Great article about Chili & Charros in CASI’s Terlingua Trails magazine. Check out page 18! Thank you Cynthia Gill.

March_Terlingua_Trails_CIS_2

Chili & Charros, San Miguel’s 6th Annual International Chili Cook-Off, was held on Saturday, January 28, 2012, from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., on the grounds of Hotel Real de Minas. The 2012 festival was the largest in its six year history, with more cooking teams, more contestants from the United States, more corporate sponsors, and more attendees and more tourists than ever before.  Organizers estimate that at least 2,700 people were in attendance, making it San Miguel’s largest one day charitable event.

The public was greeted at the entrance by Bonito – San Miguel’s famous “tequila donkey” –  a crowd of mojigangas, San Miguel’s unique puppets that stand over ten feet tall, and strolling mariachis. From 1:00 to 4:00, attendees enjoyed free tastings of chili and charro beans made by some of the best cooks in Mexico and the United States.

Welcome to Chili & Charros!

San Miguel de Allende Mariachis

The silent auction opened for business at 1:00 p.m., and hundreds of items were available for bid.  There was jewelry, art, accessories for the home, clothing, and certificates for hotel nights, meals and services — from spa services to classes of all kinds to activities such as balloon rides, day tours, and horseback adventures. The auction even included a pedigreed puppy!

Fabulous Chili & Charros Auction!

Behind the scenes, 42 cooking teams arrived at 7 a.m. to begin cooking and decorating their booths.

Scott Woodard, last year's Chili & Charros Champion from Houston, Texas

At noon, the judges began tasting CASI (Chili Appreciation Society International) chili, charros and margaritas in the secluded judging area. There were 20 Chili judges (10 in the first round, and 10 at the Final Table), 8 Charro Bean judges and 10 Margarita Judges. Jim Ezell, a member of the Board of Directors of CASI, refereed the chili judging.

Final table judges being seated

Jim Ezell, mamber of the CASI Board of Directors, tallying the votes

Some of this year’s all-star judges included:
Christian Taveli, General Manager of the Rosewood Hotel
Rurik Salazar, Executive Sous Chef at the Rosewood Hotel
Kirsten West, another celebrity chef and author, who was once the personal chef to Mick Jagger,
Maria Angeles Sanchez of famed San Miguel Restaurant Alborada,
Sebastian Acosta, a sommelier and Director of Food and Beverage at Hotel Matilda,
Jose Escamilla, Bajio Regional Director for American Airlines,
Helio Bastian, Director of Ecology for the City of San Miguel,
Juan Jose Alvarez, President of the Business Association of San Miguel,
Michael Coon, Owner of Casa de Cocinas Cooking School,
Ed Clancy, the U.S. Consular Agent for San Miguel de Allende,
Bob Melton, former Texas senator,
Adolfo Cervantez, Transit Director for the City of San Miguel,
Klaudia Oliver, owner of Portal San Miguel, and Inside San Miguel, and
Paulo Velasco, Editor of Perfil San Miguel and Periodico Adiario.

The competition was stiff this year! The current reigning TICC (Terlingua International Chili Competition – the world’s largest chili cook-off) Champion, Larry Walton, traveled with his wife from their home in Waco, Texas to San Miguel to compete.

Larry Walton, current reigning champion of TICC, and Roger Foltz, former champion

Two former TICC Champions, Carol West and Roger Foltz, also traveled to San Miguel to  compete. A record 17 teams traveled from the United States to San Miguel to compete in the 2012 San Miguel cook-off. Most of these competitors had never been to San Miguel. They enjoyed several days of “VIP” treatment and they will no doubt return to the United States boasting about the beauty of San Miguel de Allende.

Babs and Doodie Johnson, Susan and Scott Spencer, and Harvery and Carol West

The San Miguel Team Sorting Organization thrilled the crowd with a team sorting competition from 2:00 to 4:30. Twenty teams competed in the rodeo ring. Kirby Guidry, co-president of the Team Sorting Organization, said their competition at Chili & Charros was their “best ever.”

