Best Fair Food Upgrade

editor's pick: Art of Sucre

Cotton candy has always been happiness to Emily Harpel. The fluffy stuff stirs up fond childhood memories of baseball games and trips to Disney World. Naturally she wanted to serve the confection at her wedding but couldn’t find a local vendor offering creative flavors. She set out to make her own and after nine months, she concocted an original base and her first flavor, Champagne, by experimenting with extracts. She didn’t finish in time for her nuptials, but she opened Art of Sucre in 2016 to sweeten others’ weddings, birthdays and myriad celebrations. Harpel goes beyond just traditional blue or pink with inventive flavors such as sugar cookie and pina colda, or custom creations like cherry merlot that she and her team spin using an adorable old-fashioned cart. She ups the playfulness by topping the flavors with sprinkles, Pop Rocks and edible glitter that churns up that childhood nostalgia Harpel loves. “Adults ages early 20s to 80s will say to me, I can’t remember the last time I had cotton candy. I love cotton candy,” she says. artofsucre.com

See the readers' voting results for Best of the City 2018 here.