Chili Cook-Off with "The Mamas"

First and foremost, I would like to Congratulate Zak Bushey on his 1st place victory (a tie) in the Chili Cook-Off, which was held in Glendora CA tonight. Zak is a good friend of mine and I can assure you that he is not really used to winning. There is no Charlie Sheen in this man and quite frankly it remains a mystery how he scored and landed the beautiful wife that he has. Suffice it to say, this is a big night for him.


#LOL

(A picture of the winner can be found below)

Now, the event itself was one reason why I had a great time tonight; the second reason is because of the two lovely ladies you see in the picture above. They are, The Cake Mamas (left Fabiola, right Janelle) and recently they were the winners of The Food Networks' Cupcake Wars. The best part about this story - for me - is I used to go to school (High School) with Fabiola. The craziest part is I saw her on KTLA (Channel 5) a few weeks back when they were on in the morning and I knew she looked familiar, but I wasn't sure. I mean, I was in the middle of ironing, it was early, I was groggy, running late, I was hungry, I was parched - I just wasn't sure okay!?!

#EmoMode

So, after tasting some really good chili beans - which by the way, Zak, your recipe was pretty damn delicious - my mother, her friend and I entered The Cake Mamas' establishment. Immediately, upon entering we were hit by the exquisite aroma of sugar, spice and everything nice. It definitely was titillating to the nostrils in a Ron Burgundy Sex Panther-esque kind of way (but 100 x better). Once we laid our eyes on the various cupcakes and amazing pictures of the cakes they have made which were on the walls, I knew right then that a few of those bad boys (cupcakes) would be coming home with me. What I did not expect was to see Fabiola working there, as partial owner no less. Her partner Janelle, I had never met her before tonight; however, in a story scattered with a "delicious" assortment of ironic implications, there was a "6th degrees of separation" moment with her as well. That though is for another day. I can say, Janelle did an amazing job assisting with the Chili Cook-Off outside, as did Fabiola and Janelle's beautiful children.

While the Cook-Off was the main attraction, I drove away with more than I ever could have expected. My memories of Fabiola are spotty, but of course I could never forget that smile of hers and her skills on the court. That's right people, if you did not know, she was quite the basketball player. I cannot take credit for her skills; however, by proxy (she must have seen me play) I will humbly take some credit.

#LOL

The buy-in to taste all the chili by the way was $10, yet I left feeling like I got more than what I invested.

On a side note, I am really proud of both Janelle and Fabiola for following a dream and seeing it through. We should all be so lucky to be blessed with such motivation/ and determination. The fact that I know "Fab" only makes the success story that much sweeter.

Thank you Zak Bushey for the invite and for the shameless, yet efficient promotion on Facebook; as well as a thank you to The Cake Mamas for being so kind to my taste buds.

**FYI**

I ordered 4 cupcakes (Red Velvet, Cookies n' Cream, Mint n' Chip & Churro Flavored) and I've only eaten the Cookies n' Cream cupcake and I can honestly say it was worthy of winning an award. It was moist, the wrapper peeled off effortlessly - no sticking - but, most of all, the frosting on top was really, really good. On cup cakes, the frosting can truly be hit or miss; on this cupcake it was a home run. I'm also being completely honest, I have no incentive to lie, so please take my word for it. I highly recommend that you try their cup cakes. If their cup cakes are this delicious, I can only imagine what their cakes taste like. I will add that to my bucket list for sure.

Now, for your convenience, I've posted a link to their web site below. Check it out and read their story how they came to be. It is inspiring to say the least.

The Cake Mamas

As promised above, below we have the man of the hour. When he is not helping people with their short sales, helping people buy homes or taking pictures of food in front of his beautiful daughter, Zak can be found in the kitchen making chili beans.

2012 Chili Cook-Off Winner 

I guess Zak does have a bit of Charlie Sheen in him after all.

#JudgingByTheShirt

It's my turn to add some shameless promotion for my good friend. Ladies and gentlemen, if you or anybody you know lives in California and is in need of a Realtor, I can honestly say, Zak Bushey is the man for you. Take a look at his web site.

http://www.realtorzakbushey.com/