Chef Reactions and other content creators are getting ready to descend on the Minnesota State Fair

The Minnesota State Fair has become one of the greatest content opportunities for social media food creators from Minnesota and beyond, with prominent names preparing to descend upon the fair.

When Chef Reactions, a content creator known for his snarky takedowns of other food videos, asked his followers in July which state fair he should check out, the answer was overwhelmingly Minnesota’s.

The replies to his post on X were filled with suggestions on what local favorites he should champion and which he should lambast. He was also inundated with invitations. On Thursday, the social media-famous chef will attend a St. Paul Saints game, where he will throw out the first pitch, the team posted on X Tuesday.

“Ever since I said I’m going to the Minnesota state fair I’ve been FLOODED with requests, well wishes and DM’s. It’s a bit shocking tbh,” he wrote in an initial post. Chef Reactions, who boasts more than 3 million followers on TikTok, has not revealed his identity, telling Wired magazine that he has received death threats for his unvarnished cooking assessments.

The fair has always been about the food. But for social media food personalities, it’s a perfect opportunity to create content.

Tony Cu has become one of Minnesota’s star social media reviewers in the last year — thanks in large part to the State Fair. Before last August, Cu mostly posted cooking videos featuring his own recipes to his 20,000 followers. Though he always wanted to review food, it wasn’t until last year’s fair that he dove in. Immediately, his videos saw a lot of a attention. His first video from the fair last year has now been viewed nearly 4 million times.

In his videos, Cu walked around the fair, tasting and ranking all sorts of foods, from the best egg roll in Minnesota to pickle pizza. The videos racked up millions of views and thousands of comments. Followers were intrigued by the state’s beloved foods and just how large the great get-together really is, Cu said.

“People have fancy cameras, and I’m just using my phone. I’m basically just doing it like I’m talking to you on FaceTime, and it just felt personable,” Cu said of why viewers may connect with him. “I was doing ratings and stuff. But that’s more for entertainment value. It’s just a lot of fun.”

Food has always been a big draw at the fair. Since festivities for the new fair foods were formally launched in 2012, the hype has grown into the fair’s most anticipated announcement, said spokesperson Maria Hayden. Social media has accelerated the interest, Hayden said.

“Now that media is so accessible right from everyone’s phones, I think it’s a lot easier for people to share content about what they’re excited for at the fair and … be able to communicate with other content creators about what they tried,” Hayden said.

Fairgoers rely on social media to plan their meals, she said, and many vendors use social media to attract customers.

Cu, who now has more than half a million followers, said he takes a tiny bit of credit for national food influencers expressing interest in visiting Minnesota this year.

“I have had a lot of people reach out to me saying, we’re flying into the Minnesota State Fair this year because of you, because of your videos,” Cu said.

He’ll be at the fair this year, hanging out just as he has since he was a child. Cu said he plans to post a couple of videos, including one featuring the new foods and another thanking the community the fair helped bring him.

“Food is relatable to people,” Cu said. “You can sit at a table with six people. Even if everyone spoke a different language, if they’re all eating good food, they’re all happy.”