By Shirley Bauer | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice
With all the events in Hotchkiss, Colorado, on Saturday, May 10, chances are you may have heard of a new event—the second annual “Family, Faith, Freedom Fest Matanza Cook Off!”
Hosted at the Fairgrounds by the Delta County Republican Party, this gathering was designed to bring people together to celebrate community, family, faith and freedom as well as Hispanic heritage and of course great food! Thanks to donors, prize money for the cook-off and pork for the contestants were provided.
The idea for the event was from Arrhya Long, Vice Chair of the Delta GOP, whose heritage is part Hispanic. In collaboration with Leslie Parker, Chairwoman of the DCRCC; David Moran, PCP for Delta County GOP and HD54 Chairman; and Pastor John Owens of Paonia, also a PCP, the idea took shape and became a reality.
As a result, one year ago, Delta hosted its first community “Matanza Cook Off” at Confluence Park.
So what exactly is a “Matanza,” you ask?
“Traditionally, a ‘Matanza’ is an event involving slaughtering, butchering and cooking of an animal, typically a pig (or it could be beef, goat, lamb), which serves as a communal celebration and a way to provide for families and communities. The practice has cultural significance especially in Hispanic communities, where it fosters social bonds and preserves culinary traditions.”
Per Arrhya, “Typically, a traditional ‘Matanza’ is an all-day celebration which actually starts well before dawn with butchering a chosen animal. Portions of the animal are then distributed to participating families, each bringing their own cooking style and skills to the table. By the time the feast rolls around, the whole community is gathered to enjoy the flavors and fellowship.”
The Community “Matanza” cook off, at the Fairgrounds, is a modified version of the original procedures for a traditional Matanza. Because the first step takes up so much time and to be honest, not easy to watch, the decision was made to skip it and focus on the idea of family, community and highlighting the culinary skills of Hispanic members in our community.
With that in mind, the “Matanza Cook Off” came to be.
This year’s cook off featured delicious dishes, all centered around using meat as the key ingredient for their entries. Pork was provided for contestants to use. To judge the cook off, the public paid a $5.00 entry fee to eat and was given a ticket to participate in the judging. The ticket was placed in a container with their favorite dish.
The more tickets a dish got, the closer it got to winning first place!
And the winners?
1st place ($500.00): GiGi Smith
2nd place ($250.00): Russ Andrews (who donated his win to the DCRCC)
3rd place ($100.00 each, due to a tie): The Esmeralda Food Truck and Barry Willits
The event featured Greg Lopez, former Congressman from Congressional District 4 and former Mayor in Parker, Colorado, as the keynote speaker. He’s also the former director of the Colorado Business Administration and former CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Lopez is running for Governor in 2026 and has been a strong advocate for Delta County to expand the “Matanza” tradition. Lopez attended the inaugural event last year and returned this year to support its growth. Lopez emphasized the importance of faith, family and cultural values within the Hispanic community which he feels aligns with the Republican Party. Stephen Varela, former State Board of Education member for the 3rd district, was also scheduled to speak.
In addition to the speakers, the new State GOP Chairwoman, Brita Horn, stopped by to show her support (as did Russ Andrews, the Secretary of the State GOP). Also present, Nina Anderson from Mesa County who will be running for HD 54 in 2026. Our own County Assessor, Jolene George, helped at a booth and County Commissioner Wendell Koontz stopped by for a visit. In addition, Adena Kruetz, candidate for the school board in District 5, with Mexican Street Corn, was present. Gary Hubbell, who is running for the DMEA, also stopped by.
The new exciting news media organization in Colorado, Rocky Mountain Voice, had a booth. Other groups present who supported this concept of the family, faith and freedom Matanza were: Protect Kids Colorado, World Ministry Church, Turning Point Faith, and Gays Against Groomers.
Community involvement: It was important to have music at this event, so two local bands provided entertainment – Uphill Creek and Sean Deland. Various local vendors were present as well, which included Aqua Fresca and Mexican Kettle Corn,” which were a big hit. There were handcrafted birdhouses to help raise funds for a local family who lost everything in a fire not long ago. There was even a vendor selling amazing metal lawn ornaments including an impressive large buffalo!
Feedback from those who attended was overall positive. Many attendees were happy to note an increase in turnout compared to last year. They also liked the new location better. The hope is that the event will continue to expand with increased participation from the Hispanic community members who may like to showcase their culinary talents!
The Delta County Republican Party extends its appreciation to all attendees, participants and contributors for making the event a success.
Editor’s note: The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Rocky Mountain Voice. We proudly support her right to share them.