DALLAS — The picks are in, folks.
We have the four winners of the 2024 H-E-B Quest for Texas Best competition, and a Dallas product was among them! Dallas’ own Matt Balke, Corey McCombs and Hannah Davis of Encina were selected for their Blue Corn Butterscotch Pancake Mix. They won the third place prize of $10,000.
The grand prize winner of $25,000 was Austin-based Birria Queen's Birria Seasoning Bombs. The first place prize of $20,000 went to San Antonio-based Hess Street Foods' Chorizo seasoning paste. The second place prize of $15,000 went to Austin-based Certified Country Lemonade's Frozen Lemonade & Sweet Tea.
Here is a look at the winning products:
2024 H-E-B Quest for Texas Best Grand Prize winner: Birria Queen's Birria Seasoning Bombs
When Donelle Mendoza moved to Austin from California in 2018, she quickly discovered the absence of birria tacos. To satisfy her cravings for birria, she took matters into her own hands and launched her new identity as the Birria Queen. Wanting to share her birria recipe with everyone, she created a seasoning bomb, which resembles a bath bomb, using her family’s secret birria recipe. Her Birria Seasoning Bombs and Chile Bombs make authentic, flavorful dishes without the hassle and the mess.
2024 H-E-B Quest for Texas Best First Prize Winner: Hess Street Foods' Chorizo seasoning paste
In 2023, Maria Flores founded Hess Street Foods to share the flavors and traditions she grew up with, celebrating culture through food. The craft of making chorizo has been in her family for generations and is a passion she works to preserve. With an exquisite variety of chorizo seasoning blends, their products are 100% natural, made with premium quality ingredients, and vegan friendly. Each product is an invitation to experience the traditional flavors and aromas of their family’s culture.
2024 H-E-B Quest for Texas Best Second Prize Winner: Certified Country Lemonade's Frozen Lemonade & Sweet Tea
Certified Country Lemonade is a family-owned business that started from a modest wooden lemonade stand and grown into a small manufacturing operation. Using a cherished 100-year-old family recipe, the company created a full line of over 25 flavors of sweet southern-style lemonade and sweet teas made from freshly squeezed Texas lemons and local honey. The company recently launched soft frozen lemonades and teas by the pint and by the pouch with a host of flavors, including Strawberry Frozen Sweet Tea, Jalapeño Pineapple Frozen Lemonade, and Bubba Peach Frozen Lemonade.
2024 H-E-B Quest for Texas Best Third Prize Winner: Encina's Blue Corn Butterscotch Pancake Mix
Matt Balke, who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America as salutatorian, refined his culinary expertiseas an apprentice of James Beard Award-winner Chef Sharon Hage and as executive chef at Dallas hotspots like Bolsa and Smoke. Partnering with restaurant veteran Corey McCombs, they transformed the former Bolsa space into Encina. The cuisine highlights seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, celebrated for their simplicity, quality, and execution. Famous for their Blue Corn Pancakes with butterscotch chips, they are excited to share their popular recipe as an easy-to-make mix.
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