San Miguel's Team Sorting Organization

The marathon of live music began on the main stage at 2:30, with San Miguel’s Va Va Va Vooms performing while at the same time modeling an assortment of hand-decorated denim jackets made by local artists and designers for the silent auction. They were followed by well-known songstress Maria Sanchez, who was followed by dance band La Corporacion.

VaVaVa Vooms with MC Stephanie Turner

Sultry Songstress Maria Sanchez

La Corporacion

There were activities for children all day including face painting, donkey rides and a balloon-twisting clown. Local vendors sold Mexican specialties at very low prices including tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas with mole, spiced fruits, gorditas, churros, cotton candy and more. Five bars were scattered around the grounds selling everything from soft drinks to beer, to margaritas, tequila, mescal specialties, wine and cuba libras.
The award ceremony began at 5:00 p.m. Los Estudiantinas Tuna Real helped liven up the award ceremony with their famous song and dance antics.

Tuna Real on stage during the awards ceremony

San Miguel resident Linda Dixon, an American expat, and her team of Happy Ass Can be Cookers took the day, winning first place for Peoples’ Choice for Best Chili, Best Margarita and the CASI Showmanship award. Winning the Showmanship award entitles Dixon and her team, including Brianna and Alayna Schaff (who performed the Cotton-Eyed Joe for three consecutive hours!) to compete at TICC in Terlingua, Texas in November. Dixon also won two round-trip tickets from American Airlines for travel anywhere in North America or the Caribbean, and a three liter bottle of Tequila Tradicional.

Happy Ass Can be Cookers

Grace Walton of Waco, Texas, placed first in the Best Charro Beans contest. She won seven nights in a gorgeous condo on Playa Ropa in Zihuatanejo. It was graciously donated by San Miguel resident Sally Gibson.

Other winners included:
Scott Spenser of Irving, Texas, 1st Place CASI Chili
Babs Johnson of Dallas, Texas, 2nd Place CASI Chili
Susan Spenser of Irving, Texas, 3rd Place CASI Chili

Scott Spencer being awarded the first place CASI prize, a hand-painted stove by Wendell Rankin

Amy Cox of Dallas, Texas, Best Booth

The Paws Cause, by Amy Cox, winner of the Best Booth

Larry Walton of Waco, Texas, and Don Gill, a part-time resident of San Miguel who hails from Houston, placed second and third in the Charro Bean contest, and Scott Spenser and Scott Woodard, of Houston, Texas, placed second and third in the Peoples’ Choice for Best Chili contest. The first place CASI winner was awarded a Coleman cookstove handpainted by Wendell Rankin, and the others received a a hand-etched bottle donated by local glass factory Guajuye, filled with artisanal tequila.

Hand-blown, hand-etched bottles made in San Miguel by Guajuye, a Chili & Charros sponsor - filled with artisanal tequila purchased in the town of Tequila in the state of Guadalajara!

Those willing to pay $,1000 pesos per person were fortunate to enjoy all of the day’s festivities from the privacy of the Chili & Charros VIP Tent, which was sponsored by Harry’s restaurant. VIPs enjoyed private lounge seating, a private bar stocked with top shelf drinks, four free drinks, a buffet of Harry’s Cajun delights, a fabulous dessert bar, and a special goody bag filled with treats donated by San Gabriel of Dolores Hidalgo, Ablu, Jofreh Chocolates and others. All costs of the VIP tent were paid by donors.

Harry's VIP Tent

After the awards ceremony, one of San Miguel’s favorite dance bands, VUDU CHILE, took the stage for a two-hour performance with guest singer David Garza, who flew to San Miguel from his home in the United States to sit in with the band.

David Garza with VUDU CHILE!!!

The evening ended with a special Chili & Charros fireworks show.

