Canada's insider blog

It’s the greatest outdoor show – and the craziest outdoor nosh – on earth, with everything from chocolate and bacon funnel cake sundaes to deep-fried Kool-Aid on the menu.

And while the organizers promise “calories don’t count during the Calgary Stampede,” it could be a challenge to zip up those Wranglers after a trip through Stampede Park, July 6-15.

To celebrate the Stampede’s 100th anniversary, they’ve pulled out all the stops on the food front, with classic midway treats remixed and upscale eats in private Stampede suites and other premium seating spots.

Stampede chef Derek Dale and his team rolled out the menu for the corporate cowboys dining in Ranahans, a members’ only club where local ingredients reign in dishes like arugula salad topped with fresh goat cheese from Noble Meadows Farm and Ewe-nique Farms rack of lamb. Those watching the rodeo from private infield suites can choose from Brome Lake Duck tacos or Carmen Creek Bison meatballs, and maple bacon ice cream from Mackay’s Ice Cream.

But on the midway it’s fried food for all – dills dipped in buttermilk batter, fried Greek Honey Puffs with syrup and cinnamon, red velvet funnel cakes and battered butter chicken sausage. Look for swirls of pink and blue cotton candy atop pretty cupcakes, golden fried Kubi Corn Balls made with spicy cornbread and Alberta kubasa, and city Food Trucks on Stamp-Eat Street.

Thank goodness, calories don’t count.