3 Gotta Try Florida Strawberry Festival Foods for 2025

The Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City is that last lethal blow to those New Year's resolutions. You've got until Sunday to head to Plant City to try my 3 picks for the best of 2025. One is just here this year but the other 2 are Florida Strawberry Festival classics. Strawberry Cannoli Funnel Cake I'm not a big strawberry guy. Sorry. I know that's going to get me blacklisted in Plant City. I don't have any hate for strawberries. It's just not a food I generally seek out. Add to that, even with one of the most Italian names you can think of, I'm not a big cannoli guy. But "Mama" Jane Harris created another masterpiece with this one. She's been on the cable TV show Carnival Eats dozens of times. I had her on my Geno Ate Tampa podcast last year when she revealed her newest funnel cake creation: the strawberry cannoli funnel cake. I suggested she reach out to Mazzaro's Italian Market in St. Pete to see if they'd want to collaborate. The marriage worked. The scoop of chocolate chip cannoli filling has an awesome hint of cinnamon. Add the fresh extra sweet Plant City strawberries and powdered sugar. For the finishing touch, she tops it off with some cannoli shell chips and crumbles to give it a little extra crunch. St. Pete and Plant City meet on a Mama Jane Funnel Cake. Smitty's Corn Dogs It was only 3 years ago I had my first corn dog. I don't know why it took decades to have one. The mistake I made was having a Smitty's corn dog as my first corn dog. No other will ever measure up now. The hand dipped buttermilk corn dog is a must. Add a little mustard and you get that sweet and tangy combination going. There's always a line and for a good reason. People who go to the Florida Strawberry Festival tend to go every year. So when you see a long line, don't let that discourage you. It should tell you the Strawberry Festival pros know it's worth the wait. I've tried others, but none measure up to Smitty's corn dogs. Fiske Fries I don't know why they're so good. They're just french fries. But they are. I guess with 80 plus years of experience making them fresh, Fiske was perfected the french fry. Be sure to use some of that vinegar on them. I think it was a red wine vinegar. I like malt vinegar on my fries, but ketchup is for amateurs. French fry experts know it's all about the vinegar. It's for the best I can only get these fries once a year. Honorable Florida Strawberry Festival Food Mentions I know I named this the top 3, but if you've got some room, you really should get some Island Noodles and Amish doughnuts too. I love the deep fried Wisconsin cheese curds. And grab a bag of those strawberry cookies to take home. One thing you'll probably notice I didn't mention is strawberry shortcake. The reason I don't include it is it's something you can get year round in Plant City. The Florida Strawberry Festival is only around for a week or two. But if you must get your strawberry shortcake fix, I always like the make-your-own St. Clement stand. I definitely overdo it with the whipped cream. And it's not cake or biscuit... it's cake AND biscuit. You've got until Sunday to check out this year's Florida Strawberry Festival. The drive is a pain. I know. I live in Pinellas. But the food makes it all worth it. There are some great concerts this year too. I finally go to check Boys II Men off my concert bucket list. I rocked out to "Motownphilly" and then got back to eating. https://twitter.com/GenoRadio/status/1896757702623387956 https://twitter.com/GenoRadio/status/1896901948185661509