“We are extremely impressed with Ovations Food Services, their commitment to featuring local products on their menus, and also the culinary innovations and talents that they will display year round,” said Waffner. “This is just the latest in a series of new features at the 2014 Fair, and we think that Ovations will be a great addition, not only over the 12 day Fair but throughout the year.”

Ovations Food Services, which operates more than 140 venues throughout the United States and Canada and is affiliated with Comcast-Spectacor and Comcast NBC Universal, will begin implementing their Everything’s Fresh™ program once the executed contract is approved by the New York State Office of the State Comptroller and the Office of the Attorney General.

Ovations Food Services operates at 22 Fair and Entertainment facilities including the Ventura County Fairgrounds, the California Exposition and State Fair, the Orange County Fair and Event Center, and Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. In New York State, they provide the catering and concessions at the NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse, home of the Syracuse Chiefs; Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls; Provident Bank Park in Pomona, home of the Rockland Boulders; and consult at Frontier Field, home of the Rochester Red Wings. The company has a deep commitment to buying and serving local products through its Everything’s Fresh™ initiative, working closely with local farmers, growers and producers.

In the Center of Progress Building, Ovations will offer Fairgoers and guests fresh new options, a creative change to the menu, and a reduced counter footprint.

In the Art and Home Center, Ovations will operate the Empire Room during the Fair and also at special events such as weddings, reunions, and corporate meetings year round. Ovations has also proposed new ideas to utilize the Somerset Room outside of the 12-day Fair operations.

In the Horticulture Building, Ovations will operate a Fresh Classics Grill™ with a variety of menu options that differ from the selection at the Center of Progress Building. In addition, mobile carts will be utilized throughout the fairgrounds for visitors that prefer a “grab and go” option.

The New York State Fair, operated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, runs from August 21 – September 1, 2014. The Fair’s mission, reflected in its 2014 theme, “Summer’s Best in Show,” is to showcase the best of New York agriculture while providing top-quality entertainment. This year’s tagline – “New Attractions, Old Favorites, Timeless Fun” – highlights the more than two dozen new events and attractions and the expansion or enhancement of several Fairgoer favorites.

In addition to the annual New York State Fair, the Fairgrounds host dozens of agricultural events throughout the year, including some of the Northeast’s most prestigious horse and livestock shows.

The home of the Great New York State Fair is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year. A year-round schedule of events is available on the Fair’s website. Find The Great New York State Fair on Facebook, follow @NYSFair on Twitter, and enjoy photos from the Fair at Flickr.com/photos/NYSFair. Also, New Yorkers are invited to send their ideas for the Great New York State Fair at statefairideas@agriculture.ny.gov.

About Ovations Food Services, LP
A nationally ranked food service company, Ovations Food Services (www.ovationsfoodservices.com) delivers fresh menus, fresh management and fresh ideas to public assembly venues, hotels and casinos throughout the United States and Canada. Ovations specializes in food, beverage, merchandise and hospitality services for stadiums, arenas, convention centers, fairgrounds, expo-centers, racetracks, zoos, performing arts centers, amphitheaters, casinos and hotels. Considered by many as the best managed and most innovative company in the industry, Ovations’ results oriented senior management team has been involved in managing almost every major public assembly facility throughout the United States and Canada.

About Comcast Spectacor
Ovations Food Services’ parent company, Comcast-Spectacor (comcast-spectacor.com), which operates in 48 of the 50 United States, is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company which owns the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), the home arena for both the Flyers and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, the Wells Fargo Center, and four Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and hockey rinks. In addition, Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field with more than 120 facilities throughout the United States and Canada; Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company; FanOne, a digital fan marketing company; and Paciolan, the leading provider of venue enablement, ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions.

Media Contacts:
Joe Morrissey
Public Information Officer
NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets
518-457-0752

Dave Bullard
Public Relations
New York State Fair
315-487-7711 x 1377