Warm bread, scratch-made treats: Neomonde serves up fresh fare at State Fair

I'll admit it: I'm not big on heavy, deep fried fare, which means some of the fair favorites (Cheerwine funnel cake, for instance) hold little appeal to me. And, perhaps because we don't eat a lot of fried food at home or when we eat out, my kids feel the same way.

And, since 2008, they've set up in a large tent at the State Fair, next to the church and near the Village of Yesteryear.

There, they hold daily bread-making demonstrations at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. This year, behind the long wooden counter under the tent, they are stirring up a variety of different doughs for focaccia, walnut raisin pumpernickel and pizza. They also sell all kinds of breads and baked goods, along with pizzas and Lebanese pies, which are like mini pizzas with toppings that include tomato and olive or herb, a mixture of thyme, oregano and sumac.

"Everything is prepared fresh," said Joe Saleh, one of Neomonde's owners, who was behind the counter with his wife Elvira when I visited the other day.

The fresh-made food is one reason why I always check out the Neomonde tent at the fair. The other reason: It a great place to relax with kids after traipsing across the fairgrounds. It's a huge tent with a lot of seating. And they have plenty of kid-friendly snacks for sale.

There are the breads which, this year, include walnut raisin pumpernickel, jalapeno and cheddar, ciabatta and more. In the pastry case, you'll find chocolate croissants, scones, buttery coffee cake and a variety of muffins. This year's State Fair muffin flavors: sweet potato topped with marshmallows and pumpkin spice.

And the prices are reasonable. Pastries cost between $3 and $4. Entire loaves of fresh-made breads range between $3 and $6. The Lebanese pies, which can be warmed up on the spot, are between $3 and $5. And a three-topping pizza costs $8. (In 2009, they started selling their Mediterranean specialties in a separate tent with the fair's other food vendors).

We left with a bag of ciabatta, which my daughter and I tore into before we left the fairgrounds, two muffins and a giant piece of coffee cake for $14, and a great experience talking to the Salehs about the work they do to run the tent.

We will be back!

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