Four generations keep Ranchero Deep Fried Love cooking at the State Fair of Texas

At the State Fair of Texas, some of the food comes with a family history. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reports that four generations now work the Ranchero Deep Fried Love stands at Fair Park. Reporter Noelle Walker told the family's story.

The business goes back decades. KCEN reported in 2023 that the family first applied for a spot at the fair in 1983. Back then the Ranchero brought fajitas to the State Fair of Texas. Owner Denise Garza De La Cruz is carrying on what her parents started. The State Fair's Viva La Feria page lists the family's stands as Ranchero Fajitas, Lone Star Pizza, Deep Fried Love and Ranchero Deep Fried, with Jerome Garza named alongside them. The stands are in the Tower Building, on Nimitz and on Lone Star Boulevard.

The menu has changed over the years so the family could keep up with fairgoers while staying true to its culture. That approach has paid off at the Big Tex Choice Awards. The deep-fried arroz con leche (rice pudding) balls won in 2018. The Cha-Cha Chata, a drink with a churro straw, won for "Most Creative" in 2022. Garza De La Cruz told Uproxx that the stand's Deep-Fried Divine Chocolate Tres Leches Cake started with one of her nephew's school assignments many years ago.

The family is still trying new things. On opening day of the 2026 fair, The Dallas Morning News sampled the stand's new Fried Ranch Bombs, which sold for $7.

This story is based on original reporting by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, with more background from KCEN, the State Fair of Texas, Uproxx and The Dallas Morning News.