We dive into the world of state, county and agricultural fairs with Marla Calico to learn about their history, impact and why roast beef sundaes are all the rage at fairgrounds across the country. Plus, we head to the Iowa State Fair to meet the woman who carves cows out of butter and the kids striving to create the world’s ugliest cake. We also get a crash course in wine from sommelier André Mack and we make Eggplant and Tahini Dip.

Questions in this episode:

"Tell me what you know about hand-beaten cakes."

"I'm looking for a bigger version of my boning knife for chopping vegetables. What do you recommend?"

"I keep seeing recipes for cooking carmelized onions over medium or high heat, but every time I do that I burn them. What am I doing wrong?"