LOCAL EVENTS
“Come taste Tex-Mex tradition” is the motto of the Hill Country Cookoff Association. One can taste that tradition during their annual Cinco de Mayo Menudo Throwdown on May 3 at the Hays County Courthouse lawn. The event is so much more than your typical cookoff, it’s designed to not only fill your bellies but fill your hearts. Every year the event sponsors a child in need who is battling cancer, with proceeds from the event funding their recovery and medical bills. This year will benefit Ellianna Rios, an eight year old from New Braunfels fighting leukemia. The event also benefits the community, from the menudo makers to the menudo munchers, the public is invited to come taste what it’s all about.
The event starts early, so skip breakfast and get your fill of menudo, fideo loco, borracho beans and carne guisada. All items will be judged by the public resulting in cash prize winners. Public tasting starts at 11 a.m. with $5 sampling packs, which include 5 cups. DJ Julius will be bringing the beats starting at 9 a.m., followed by a performance by the San Marcos High School Mariachi Nuevo Cascabel at 10 a.m. For those who are really hungry, there will be a big burrito eating challenge that starts at 3:30 p.m. with a first place prize of $100. There’s plenty for kids to do with an activated Kids Zone. There are two pageants that ladies young and mature can participate in. The Little Miss Chiquita pageant is open to girls aged 7-11 and starts at 11 a.m. while the Ms. Senora Cinco De Mayo is for women aged 65+ and starts at 12:30 p.m. Both pageants celebrate the beauty of not only the ladies represented but of culture and community. There will also be arts and crafts vendors for those looking to take a souvenir home.
The founder of the event is Richard Anzaldua who has been organizing cookoff events around the Hill Country for years. The mission behind raising funds for kids and families battling cancer hits home for Anzaldua since the first Menudo Throwdown was held in honor of his grandson Eli who lost his battle to leukemia at just six years old.
“We felt that we saw what the families were going through, and we wanted to do something to help them out,” Anzaldua said. “We know how expensive it is to go to Houston. We did it. We know how expensive it is to go to San Antonio and Austin; we can help them out somehow, whether it’s hotel rooms or something, but it’s more about the support.”
He makes sure the support offered is not just monetary; he wants the families struggling with the battle against cancer to know they are supported by a community that cares.
“I always take a pastor with us. He goes up there, [and] we do a moment of silence for those that are fighting, those that are going through it, and those that have passed and those that have won,” Anzaldua said. He makes a point to ask the whole crowd to pray for these families since he believes in the power of prayer, especially in large numbers. Past cook-offs have brought in over 2,000 people, so Anzaldua hopes guests can be a part of not only tasting the food and enjoying the festivities but a part of making a difference in the lives of families battling cancer.
There’s a big focus on kids at the event, the team makes sure there are specific vendors and activities focused on kids, so they can have just as much fun as the adults. This mission is personal to Anzaldua since he knows it’s what his grandson Eli would have wanted. Kids can even join in on the cookoff fun with a specialty designed kids menu where kids under 10 can eat free.
Anzaldua and the team want the event to cater to all ages including the elderly. They had been running the children’s pageant for years, but his late mother asked him if he would include the elderly in their events because, as she put it, “we like to have fun too.” The Ms. Senora Cinco De Mayo pageant started last year and had a great turnout. When reflecting on the children’s pageant, he notes that the little ones love it.
“I want these little girls to remember this for the rest of their life,” he said. It’s all about the memories. This is the fourth year of the annual Cinco de Mayo Menudo Throwdown. Anzaluda noted that none of this would be possible without the community and his team of family and friends who help organize the event, including his wife Marisol Anzaluda and his cousin Frank Cantu. He’s grateful for his vendor coordinator Deanna Ruiz and her husband Steve Ruiz as well as Monica De La Rosa, Andrew Zamora and Leroy Galindo.
“Our organization, the Hill Country Cook-off Association is about a few people trying to make a difference,” Anzaluda said.
One can keep up to date with the upcoming Cinco De Mayo Menudo Throwdown and all the other events by the HCCO on their instagram at @hillcountrycookoffassociation or on their facebook group at Hill Country BBQ Cook-Off Association.
发表回复