But with a fresh culinary adventure calling, Giny and I were off and running. Our first stop was Lawrence & Perry BBQ, a food truck with an ever-present line of eager, hungry patrons. Turns out the owners, Martin Lawrence and R.J. Perry, have been best friends since kindergarten — serendipitously like Giny and me. Same origin story, same lifelong bond, same “we grew up together and never quit each other” kind of friendship.

Their cooking career started early in third grade, flipping pancakes in Martin’s mama’s kitchen. She was one of few mothers who didn’t mind children experimenting at the stove, and those pancakes eventually turned into grilling afternoons, cookouts and parties at their college apartments. R.J. went to NC Central University, Martin to rival NC A&T, but they stayed connected through food and friendship. Both were business majors, always dreaming about turning their shared passion into something more.

Food trucks weren’t everywhere back in the mid-2000s, but by 2016 the trend exploded. The timing was perfect. They launched Lawrence & Perry BBQ with one grill and a mission tied to family, cooking for Relay for Life in Warren County in honor of R.J.’s mama who passed away from breast cancer when he was just seven. Those early fundraisers lit the spark that carried them to festivals, events, a food truck and eventually the NC State Fair.

This year marks their fifth year at the fair, and their fan base is serious. Even with gates just opening, the line at Lawrence & Perry is waiting. Their specialties are deep-fried ribs and lamb chops, named Best New Savory Food at the 2025 NC State Fair. They go through roughly 5,000 pounds of ribs during the fair! You read that right: Five. Thousand. Pounds.

And then there’s their legendary Slop Bucket, with fries in the bottom then pork or chicken drenched in barbecue sauce, topped with slaw, baked beans and mac and cheese — in a bucket! It’s the kind of thing that makes you stop and say, “Well, I didn’t know I needed that, but gimme a fork, ’cause I do.”

Giny and I eventually moseyed all the way down to Pitzer Heritage Circle via a tram ride at the opposite end of the fairgrounds where Granny’s Country Kitchen serves up country vittles.

A beloved diner with locations in Icard, Hickory and Claremont, the original opened in 2003 under Kent and Lisa Cranford, and today Granny’s family includes more than 75 employees across the three restaurants. During the fair, about a dozen of them run the eatery like a well oiled machine, even staying together in a local Airbnb.

I chatted with Clyde Leggings, a Brunswick Electric member and manager of the NC State Fair location. Granny’s has been at the fair since 2013, and he’s seen just about everything (he’s most perplexed by “challenging” customers who order and pay for food, then can’t be found when it’s ready). Granny’s is known for their Battered Bologna Fries and wildly popular Pork Belly Churros: cinnamon sugar dusted pork belly sticks drizzled with chocolate and caramel. When I asked Clyde about the most “North Carolina” thing about their food, he didn’t hesitate: “our country cooking.” Their best sellers prove comfort food never goes out of style with about 100 orders of mac and cheese a day, and roughly 2,000 Dirty Cheerwines, their house specialty, sold last year.

We ended our day with one of those ice cold Dirty Cheerwines, NC’s own cherry elixir “dirtied” with Half n Half, lime juice and vanilla (find a recipe for your own Salty Spiced Maple Dirty Root Beer). ’Twas a fittin’ way to finish our fair culinary adventure — two friendships, two ends of the fairgrounds and one perfect reminder that at the NC State Fair, food isn’t just about what’s served up. It’s about the people who pour their hearts into feeding us, one plate (or bucket), one smile, one fair season at a time.