Can You Smell What Denver Harbor is Cooking?

MMmm.. there is nothing like the comida that comes off of the open flame of a barbecue pit. We, at OurDHStreets, can already smell the rich aromas rising and spreading through the area as the first pieces of carne and chile hit the grill this weekend at the 1st Annual Denver Harbor Cook-Off! We had a chance to exchange a few quick words with participant and organizer Daniel Hinojosa about what inspired the event and how it will be going down this Saturday, June 26, 2010 from 8am - 5pm at the famous Palmers Ice House!! It will be so good to see the Raza out in full force with friends and familia! Who will take come the Golden Chancla?!

DHStreets- The flier says 8am to 5pm - can you give us a bit more of a breakdown to know what time things will be going on?
DHinojosa- The event is from 8am - 5pm. Teams will begin to set-up as early as 7am, This is serious BBQ business here people, the challenge to win the GOLDEN CHANCLA is on! I am encouraging everyone to carpool as much as possible, ride Metro, or even walk to Palmer's. Parking will be very limited and we want to be good neighbors to everyone out there and not congest the streets. We are anticipating a near capacity crowd. The teams have been briiefed, and category turn-ins are as follows Homemade Salsa - 11am, 12pm - Chili, 1pm - Chicken, 2pm - Pork, 3pm - WildCard (anything goes!). Awards will begin at 4pm. We will be asking for random judges, so if you have a talent for tasting, come by the cook-off and sign up to be a judge! Don't forget World Cup action, USA vs Ghana 1:30pm!

DHStreets- If you can, the names of a few of the teams that are participating.

DHinojosa- The teams that have signed-up are The Tejano Renegade Kookers!, Smoked n' Chopped!, Smokin's a Habit, Smoke 'em up! Cookers, Dammit Boy Cookers, Try This Cookers, Roy Meza Cookers, Goodfellas Cookers, David Rodriguez (he's so cool, he uses his own name!), Stone Cold Cookers, Luv Ya' Q! Palmer's Ice House, and your host cooking team, Texas Cyclone Cookers!

DHStreets- What if there is rain?

DHinojosa- I've participated in cook-offs in ankle deep water before. If there's rain, we will be cooking in the rain, the show must go on! (Safety First always!)

DHStreets- What inspired the Texas Cyclone Cookers to create this event?

DHinojosa- I love bringing people together, I love BBQ, and I am very proud to be from Denver Harbor. There are so many other cook-off teams that originate from Denver Harbor that compete elsewhere in the city, it just made sense to have our own "home field" event for the teams that call Denver Harbor home. I also wanted a signature event in the Denver Harbor area that is a good, positive community event. Often, the negative things that occur in our area (that also happen in every community in America) are highlighted and the positive stories are ignored. There are highly intelligent,educated, resourceful, and good citizens that reside or have their roots in Denver Harbor. This event is a celebration of our neighborhood and culture!

DHStreets- Right on, Daniel! Anything else you'd like to say about the event?:

DHinojosa- Fans can keep up with the cook-off by becoming a friend of www.facebook.com/denverharbor. I want to thank everyone who has supported this event, Kathy Talamantez at Palmer's Ice House, Anna Gonzalez with the Denver Harbor Civic Club, Pearl Pecina with Epic Hair Productions, all the teams for participating, and the fans and sponsors who support our cook-off teams.

This wil the INAUGURAL DENVER HAROR COOK-OFF. We will be making this an annual event, so be prepared to see who wins the GOLDEN CHANCLA at the "2011 Denver Harbor Cook-off"!

We can't wait, Daniel! See you all on Saturday, mi gente!