Community the key ingredient to annual cook-off
Competitors and attendees of the annual Latino Food Festival Menudo and Pozole Cook-off agree that it feels like coming together with loved ones.
"It's like a big family reunion," said Deborah Barron, who returns to compete again this year with her team, Los Amigos. "You see people from the past, even your high school days. It's like a family get-together. We're really out there to have fun."
Organized by the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Sunday's event at the Kern County Fairgrounds promises to be a daylong celebration of music, dancing, home cooking, good-spirited competition and lots of food.
"This annual event has grown from a staple event for the Hispanic community, to a highly anticipated event for the entire community to participate, attend and enjoy," Jay Tamsi, the chamber's president and CEO, said in a news release. "There's an incredible sense of camaraderie and culture fusion shared on stage and throughout the crowd."
In addition to the cook-off competitions, the event will feature a jalapeño-eating contest, areas for children’s activities and health and wellness organizations as well as numerous food and merchandise vendors.
Musical performances will include Michael Salgado, The Zapp Band and Lighter Shade of Brown as well as live performances by Mariachi San Marcos, Ballet Folklorico Huaztecalli, La Sonora Dinamita and more.
Note that although attendees can bring lawn chairs and hand-held umbrellas to sit and enjoy performances, large umbrellas and canopies as well as outside food and beverages are not allowed.
Barron said she is excited to return this year. Fresh off a win last year for her menudo, she is switching to pozole for her sixth year competing.
"Once I won a trophy for first place (for menudo) then I thought, 'OK, I won. I'm satisfied.'"
She has been looking online for recipe ideas, noting that both dishes have the same texture.
Where she plans to stand out is with the sauce.
"I'm going to use different chilies. There's one chile that's really spicy, so I’m just going to use one of those. The others are blended until it’s a perfect consistency."
Knowing that a bit of fun is a key ingredient is this competition, Barron is going in with an open mind.
"It's my first try (at pozole). If I won, I'm going to be crying. (But) I just go out there to have fun."
Fellow competitor Alfredo Marron is also looking forward to Sunday's contest. His team, El Chingon, named for his business El Chingon Alfredo's Drains and Plumbing Services, has placed numerous times for its pozole, made by his daughter, and menudo, which uses a recipe that combines elements of his recipe along with those of his wife and his mother.
He said the key to a good menudo is "just love."
"The more love you put into it, the more you’ll enjoy it."
"It's a little bit of everything (making sure) one ingredient won’t overpower the other one. You want a balanced taste."
A similar ingredient list extends to the team's pozole.
"My daughter cooks the pozole. I don't know what she puts in it, just that she makes it with a lot of love. I wasn't too fond of pozole until my daughter started making it."
He did share that the sauce should be red, noting "You can prepare it white, but when you put the color in it, it's eye candy."
He also plans to dress up again to compete, taking on the look of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, complete with large sombrero and bandoliers of bullets.
Marron, who lost his mother earlier this year, will include a tribute to her at the booth. He also has a request for those attending.
"To everybody who still has their mother, hold them tight and thank them for what they passed on to you."
Along with a decorated booth, the team will be ready for Sunday but Marron isn't too worried about the final outcome.
"If I don't win, it's OK. There's a lot of great menudo out there. The best thing is once a year the whole family gathers together."
