The judges are accustomed to all sorts of shenanigans at Tortillas for Tepeyac, a hotly contested smackdown where a host of civic leaders vie for the title of Tortilla Titan and the coveted Golden Rolling Pin Award.
This year, however, they were caught off guard when Don Mares made the unprecedented move of eating his entry before it could be evaluated.
After sizing up the tortillas that his competitors were rolling out, Mares, the executive director of Denver’s Office of Behavioral Health Strategies, concluded that his wasn’t going to finish in the money.
So, while judges Patricia Baca, Steve Monaco and Patricia Barela Rivera scrutinized the work of such others as Community College of Denver vice president Judy Diaz Bonaquisti, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce chief Diedra Garcia and Krystal Than, Walmart’s senior regional human resources manager, he started chomping.
“It might not have looked that great,” Mares said, “but it tasted good.”
This year’s champ was Rod Tafoya, owner of Mission Yogurt, Que Bueno restaurant and Timberline Steakhouse and Grill, whose prowess with a rolling pin yielded a tortilla that was thin, round and cooked to crispy perfection.
CBS4 meteorologist Dave Aguilera came in third, receiving the “I thought I could, I thought I could” award; Gregg Moss’ heart-shaped tortilla won him the designation of “Most spirited roller, or the one who caused the greatest pandemonium” and yours truly was the first runner-up, a prize also known as the “I really should have won” award.
Each winner received a rolling pin painted by artist Daniel Luna.
State Sen. Irene Aguilar was honorary chair for the event held at the National Western Arena Complex and emceed by Firefly Autism vice president Jesse Ogas and Luis Canela, sports director for Entravision Communications.
Aguilar, who is also a doctor, explained that the money raised will go toward the purchase of a colposcopy machine that the medical staff at will use for early detection of cervical cancer.
In addition to witnessing the display of “masa madness,” the 600 guests also enjoyed a buffet luncheon with entertainment by Trio Encantada.
Mascots for the Colorado Rockies, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Rapids kicked off the competition, setting the stage for former Tortilla Titans Anne Trujillo, a news anchor at 7News, and Dr. Arturo Gonzalez, Denver Health’s chief executive officer, to give their all in an effort to outdistance a field that also included U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, lobbyist Maria Garcia Berry, Kempe Foundation chief executive John Faught and Wells Fargo Bank senior vice president Pat Cortez.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, jdavidson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joannedavidson
Bonfils-stanton awards
Award-winning jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves, educator and philanthropist Adele Phelan and biomaterials researcher Kristi Anseth receive the 2015 Bonfils-Stanton Awards. Joanne Davidson has details in the Mile High Style blog: blogs.denverpost.com/style
