Variety, flavor highlight Friday Fling food offerings

A Mat-Su summer staple for more than two decades is back again this year, much to the delight of residents seeking good food, crafts, fresh local produce, and live entertainment.

Palmer’s Friday Fling already has two weeks under its belt this year. Last Friday brought perfect weather to scenic downtown Palmer. Coupled with schools being out, that meant a good-sized midday crowd for the weekly street fair that kicked off a long holiday weekend.

With the full bounty of local produce still a few weeks away, the crowd was thick that milled around the 32 vendors peddling everything from homemade bread, fudge, and pies, to candles, soap, and artwork.

Lines at the 13 food trucks and trailers offering a diverse array of lunch fare were long, too. But with the sun shining and the Jerry Wessling Band laying down the afternoon’s soundtrack with its high-energy Alaskan country music, no one seemed to mind the wait. Popular longtime Fling food vendors like Pioneer Peak Pretzel, Grandma Wei’s Dumplings, Old Man Russ Fine Food and Catering, and Nonkie Bé’s Cajun Faves served up their fare alongside newer vendors like Flourishing Artisan Pizza, Big Dogs, Smokehouse, El Senor Moose, and Alaska Mac Shack. Future weeks will see the return of Husky Burger, another food truck favorite.

Bobby and Jeanean Fontenot are the Lafayette, La., native owners of Nonkie Bé’s Cajun Faves. They have called Alaska home since 2009, and have lived in Palmer since 2011. They just celebrated five years of bringing their southern cuisine to a growing fan base in the far north, where they have set up shop at events from Fairbanks to Valdez to the Kenai Peninsula. Still, the Fontenonts said Friday Flings are special.

“We love our Palmer community. We are happy to be able to share the flavors we grew up eating,” Jeanean said. “There’s something about vending in our hometown that’s got a little extra magic to it.”

She noted part of the challenge of offering a niche cuisine like Cajun outside of Cajun country, where spicier foods might not be as readily acceptable. To that end, the Fontenonts strive to keep their recipes mild to moderate.

“We take a lot of pride in our business and are focused on good consistent Cajun Faves served with a kind and considerate smile. We hope our guests experience just a tiny piece of Cajun Hospitality and maybe even a little Cajun humor when they come to our food trailer,” Jeanean said. “Our food is seasoned with flavor and lots of love. Anyone who gives it a try may be pleasantly surprised.”

Some even become regulars. Kimberly Morris is one of them. As a transplanted Floridian now living in the Valley, she said she knows good creole and Cajun-type cuisine. She follows Nonkie Bé’s Cajun Faves on social media so she knows where to find them on any given weekend.

“I checked out Facebook today to see if they’d be here,” Morris said. “I was disappointed they weren’t here last week for the first Fling.”

Morris said she favors Nonkie Bé’s sticky bun bread pudding, and also the fried shrimp, which is served in three different menu options. While she waited in line to order on Friday, her daughter, Maddy, a college sophomore and “macaroni connoisseur,” returned from the Alaska Mac Shack with her own lunch.

“That’s what I call adult macaroni,” Kimberly said. “It’s got lots of flavor.”

Friday Flings have been going on since 2002. The Palmer Chamber of Commerce stepped in to coordinate the event in 2019, and has been doing so ever since as part of its mission to promote local commerce.

Kelley Shoemake, the chamber’s executive director, said construction at the library has reduced the number of available food truck spaces by up to six, so the decision about which vendors to bring in each week was tougher. But giving attendees a diverse weekly selection was central to that decision-making, she said, because it helps drive repeat business for the Fling.

“We always appreciate that people support Palmer, but no one will see it all in one week. So they’ll need to come back,” Shoemake said. “Personally, I get so excited for Fridays. I think about what I’m going to have to eat all week. That’s one of the best things about Friday Fling. You know you’ll always be able to get something good and try something new.” Friday Flings will continue weekly through Aug. 8, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

FIND OUT MORE

www.palmerchamber.org/friday-fling/

www.nonkiebes.com

www.alaskamacshack.com