City of Atascadero announces contest winners from Tamale Festival

– The City of Atascadero unveiled the winners of its 8th Annual Tamale Festival, held this past weekend, which featured a trio of contests celebrating the beloved Mexican dish, as well as furry friends.

In the “Best Tamale” Contest, Award Winning Tamales claimed the title of Best Overall Tamale. Traditional Tamale winners included Award Winning Tamales for 1st place, Super Tamales for 2nd place, and La Luz del Mundo from Paso Robles securing 3rd place. In the Gourmet Tamale category, La Luz del Mundo from Visalia took 1st place, followed by La Luz del Mundo from Oxnard in 2nd place, and Beth’s Tamales in 3rd place.

The Tamale Eating Contest saw AJ Fragoso claiming 1st place in the 12 and over category, and Justin Turner securing 2nd place. In the 11 and under category, Roman Leon took 1st place, with Gabby Castaneda receiving 2nd place.

Tthe Chihuahua & Pet Costume Contest was won by Phoebe, owned by Vikky Mullin, for Best Overall. Maude, owned by Ryan Duclos, claimed 2nd place for Best Costume, while Pepper and owner Liam Shutt won 3rd place for Best Lookalike. An Honorable Mention went to Gidget, owned by Carla Garcia.