Less than a month remains until the second annual City of Maricopa Salsa Festival presented by inmaricopa.com takes place, and the competition is heating up! With the recent addition of several new contestants, this year’s event already has 22 chefs signed up and ready to go, surpassing last year’s 21 entries.
Contestants are registering from all over the Valley. Marty McDonald, director of the City of Maricopa Parks, Recreation and Libraries (PRL) department expects to have even more entries in the final days before the April 21 registration deadline. “The Salsa Festival is off to a great start,” says McDonald. “This event is shaping up to be a big success!”
Clark Vangilder and Chris Ward of the Calvary Chapel team at last years salsa festival.
The prizes for this year’s event have gotten bigger, too! The Best Overall Salsa will take home a $500 cash prize, while the other categories, Best Hot Salsa, Best Mild Salsa and Most Unusual Salsa, will all receive $100 cash prizes.
“Our goal is to make this the largest Salsa Competition in the Western
Region,” McDonald explained. “The rush of preparing six gallons of salsa in 3 hours and 45 minutes is very unique and rewarding. When we move to Pacana Park in 2007, we’re going to raise the prize money to $1,000 for Best Overall Salsa. This year’s chefs have a tremendous opportunity to get involved with the event in the early stages.”
Are you, or is someone you know a great salsa chef? Don’t miss the opportunity to take part in this competition; registration is free! Chefs must prepare their salsa onsite from 8 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. (the event opens to the public at noon). The PRL department will provide generators, but chefs are responsible for providing tables, extension cords and all items required to prepare the salsa. Tasting cups and chips will also be provided.
The Maricopa Salsa Festival presented by inmaricopa.com will take place Saturday, April 29, 12 – 3 p.m. at Maricopa High School. To download a registration packet, visit www.MaricopaSalsaFestival.com. For more information, please contact McDonald at (520) 568-9098, Ext. 204 or via email.