After the sky filled with red, white and green fireworks, "Chili & Charros" burned in the sky

All proceeds of Chili & Charros will be donated to the San Miguel Community Foundation, an Asociación Civil that has been supporting the charities of San Miguel de Allende through bi-annual grants for more than 35 years.  In the past year, the San Miguel Community Foundation provided funds to refurbish one of San Miguel’s few fire trucks, and made matching grants for two new, much needed ambulances for the Red Cross.

The new ambulance sat on the grounds of the cook-off - just in case!

The list of SMCF grant recipients includes 48 different charities with Mexican Asociación Civil status.  In 2011, the San Miguel Community Foundation donated over $1,000,000 pesos to local organizations in need. Over the past seven years, they have given away almost $10 million pesos.  The San Miguel Community Foundation will divide the proceeds of Chili & Charros 2012 between the following charities:
• Apoyo a Gente Emprendedora, an organization that provides seed money, training and mentoring to help impoverished citizens start small businesses in rural areas around San Miguel in order to become self-sufficient;
• Casita Linda, an organization that builds homes for the poorest of the poor in and around San Miguel;
• Mujeres en Cambio, an organization that provides educational scholarships and other assistance to young women in rural areas around San Miguel who cannot otherwise afford to attend school beyond the 6th grade;
• PEASMA, an organization that focuses on environmental education for children;
• The SPA, an organization that provides shelter, care and adoption services for homeless dogs and cats in San Miguel, and
• Cadena Ayuda, a nonprofit that provides room and board, resources and survival advice to male university students from poor rural areas.

The total amount earned at Chili & Charros 2012 will not be determined until the auction items have been completely cleared. Please check our website or our Facebook page (Chili & Charros) for more information on remaining auction items. The San Miguel Community Foundation will announce the grant amounts in early March.

Chili & Charros is only made possible by the generous cash donations of its sponsors and donors, including the 2012 Presenting Sponsors Esmeralda and Harry’s Restaurant. Other 2012 cash sponsors included Mezcales de Leyenda, Longhorn Smokehouse, Zirandaro, Las Ventanas, El Tinieblo, Scotiabank, Guajuye, the San Miguel Tourism Board, Worldwide Insurance Services, Cumpanio, CYTO, Penzi Bodas, Rosewood Hotel, Honda, Bicentario Todo Terreno, Rancho las Sabinas and My House. Corona, Gas Nieto, Lounge Rental, La Pachanga, Casas Plana Renta, Premier San Miguel and dozens of other businesses and individuals donated goods and services to make this event possible.  Mary Jones, founder of the San Miguel International Chili Cook-Off, and Backyard Productions of Casa GGG, founded by the event’s Co-Chairs, were the event’s largest cash donors.

Guadalupe Alvarez, with the help of Meengan Cardenas and the rest of the team at Penzi Bodas, worked tirelessly as Event Director in 2012, and Christina Adenfors served in a critical year-round position as Event Coordinator.

“We are so proud of the work that Guadalupe Alvarez, together with Meengan Cardenas and the rest of the employees of Penzi Bodas, did to produce the festival. Chili & Charros 2012 was larger than ever, more beautiful, better organized and more fun for attendees and cooks than ever before,” said Lisa Tyson Sandefer, Chili & Charros Co-Chair. “We are thrilled that she has already agreed to serve as 2013 Event Director. She a heart for the charities of San Miguel de Allende and the many benefits that it brings to the residents and businesses of our city.”
Laurie Sandefer, also Chili & Charros Co-Chair, said “We are pleased that Chili & Charros, thanks to the overwhelming support of the citizens of San Miguel de Allende, has now become an important tradition in San Miguel – part of the beauty and atmosphere of celebration that defines this UNESCO World Heritage treasure. The 2012 festival was a true turning point. For the first time, we invested in a PR firm based in Leon, which resulted in significantly increased exposure for Chili & Charros. In addition to extensive coverage of the event and San Miguel de Allende by Televisa, there were news outlets from Celaya, Leon, Guanajuato and Mexico City in town all weekend reporting on the festivities. Their coverage, together with the increased advertising we posted in the United States, resulted in a substantially higher level of awareness about both Chili & Charros and San Miguel de Allende, and a greater number of tourists who traveled to San Miguel to participate or attend. The event also elevated the San Miguel Community Foundation to a new level of awareness. Many people who were previously unfamiliar with SMCF now have a new understanding of the important work they do in and around our community”.

