Winner will appear in Taste of Home magazine, cook with Carla Hall, and take home $25,000
Sylvana cooks and writes about Tejano food from the Winter Garden Region, a south Texas agricultural area of veggies, fruit, and wildlife.
You decide who will appear in Taste of Home magazine, and win $25,000!
Want to learn more about our competition?
Learn MoreWant to be notified if their position changes?
Receive Text UpdatesMy mother was and continues to be my inspiration. Her cooking was rooted in customs and Texas historic influences from Native American, Mexican, Spanish, Southern, and Americana. She cooked Tejano food as well as recipes she found in Family Circle and Woman's Day magazines. She shared her childhood memory of learning to make flour tortillas at age seven and amazed me. Interviewing her for my blog's Tortilla Project was uplifting and I realized that Tejano food like its people is resilient.
What's your all time favorite dish to make?I grew up in the Winter Garden Region where one of the most natural and abundant staples is the prickly pear cactus. Therefore, my ultimate favorite dish is Nopalitos in Ranchera sauce (cooked with onion, tomato, and chile).
What would you do with the $25,000?The $25,000 prize will be used to buy cooking appliances and cook ware. I currently lease a bakery's kitchen one day per week where I' been developing and branding the baby tortilla; the first food that I felt compelled to introduce to the Texas market because it evokes emotions and memories of people bonding with their mama while being nourished. Tejano food from the Winter Garden Region has a place in Texas' history, traditions, and values. It's my passion.
Help Sylvana Avila Alonzo become the next Favorite Chef with a tax-deductible donation. Your support helps create a more equitable and sustainable future in the restaurant industry.
Limited-time: 2X donation votes ends on Wed 5/14 at 9PM PDT