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The Roma annual cook-off is
held on the last weekend of
February. The Cook-off is held
behind the International Bank
of Commerce in Roma in
which they generously provide
the facilities and cooking area
for teams that come to
compete. The Cook-off is a
benefit that is sponsored by
the Roma Beef Syndicate and
the proceeds are given to the
Agriculture Department of the
Roma School District to help
students in their Ag projects.
This is a time when the
cooking teams prepare their
best dishes in various
categories. Fajitas, Pan de
Campo, Chile, Frijoles a la
Charra, and the Open Division,
which are judged by flavor,
texture, and appearance by a
panel of judges that have been
selected by the Agricultural
Depatment. The general
public is alo invited to partake
in these festivities. This is
when I (Oscar Cavazos-TMC)
first competed in the cook-off
and have been competing ever
since. In the Cook-off of 1999,
I was asked to be a member of
the "Wild Rascals" cooking
team which was sponsored by
Garza's Meat Market. That
year our team consisted of
Oscar Ramos Sr. (owner of
Garza's Meat Market), Oscar
Ramos Jr., Oscar Cavazos,
and Dagoberto Salinas. That
year we took home three
Grand Champion trophies,
Fajitas (Oscar Ramos Jr.), Pan
de Campo (Oscar Ramos Sr.),
and Chili (Oscar Cavazos).
The pictures seen here are of
that year and others in which
we have participated in,
including the Starr County
Youth Fair, which is held two
weeks after Roma's. Some
friends and I created our own
cooking team called the
"TexMexChefs". The following
year (2000), we took the
Reserved Champion for the
Chili Division. In the Starr
County Youth Fair in 2001, our
team was sponsored by
"Roma Pharmacy" and won
Reserve Champion in the
"Frijoles a la Charra" Division.
We also won third place in the
"Rattlers Cook-off" which was
held in Rio Grande City in the
Chili Division (2000). Our team
have also given their time and
services for the Jamaica's that
are sponsored by the Church
of Salineño.