creative vendors who create these amazing creations you would never think of,” CNE CEO Mark Holland told Now Toronto.
“Toronto’s such an adventurous city for food, so we can try things here that they wouldn’t try anywhere else in the world. So, it’s a big deal to be able to celebrate the creativity of the vendors and have this moment to have this Hall of Fame to really celebrate their achievement and their creativity.”
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Among a wide variety of options, this year’s Hall of Fame is featuring some of its OG snacks, including the classic corn on the cob, traditional cheese perogies, poutine recreations, 24K gold burger and fried chicken feet — all of which have now have left a permanent mark on the CNE.
The Perogy Chef Perogies
This staple Food Building feature is so popular among CNE goers that it hasn’t changed its recipe in 40 years. Each year, the Perogy Chef Perogies serves over three tonnes of its pillowy cheddar and potato perogies with a signature onion-dill sauce that’s now earned its place in the festival’s Food Hall of Fame.
The original recipe was developed by The Perogy Chef, Boris Hirniak, decades ago, and the business’s current owner Neil Sarel has decided to keep the same popular recipe after Hirniak’s death back in 2009.
“I never changed a thing. It’s good quality food at a humble price, and people love it. We’re a fan favourite,” Sarel told Now Toronto. “A lot of people come every year [and] the first [thing] they say is, ‘We come here because we love the perogies.’”
Sarel attributes the great popularity of the dish to the loyalty of his customers and the great quality of the product, especially the delicious onion-dill sauce, which seems to keep people coming back for more.
“It’s been a pleasure working with all the people from the CNE staff and the grounds… We’re a community here, and we all like to take care of everybody, and we look out for everybody’s back,” he said. It’s a long haul to do 18 days in a row, but it’s a good time when it’s all done.”
Deep-fried chicken feet
Another one of this year’s awarded delicacies are the deep-fried chicken feet, which brings a carnival twist to a food that is commonly served through many cultures.
Since it was first served back in 2017, both at the CNE and Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in Vancouver, this dish has raised eyebrows, and captured the hearts of many carnival goers.
Although chicken feet are a delicacy across many cultures, Dennis said what makes this one different is the fact it is deep-fried, creating this real carnival feel.
“It was incredible back then because new food changed over the course [of the years], and to be a part of all of this, and to get the call that we’re part of the Food Hall of Fame in here forever, it’s really cool and exciting,” Carnival Kitchen Co-Owner Karlye Dennis told Now Toronto.
Bouchard’s Poutine
It wouldn’t be a real Canadian carnival without a good poutine! Although Bouchard’s Poutinerie didn’t create the dish, it took this classic bite and combined it with a cultural twist that only Toronto could have.
“We started in this building in 2009, and what we did differently aside from serving on the classic traditional poutine is we started doing different variations of the classic,” Bouchard’s Poutine Owner Quinten Tran said, adding that the poutinerie serves up twists like the Mexican poutine, pizza poutine, and pulled pork poutine.
Tran told Now Toronto that the inspiration behind the different twists came from the festival itself, which tends to spark a creative spirit that pushes vendors to get outside the box.
Years later, the vendor said becoming a part of the festival’s food history is fantastic, especially as he sits beside other food vendors who have been a part of the festival for several decades.
“This community that we have in this food building is very unique… you have everybody from small independent mom and pop operators to some of the bigger chains,” he said.
“When we all come together here and sort of do business for 18, 20 days, and everybody gets together, it’s very unique.”
24K Gold Burger
Also known as the Lamborghini of burgers, the 24K Gold Burger has transformed a popular finger food into a luxury meal. This high-end burger includes two cheeseburger patties, maple bacon strips and peameal bacon, and thick onion rings, all hugged by edible gold foil-covered buns.
The creation was first launched in 2018, and attracted many CNE goers looking to taste the luxury and take photos with the shiny buns.
“At that time the driving factor was, ‘What can you make that’s picturesque? And what’s more eye-catching than gold?’ We found a way to fuse it into our burger and deliver this experience, which was really cool,” Bacon Nation Co-Owner Andrew Motta said.
The creation was originally a $100 full gold burger version back in 2018. However, the owners have decided to scale back to the 24K slider version in order to make it more attainable to festival goers, with the snack now going for $24.
“We grew up in this building. We were made in this building, so to be a part of it and be out from the rafters is good for the heart. It feels great,” Motta added.
Roasted Corn
Known as a staple delicacy not only at the CNE but in many Toronto street festivals, the roasted corn also made the Hall of Fame list.
Having been serving the delicious corn for over 20 years, Meester Mike’s of Coral Gables features a series of twists on its way to serve this classic, along with the traditional corn which is perfectly roasted and served on a cob with butter and Cajun seasoning.
“We always like to locally source the corn. The way I test the corn is if I can eat it raw, it’s perfect,” Owner Michael Zdebiak said.
“Over the last few years, what we notice is like adding flavors and all that different. So like the flaming hot Cheeto one, when we make our own spicy mayo, is a hit. The Mexican corn, everybody’s loving it.”
This is the second year in a row that Meester Mike’s of Coral Gables is awarded in the Hall of Fame, having first been recognized for its turkey legs.
“It’s great being recognized and being able to share [our] story,” Zdebiak said.