“Despite several extreme challenges created by conditions beyond our control,” she continued, “we are so grateful to the citizens of San Miguel and tourists who attended and supported Chili & Charros and the charities that we support, each of whom will receive a micro-grant that will make a meaningful difference in their efforts to reduce poverty and increase living conditions in and around San Miguel.”

“Ultimately,” Tyson Sandefer added, “We are extremely proud of the revenue contributions that Chili & Charros now brings to the workers and businesses of San Miguel de Allende.  So many people benefit from Chili & Charros in a variety of ways, from restaurants, hotels, home rental agencies and vacation home owners, to taxi drivers and the workers hired by Chili & Charros and its contestants to help mount the event. It truly is a win/win for everyone, including the charities and the workers and businesses of San Miguel, and we look forward to the continued growth and success of Chili & Charros.”

Chili & Charros is always held on the weekend before the Super Bowl. Chili & Charros 2013 will be Saturday, January 26, 2013. We’lll see you there!

Hola Chili & Charros fans! Thank you for a wonderful, beautiful event. Your participation is such a meaningful benefit to our beautiful city! We want to let you know that we still have some auction items available for sale at GREAT prices. These are items that were not picked up by their bidders:

Category: Hotel Nights in San Miguel! These are great opportunities to get away for a romantic night out, or a great place to put extra guests.

1 night for two people at La Puertecita Boutique Hotel, value of $3080 pesos – PRICE TO YOU is only $1200 pesos!
2 nights at Casa Luna, with a value of $4,300 pesos – PRICE TO YOU is only $1,700 pesos!
4 nights at Casa Maria B&B, value of $7,600 pesos – PRICE TO YOU is only $3,000 pesos!
1 night at Casa Angelitos, value of $1500 pesos – PRICE TO YOU is only $600 pesos!
1 night at Casa Schuck, value of $4,200 pesos – PRICE TO YOU is only $1,600 pesos!
1 night at Hotel Casa Primavera (w/dinner – actually many of these include breakfasts or dinner), value $3,750 – PRICE to you is only  $1,500
1 night at Hotel La Morada, value of $1,950 pesos – PRICE TO YOU is only $750 pesos!

Category: Learn Something New!

Check this out! A course at the Warren Hardy School, INCLUDING materials, value $4,380 pesos – PRICE TO YOU is only $1,700 pesos! What a deal!
Legal consultations by one of the best lawyers in San Miguel, MaryAnn Ramirez, 2 consultations available, value of each is $1600 pesos – PRICE TO YOU is $600 per consultation. Can be sold separately.
Category: Jewelry!
SMCF was the recipient of some beautiful estate jewelry from the estate of Beverly Rosengren. These are some beautiful items. There are four gorgeous 18K gold rings, one with topaz and aquamarine, one with topaz, one two with amethyst. These are basically priceless pieces, but they are available to you at prices ranging from $800 pesos to $2,000 pesos. Pictures are available. Even if they don’t fit or aren’t to your taste, you can sell them on EBAY for far more than you pay! She also left a silver “pansy” necklace with matching earrings, available to you at $400 pesos.
And speaking of “estate items,” do you have a Mexican will? If you have property here, you should have a will! Jorge Garcia has donated two wills, each with a value of $4,200 pesos. They are available to you at $1,500 pesos each.
We also have a gorgeous pearl and seashell necklace from Gogo Ferguson, value $3000 pesos, PRICE TO YOU only $1000 pesos.

Category: Something Special!

