This new ‘french fry’ got 23M views on Instagram. Find it at the Benton Franklin fair
Fried food is classic fare at the Benton Franklin County Fair & Rodeo in Kennewick.
Food booths encircle the fairgrounds, serving up everything from foot-long corn dogs and monstrous elephant ears to beer-battered pickles and deep-fried Oreos.
But there’s a new hot and crispy addition this year: Spam fries.
Boba King, co-owned by Charity Rocha, sells a variety of Spam dishes, including Spam sliders and a Spam plate, in addition to boba tea.
It’s an off-shoot of Rocky’s Concessions based in Phoenix.
Social media influencer Food Beast featured the Boba King Spam fries on his Instagram and TikTok accounts in May during a visit to the L.A. County Fair.
The Instagram reel already has 23.7 million views.
The idea for Spam fries came from Rocha’s husband, Sean, who is Portuguese. Their two adult sons, Kamden and Kian, also work at the booth for events.
Rocha told the Herald this week that her husband grew up eating meat with Portuguese sweet bread, massa sovada.
Inspired by the traditional combination, Rocha created Spam sliders for the Boba King menu with King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls, a piece of Spam and a slice of pineapple.
More Spam dishes were then added to the menu.
Spam fries officially debuted at the San Diego County Fair in June 2024, where the dish won first in the Savory category at the 2024 Fair-tastic Food Competition.
Rocha recommends topping them with their spicy mayo and sweet Thai chili sauce.
She said that over four weekends at the San Diego County Fair, Boba King used 4,000 cans, or two pallets, of Spam. She sources the Spam in bulk from Costco stores.
For those unfamiliar with Spam, it’s a salty canned ham product.
“It’s a great food to walk around with at the fair and a great photo opportunity for your Instagram,” Rocha said. “It’s been a hit for us so far.”
Boba King’s Spam fries are $16. Spam sliders and the Spam plate with rice and macaroni salad are both $17.
The booth is on the south side of the fairgrounds, next to the restroom building and Big John’s Watering Hole.
The Benton Franklin County Fair is open 10 a.m.-11 p.m. through Saturday, Aug. 24. There will be a $3 Bucks for a Bite meal deal at select vendors on Thursday, Aug. 22.
This story was originally published August 20, 2024 at 3:56 PM.
