McAllen, Texas — “Smokin Since 1976” is the theme of the original Fajita Cook-off. That’s because the very first Fajita Cook-off was held on Sunday July 4^th, 1976. Do you know the location? Most say at Chimney Park on the banks of the Rio Grande in Madero, just south of Mission.

           “No, that was years 2 through 5,” says Christopher Julian Founder and producer of the Cook-off. The very first Fajita Cook-off was held on the County Courthouse parking lot on the square in Edinburg.

          The Cook-off ran for 15 years after that and became the largest and most popular outdoor festival the Valley had ever seen with crazy cooking teams competing with their favorite fajita recipes and family games and activities like sack race, egg toss, 3-legged race and watermelon seed spit.

          After 25 years, the Cook-off joined PalmFest as one of their major attractions and expanded to include BBQ competition sanctioned by the International Barbeque Cookers Association (IBCA).

           “This changed the entire dynamics of the contest,” said Richard Womeldorf, manager of the Cook-off. $10,000 in prize money was on the line and out of town Cooking Teams were very serious about winning their share of the money and IBCA points to be invited to the big national competition in Memphis.

          Cooking Teams were surveyed and here is what they said.

“Hey, this is too much work now, what happened to the good old days when we had fun cooking?”

          So, in celebrating the 34th year of the event, its back to basics and fun at PalmFest International Folklife Celebration held at the McAllen Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday, October 2-3.

No IBCA BBQ competition this year.

           Just the good ole fashion Fajita Cook-off, with Traditional and Gourmet fajita categories on Sunday October 3^rd, 2010.

          On Saturday October 2^nd 2010, there will be 3 fun filled competitions. Pan de Campo, Frijoles a La Charra, and Salsa Competition.

          The two day entry fee for all 5 categories is only $165. There will also be a showmanship Award for the Cooking Team that puts on the best show. Also as part of this event all the family games and activities as well as a huge Kiddie Carnival on both days.

          To enter the Cook-off call the Cook-off hot line at 956.682.5566 or go on line to RGVCookoff.com

Richard Womeldorf here, and I want to announce that the time has come again to start getting your team together. This year, 2010, will bring some great changes and bring back some of our time tested, back to our roots, events setup.

The official post will be coming in a few days.

I just want to alert you to reserve your date. Oct 2 & 3,2010  (Sat and Sun)

The 34th Annual, The Original , The Granddaddy of them ALL, Fajita Cookoff is a coming.

More to follow in a few days.

Richard Womeldorf, Gen Mgr and Fajita Marshall

McAllen, Tx 2009

It’s not the fact that The Cook off at PalmFest is a State championship cook off which means the grand champion will be invited to the American Royal Invitational in Kansas City, Mo. And it’s not the $10,000 in guaranteed prize money. It is winning one of the custom made miniature BBQ pit trophies that drives crazy cooking teams from as far away as San Antonio and beyond to come to this year’s Fajita Cook off and BBQ Cook off at PalmFest.

Scheduled for October 3-4 at the beautiful McAllen Convention Center, The Cook off is one of the major attractions of PalmFest International Folk life Celebration.

Cooking Teams will compete in 5 categories brisket, spare ribs, chicken, traditional fajita and gourmet fajita for top honors sanctioned by The International Cookers Association, IBCA.

To enter your team, go to rgvcookoff.com or call the cook off hotline @ 956.682.5566.

###
Pictured from Left is Bobby Casso, general manager of L&F Distributors, the trophy sponsor, James Cameron, owner of Camco Wheel and Axle, craftsmen of the trophies and Richard Womeldorf, general manager of the Cook off:
 

Map for Teams ONLY
CookingTeams Only

CLICK HERE TO PRINT/SEE THE MAP FULL SIZE

Here is the map that you can print out. All teams will be entering on the EAST side of the McAllen Convention Center. This is the opposite end from year’s past. We will have our own private entry and exit point.

The gate will be manned and open at 10:00 AM on FRIDAY Nov 2, 09.
This is SETUP DAY.

Mandatory COOKS MEETING is at 7:30PM on Friday, at the Judging Tent.

Coming from 281, take the Expressway 83 WEST exit, which is a curve exit.
Continue for about 4 exits and look for the WARE RD exit.
Exit and move to the right lane. Just before the Ware Rd light, look to the right and find 29th St (Rooth Rd). Turn right (North). Go a few blocks and just BEFORE the Galveston St street light…LOOK LEFT at the Veteran’s Memorial. That is the entry point.

Coming from the Valley, West of Ware and Exp 83.
Go to 23rd St exit, and do the turn around under the Expressway, and stay on the frontage road.
Turn right on 29th St (Rooth Rd) and go just before the Galveston St street light. Look LEFT.

Coming from the Valley, East of McAllen, follow the directions above like the 281 teams would be coming in. Only you will be on Expressway 83 already. Just exit on the Ware Rd exit and follow the same instructions above.