Know anyone getting married?? Here’s a great gift! Jorge Tinajero, of Focal74, is offering a 3 hour photo session (hey, what a great engagement present!). Value is $2,500, PRICE TO YOU is only $1,000 pesos. Now THAT’s a deal. Check out his website to see how great he is!
We have lots of other items left, including several pieces of art, gift certificates for dinners and more. To BUY NOW, please contact Christina Adenfors at adenfors@yahoo.com, or smachilicookoff@gmail.com, or call her at (044) 415-125-0197.

Thanks again!!

The Chili and Charros 2012 2 X 1 Top Shelf VIP Tent: 

FIRST SMA COOK-OFF VIP TENT EVER!

For those of you who are philosophically opposed to a VIP concept, we apologize in advance. Please know that we are not trying to be exclusive – the core of the Cook-Off is inclusiveness. We are just trying to raise as much dinero as possible for our community in these financially difficult times!  SO ALL YOU SUGAR DADDIES AND SUGAR MAMAS PULL OUT YOUR WALLETS AND GET SOME SWEET TREATS IN RETURN FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!  

This year Harry’s New Orleans Cafe is sponsoring the Mardi Gras themed VIP tent where you can experience two parties in one!

*4 free “Top –Shelf” drinks
* After those 4, 2 X 1 “Top Shelf drinks” all day
*Lounge in luxury, enjoy four free top-shelf drinks from the VIP tent’s private bar
*Feast on free botanas such as cajun hot tamales, boudin sausage, cajun potato salad and more.
*Servers for your convenience and a special ticket table in the tent to buy additional drink tickets.
*A special goody bag with Chili & Charros VIP treats, including gifts from Ablu, Jofreh, a talavera chili tasting bowl made especially for us by San Gabriel of Dolores Hidalgo and, of course, a silver tasting spoon for your VIP chili tasting!
*A special VIP entrance into the event to avoid entrance lines.
VIP tickets are $1,000 pesos each. We only have 100 tickets available, so get your tickets early. They will be available beginning December 15 at Harry’s restaurant on Hidalgo, or at Ablu (Cuna de Alende 15 A), or by contacting us at smachilicookoff@gmail.com.
OH, AND LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, WE ALL KNOW THAT SEX SELLS SO BE READY FOR SOME SEXY SUPRISES!
A VIP ticket is a great holiday gift idea for friends and family who will be in town for the event January 28, 2012!!!

Chili & Charros T-Shirts

We have t-shirts available this year with our 6th annual Chili & Charros logo on the front and “Chili is Hotter in San Miguel” on the back. T-shirts are available in two styles, and in a full range of sizes from small to XXL. They’re $150 pesos and available for sale NOW at Dusty Puppies pet spa at Guadiana #17 A (near Casita Feliz bakery), M-F 10 to 8, and Saturday 10 to 2.

Chili & Charros Calendars

We also have 2012 calendars available. They are full size (8 1/2 by 11 inch), 13 month calendars (through January 2012). Each month features one of the causes that the San Miguel Community Foundation supports, including Casita Linda, Mujeres en Cambio, Centro Infantil, SPA, Amigos de Animales, the Red Cross, the Lion’s Club, the Rotary Club, PEASMA, ALMA, Mexiquito and more! Calendars are $150 pesos each and are also available at Dusty Puppies (see above for their address and hours).

Congrats to Larry Walton, CASI’s 2011 World Champion!!! Here’s his winning recipe. All San Miguel contestants will receive a free bottle of the Mexene chili powder referred to in his recipe. Good luck!!

Cook Like the Pros!

OK, we can’t tell you exactly how to win, but we can give you some hints.

First, the CASI contest. People think there’s a lot of mystery in that contest, but really, it might be the easiest one to win.

We’ll start by showing you the judging form that is given to the judges when they sit down at the hallowed judging table:

WELCOME TO A CASI CHILI JUDGING TABLE

Fine chili should look good, smell good, and taste good!

