First-ever Canutillo ISD Pozole Cook Off

Who makes Canutillo’s best pozole? We do!

 

Whether red or green, chicken or pork, the best pozole in Canutillo is made by the cooks in each of the 10 kitchens that serve the children of the Canutillo Independent School District.

 

But who makes the best pozole in Canutillo ISD?

 

That question was answered on Friday when cafeteria staff from each campus in the District gathered to compete in the first-ever Canutillo ISD Pozole Cook Off at Canutillo High School. Each served their best version of the delicious, steamy Mexican stew.

 

Judges tasted a sample of each of the 10 pozoles and ranked them based on taste, aroma, texture and appearance. Non-judging participants who tasted each pozole also got a chance to vote for the Fan Favorite Award.

 

In the end, judges selected the red pork pozole from Canutillo High School as the winner. “

 

This was a very difficult decision. Literally every school made pozole I would eat over and over again,” said Cynthia Corrales, the Director of Canutillo’s Texas ACE After School Program and a judge for the cook off. “All judges agreed that the race was very tight, but CHS in the end edged the rest of the cafeterias. They should all be very proud.”

 

The other judges were Alec Kleinhans from the PROCEDEO Group bond management team and Hector Urrutia, news anchor for KINT Univision El Paso.

 

Students, teachers and invited guests also got to taste all of the pozoles entered and voted in secret for their favorite. The school receiving the most votes and named the Fan Favorite was Northwest Early College High School.

 

Marco Macias, CISD’s Director of Child Nutrition Services, said the cook off is a good opportunity to bring the District’s kitchen staffs together and have a friendly competition.

 

“Each one of these kitchens has a team of amazing workers who dedicate themselves to providing our students with delicious and nutritious meals,” Macias said. “The pozole we serve is one of the cultural meals we add to our menu to make sure our students have access to meals that are healthy but also attractive to them.”

 

This is the second time the District has had a cook off competition among school kitchens. Previously, a Menudo Cook Off also declared Canutillo High as the winner.

 

“Every kitchen has amazing cooks and I want to congratulate them all,” said Aurora Sanchez, the cafeteria manager at Canutillo High. “But I am so very proud of the ladies who work here at CHS. They cook like they’re feeding their own children. That kind of dedication shows in the quality of food we serve.”