On Sunday, July 27, 2014, we took a leisurely drive up the
101 freeway from swelteringly hot Los Angeles County to what started out to be cooler
and overcast Oxnard, CA. Oxnard is approximately 35 miles west of Los Angeles.
The city loves festivals, the Oxnard Salsa Festival (in July), California Strawberry Festival (in May) and the California Beer
Festival (which starts next weekend). Oxnard is the agricultural center for
strawberries and lima beans and a major transportation hub with many rail and
bus lines stopping here. Due to the diversified landscape in Oxnard, there is a
hometown, on the farm, and beach city feel all coupled into one.
Our commute was quicker than expected so we decided to park
and eat breakfast near Plaza Park. Free parking in downtown Oxnard was
definitely a plus. We walked to BG’s Café for breakfast. It’s a family-owned, hole in the wall restaurant. What caught my
eye was the shoyu on the table. Historically, there were a lot of Japanese
immigrants who settled here decades ago and began the strawberry agriculture
that exists today. One of my friend’s families is one of them. BG’s Cafe had me
at Bacon Pancakes. They were so good! This carb-laden breakfast helped coat my
stomach for the salsa judging to be had shortly. If I’m in the area again, I
will definitely stop by for breakfast or lunch. Rating: 5/5 stars
It was 10:45am and time to check in for the salsa judging at
the Oxnard Salsa Festival. There were 22 entries ranging from mild to hot in
different styles like all tomato, tomatillo, and add-ins like mango and nopales
(cactus). The process took two hours as we judged each salsa in regards to
appearance, flavor, and the submission heat category (mild, medium, and hot).
As the submissions were weeded down, some had to be tasted multiple times to
choose a winner for each category. And the winners were:
To read more and see slideshow, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/article/road-trip-oxnard-salsa-festival-oxnard-ca
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