NEW LOWER TEAM PRICE FOR 2009
 
McAllen, TX

We are having a good response in Registrations this year. And WE THANK YOU !!

I know that having registration forms filled, paid, and in house this early, is a GOOD thing.
We have doubled our size in available room for BBQ Pits, Trailers, Big Rigs, and those back yard pits too.

Now, listen up !!   This year, I want to hit this out of the park, and I know many are worried about the economy. So I begged the Promoter, Chris Julian, for about an hour or so, asking him to lower the entry fee.

It was a tough go, but I finally convinced Chris that we needed to help our teams a little more than usual this year.

So, this year, the TEAM ENTRY FEE has been lowered to $ 250.00 for the event. Cook one or two days.
(ALL the teams that have paid in already, expect a check in the mail for $ 100.00 as a refund)

 
HERE IS THE 2009 RGV COOKOFF ENTRY FORM   (Revised on 08/27/2009)
 

McAllen, TX –

The cooking team of RC Truck Brokerage of Pharr is the first official entry into this year’s RGV Cook-Off at PalmFest. Also known as The Fajita Cook-Off and The BBQ Cook-Off, the RGV Cook-Off will be held during PalmFest International Folk life Celebration October 3-4 at the new McAllen Convention Center on the Expressway and Ware Road.

This cook-off is the oldest and longest running cooking competition of its kind in the Valley and the state. This year, The Cook-Off has been proclaimed as a State Championship Cook-Off by the Texas State Senate. “This means the Grand Champion of this cook-off will be invited to the American Royal Invitational in Kansas City, Mo,” said Richard Womeldorf general manager of the Cook-Off.

“We are even more excited to announce we will guarantee $10,000 in prize money this year”, said Christopher Julian, founder and producer of the Cook-Off. “With these two new incentives, we are sure to meet our goal of 100 crazy cooking teams this year”, Julian concluded.

For more information and entry forms on the RGV Cook-Off at PalmFest, go to www.rgvcookoff.com or call the Cook-Off hot line 956.685.5566.

###
Photo Caption: From left are Christopher Julian producer of the Cook-Off, the Team of RC Trucking Brokerage headed by Roel Castro and at the far right Richard Womeldorf general manager of the cook-off.

RGV Cookoff at PalmFest Proclaimed State Championship

McAllen, TX –

It’s official! On April 8, 2009, The Senate of the State of Texas issued a proclamation designating the RGV Cookoff at PalmFest aka The Fajita Cookoff and The BBQ Cookoff, as a State Championship Cookoff.

Here is what Lynn Shivers, of the International BBQ Cookers Association has to
say about this and what it means for the Teams that compete in this event.

" Being a State Champion will create another draw for your event -

The Grand Champion will be invited to the American Royal Invitational, Kansas City, Mo. and their name will also be put into the lottery draw for the
Jack Daniels Invitational, Lynchburg, TN "

" The Jack Daniels event is the hardest event to get into because you have
to qualify and then be drawn from the draw of all of the Texas qualifier
events Grand Champion. "Congratulations on getting your Proclamation

And if that was not enough, the Cookoff organizers with the help of PalmFest will guarantee $10,000 in prize money this year. These two incentives are certain to achieve the goal of 100 teams in this year’s event scheduled for October 3-4 at the McAllen Convention Center.

To enter the Cookoff At Palmfest go to WWW.RGVCOOKOFF.COM  or
Call the Cookoff hotline at 956.682.5566.

Picture Caption:
Pictured holding the State Senate proclamation are from left:
Christopher Julian, Producer of the Cookoff,  and
Richard Womeldorf, General Manager and Judging Marshall of the event.
 

View Larger Map

05/01/2009
McAllen, Tx

It’s Official !!  RGV Cookoff, organizational entity, that owns The Fajita Cookoff and The BBQ Cookoff, has been declared a Texas State BBQ Championship Competition.

Smokin’ since 1976, this year marks a new milestone for the RGV Cookoff at PalmFest in McAllen.  First of all, we have been proclaimed a “State Championship Cookoff by the
Texas State Senate”.

This means the Grand Champion of this cookoff will automatically be invited to compete in the American Royal Invitational in Kansas City, Mo. Also, the Grand Champion will be put in a lottery drawing for the Jack Daniels Invitational in Lynchburg, TN.

(We’re sure to get at least 15 teams.)

Here is what Lynn Shivers, of the International BBQ Cooks Association has to say about this and what it means for the Teams that compete in our event.

" Being a State Champion will create another draw for your event – The first year of being declared a State Championship you only have to have 15 teams and then there after 25 – and the Grand Champion will be invited to the American Royal Invitational, Kansas City, Mo. and their name will also be put into the lottery draw for the Jack Daniels Invitational, Lynchburg, TN "

" The Jack Daniels event is the hardest event to get into because you have to qualify and then be drawn from the draw of all of the Texas qualifier events Grand Champion. "

Congratulations on getting your Proclamation – I will post it to our website.

Thank you for supporting IBCA & BBQ.
Lynn
www.ibcabbq.org