When you think of the New York State Fair, food certainly comes to mind.  

Alivero's has been serving attendees for the past 22 years.

But it's not all about the food for owner Monica Bova.

"I've been coming to the state fair I think since I was walking because my father loved the state fair,” she said.

Bova says the food, the fun and the family time always kept them coming back.

"We're carneys at heart. It’s my father,” Bova said. “We are carneys at heart. I take after him. It's in my blood."

They ended up loving the fair so much that Bova's father created the Alivero's stand.

"His picture is over there. He passed in 2014 so I took it over for him,” Bova said. “I worked here every year. I didn't care. I came in. I worked here because we loved the fair."

That work never stopped.

Bova has been serving their specialty dishes for the past 22 years, feeling her father's spirit as she keeps his legacy alive.

"Walking into the stand, cause this is him,” Bova said. “This was his heart and soul. This is where he was at. The feel of it, it reminds me of him."

Now her husband and daughter help out too, and she knows her father would be proud.

"I think he's loving it. I just think he's so happy that I continued it on. I know he is,” she said.

Bova says she doesn't plan on ending this family tradition anytime soon.