Winner will appear in Taste of Home magazine, cook with Carla Hall, and take home $25,000

Wildcard

Daniel Celadon Vega

My dream has always been to open up my own food truck in Chicago. Never got the chance to save up the money to start up my own business.

Currently 5

in the Wildcards

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LIMITED-TIME: 2X VOTES

You decide who will appear in Taste of Home magazine, and win $25,000!

Voting for Wildcards ends Sunday the 11th of May at 7PM PDT

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Who or what inspires you to cook?

At a young age I fell in love with cooking. Growing up in a Mexican American family I was always around food, and that is what brought our family together. From cooking with my Parents, to cooking with my Aunt, and also my grandmother it's something that was very familiar to me. The first thing I remember leaving how to cook was chorizo con huevo and frijoles. Also getting into the food service industry at the age of 12 helped me aspire to want to open up my own business one day.

What's your all time favorite dish to make?

Flautas/ Tacos Dorados. Which are basically rolled up fried taquitos. You can fill them with almost anything (chicken, potato, chorizo, shredded beef, ground beef, carnitas, cheese, ect)! The toppings vary from refried beans, cheese, all types of cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, guacamole, your choice of salsa, pickled onions. It's something I grew up eating and grew a strong relationship with because its my comfort food and reminds me of my family and my childhood.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Start my own food truck. All different types of flautas with different fillings and a variety of condiments and sauces. Or maybe even use it as a start to buy my first home.

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