Accordingly, each cup of chili is to be judged on five (5) criteria to arrive at one whole number score of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. The five criteria are:

AROMA – RED COLOR – CONSISTENCY – TASTE – AFTERTASTE

Judge each chili on its own merit. Make your decision the first time because the chili cannot be re-tasted after it has been passed.
Use a new spoon for each taste.
Pace yourself because you will have several chilis to judge.
Cleanse your palate between tasting each different chili.
Place your score on the score sheet area that corresponds to the judging number marked on the exterior of the cup you are judging.                    Keep your sheet folded when not entering scores.
Do not talk to your fellow judges about chili or compare notes or scores during the judging. If you do, you will be asked to leave the judging area and your score sheet will be disregarded.
When done, check your score sheet for correctness and legibility. The scores from the judges will determine the winners.
If you have FOOD ALLERGIES, please advise your table monitor.
If you have any questions, please ask your table monitor.

Note that the judges are only allowed to judge based on 5 criteria, and most people will tell you that aroma, color (should be RED) and aftertaste are the most important. (One of the criteria is consistency, and by that they mean SMOOTH.) The judges only get ONE spoonful, that’s it.  So aftertaste is really important (your spices should be robust enough that the judges really feel the aftertaste).

Remember that CASI chili can only be meat and gravy (can’t have any “fillers” like beans, tomatoes, onions, etc.). That’s why most of the “pros” use powders (like powdered garlic, powdered onion, etc.) By the way, we will be giving you a jar of Mexene chili powder when you get your meat (you only get free meat if you enter Peoples’ Choice too).

Here are two more secrets:

1. The pros start the process by forming the meat into MEATBALLS. They brown them and then they DRAIN THE GREASE from their pot. They don’t break up the meatballs until 15 to 20 minutes before they turn in their chili because the last thing they want is a grease slick on top of the judging cup. Judges think that’s gross. (The judges taste a lot of chilis in one sitting!)

2. The judging cup that you will be given is a 16 ounce Styrofoam judging cup. When you fill up your Styrofoam cup with steaming hot chili, the wax on the cup tends to melt and create an icky foam on the top of your chili. To avoid that, the pros boil some water first thing when they arrive on site. Then they fill their judging cup with the boiling water and let that water sit in the cup the WHOLE TIME until the chili is due to be turned in (that’s several hours folks).

You can go to www.chili.org (CASI’s official site) for some recipes, or you can look on our website at the bottom of the Contestant Information page for Don Gill’s recipe.

Winning the CASI contest is a BIG DEAL. Not only do you get a really cool hand-painted Coleman cook stove, but you also get to compete at the World Championship in Terlingua, Texas. Terlingua is in beautiful Big Bend country, out in the middle of no where – not too far from Marfa. The CASI World Championship is a 5 day Party to beat all Parties. It’s such a big deal, with so many people and so many mini-events during the 5 days, that this year Google Earth took a special satellite shot during their event for posting under their Interesting Sites category. Pretty cool.

We will finalize your registration as soon as your entry fee is received. Now, please click on This Year to carefully review the Rules and Regulations of our competitions. Good luck!

