ROSARITO BEACH, B.C. – The third annual Sabor de Baja will be held again this year in the ocean front gardens of the Rosarito Beach Hotel on Wednesday, August 26th from 5-9PM. The white attire, end-of-summer garden party is widely considered to be one of the premier food, wine and beer events in Baja California.

Sabor de Baja features a culinary competition held between twenty of Baja California's best chefs – from luminaries like Diego Hernandez, Martin San Roman and Antonio De Livier to rising stars such as Erick Alcazar, Iker Castillo and Giannina Gavaldon.

"Each chef will pair their dish with a Baja California wine or a regional artisinal beer," according to chef Bo Bendana, Sabor de Baja organizer and owner of Mi Casa Supper Club in Rosarito Beach. "Our judges will be rating each entry not only on how the food, wine or beer tastes, but how well they work together."

Judges this year will include Michelin-starred chef Drew Deckman and San Diego City Beat food critic and gourmand Michael Gardiner. Last year's panel included Sam "The Cooking Guy" Zien, Javier Gonzalez from the San Diego Culinary Arts School and Javier Plascencia, who will be on the other side of the judges table this year as one of the competing chefs in this friendly event.

Attendees will also judge for themselves during this year's Sabor de Baja by sampling the food and beverage pairings at the chefs' workstations setup around the party's perimeter. The "People's Choice" award is voted on by the attendees, while the coveted, "Best of Sabor" is selected by the distinguished panel of judges.

"The intent of the Sabor de Baja is to promote gastronomy, diversity and tourism within Baja and Rosarito in particular," chef Bo concluded. Last year's event drew foodies, chefs, winemakers, craft brewers and restaurateurs from all over the region and attendees represented a solid cross section of expats, Baja Californianos and Southern Californians.

If this year's event is anything like 2014, expect great food and drink, fun interactions with chefs and fellow attendees and a great party that continues well into the night well after the end of the competition.

Tickets for the Sabor de Baja are $65 US and include IVA. Tickets are now available at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, several other locations, or via PayPal (see www.sabordebaja.com for more information).

For those wishing to travel to the event from Southern California or other regions in Baja California, an overnight package that includes two tickets to Sabor de Baja and a deluxe one bedroom condo for the night of the event is available for $199.

A Gringo In Mexico

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