1. TEAMS: An entry may consist of one “head cook” and other assistant cooks as desired.  However, only the “head cook” and one assistant will gain free entry to the event.  All other assistants must buy an entry ticket.  The “head cook” and one designated assistant will receive a cooks’ badge in order to allow us to strictly enforce this rule.  If purchased prior to the event, entry tickets are 130 pesos for all members of your team other than the “head cook” and one designated assistant (tickets are 150 pesos if purchased the day of the event). There is no entry fee for children under 12.
2. SUPPLIES:  Each team will be assigned 1 tent (possibly to be shared with another team), one table and 2 chairs. We will provide each team with 10 lbs. ground meat (kilo equivilant), 1 propane burner (or 2 if you are entering both the chili and the charro beans contests).  You must bring all other needed equipment and supplies.  No open or wood fires – no holes or dug pits will be permitted. If you do not live in San Miguel, we will loan you 1 large cooking pot if you need it.
3. COOKING:  You do NOT have to cook your Peoples’ Choice chili at the site.  You may cook it at home before the cook-off and simply warm it at the site.  There are no rules regarding ingredients – just make your best chili!  You ARE required to cook at least 10 lbs of meat, but we recommend that you bring more.  Remember, there is no panel of judges.  The PEOPLE attending the event are the only judges, so you’ll want to bring enough chili for everyone to get a taste!  We will provide tasting cups and spoons for the public.
4. SCHEDULE:  You may arrive at the site as early as 8:00 a.m.  Volunteers will be present to show you where your tent is located and to help you carry your things to your tent.  Your set-up must be complete by 11:30 a.m.  The gates will open to the public beginning at 1 P.M.  You must be prepared to provide tastes to the public between 1 and 4:15. Voting will be cut-off at 4:20 and the winners will be announced between 4:30 and 5:00.  At 5:00, you may close your booth and begin to remove your belongings.  There will be volunteers present to help you carry your things to your vehicle.
5. DECORATIONS/BEST BOOTH CONTEST:  You can be as creative as you like with decorating your tent.  Signs, tables, chairs, balloons – whatever decorations you want.  By entering either the Peoples’ Choice for Best Chili or the Best Charro Beans contest, you will be automatically entered in the Best Booth contest – there is no entry fee and no need to sign up.  Anonymous judges will be inspecting all the booths to choose the winner.  The winner will be announced between 4:00 and 5:00.  You can also sign up for CASI “Show”.
6. BEVERAGES:  YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN TO BRING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES OF ANY KIND ONTO THE PREMISES, OR TO SELL OR GIVE AWAY ANY BEVERAGES OF ANY KIND.  ANY CONTESTANT WHO VIOLATES THIS RULE WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.  There will be bars on site that will sell water, soft drinks, beer, margaritas and other beverages (including tequila and rum by the bottle).  All proceeds of the sale of beverages at the on-site bar go directly to the San Miguel Community Foundation, and it is a primary source of revenue from this event.
7. PARKING:  If you arrive early enough, you may park in the hotel parking lot.  The hotel will only allow us to use ½ of the parking lot, reserving the other half for hotel guests.  If you do not arrive early enough to park in the lot, you may still drive into the lot to unload your things, and then remove your vehicle to find street parking.
8. CONDUCT:  The “head cook” is responsible for the conduct of the participants and guests in his/her area and also for keeping the area neat and clean.  You should bring your own trash bags so that you can clean your area completely when you leave.  Leave it cleaner than ya’ found it!

1. ELIGIBILITY: You must be entered in one of the 2 chili contests or the Best Charro Beans contest to enter the Best Margarita contest.
2. JUDGING: The competition will be judged by a panel of 10 judges. The judging will be completely anonymous – exactly as the CASI chili and the Charro Beans are judged (i.e., we will use 2-part tickets; each cup will have a numbered ticket taped to it, and the contestant will keep the other half of the numbered ticket).  You may pick up your margarita judging cup at the Information Booth.
3. SUPPLIES AND QUANTITY: You only need to make enough margarita to fill your 16 ounce judging cup. You may submit your cup with or without ice – but please know that the judges will be pouring a taste of your marg out of your cup into a small tasting cup that will already have a bit of ice in it.  Margs will be judged solely on taste – not on presentation as we have done in the past.
4. SCHEDULE: After we have received your sign-up sheet, we will advise you by email as to the turn-in time for margaritas. You will deliver your judging cup to the judging tent at the turn-in time.
5. BEVERAGES: YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN TO SELL OR GIVE AWAY ANY BEVERAGES OF ANY KIND TO ANYONE OTHER THAN THE OFFICIAL MARGARITA JUDGES AT THE TIME THE JUDGES VISIT AS A GROUP FOR THE JUDGING. ANY CONTESTANT WHO VIOLATES THIS RULE WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. There will be bars on site that will sell water, soft drinks, beer, margaritas and other alcoholic beverages (including tequila and rum by the bottle). All proceeds of the sale of beverages at the on-site bar go directly to our charity, the San Miguel Community Foundation, and it is a primary source of revenue from this event. Have fun and good luck!