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Chicken Fried Steak Festival puts spotlight on Lamesa

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Rene Jaramillo fries chicken-fried steak on Saturday, April 24, 2021 at Forrest Park in Lamesa. Jacy Lewis/Reporter-Telegram

Rene Jaramillo fries chicken-fried steak on Saturday, April 24, 2021 at Forrest Park in Lamesa. Jacy Lewis/Reporter-Telegram

Jacy Lewis/ Reporter-Telegram

LAMESA –  “The birthplace of chicken-fried steak” celebrated the 11th annual Chicken Fried Steak Festival last weekend at Forrest Park.

Midlanders cutting through the west side of Lamesa on State Highway 137 on the way to Lubbock might have noticed Forrest Park as they entered the city, but this week, the park was home to those paying homage to the breaded meat fried in a large skillet.

When asked, Lamesans will tell a version of the same story that the Texas State Historical Association says goes back to 1911. According to the TSHA, Jimmy Don Perkins, a short-order cook in a cafe in Lamesa, invented the dish by accident in 1911. According to the legend, Jimmy Don mistook two separate orders, one for chicken and one for fried steak, for one strange request and chicken-fried steak was born.

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In 2011, Gov. Rick Perry declared Lamesa the home of the chicken-fried steak. That same year, the Chicken Fried Steak Festival was born.

The festival brings the community together and provides activities for children and families, including a kickball tournament and live music by children showing off skills from their music lessons. There’s also gymnastics displays for parents.

Jaime Gonzales, an administration assistant for the city of Lamesa, served her first year as event organizer. Last year, COVID forced a cancellation of the festival, but residents and businesses showed their support for the festival’s return. Gonzales said turnout this year was great – the chicken-fried steak dinner sold out with more than 500 tickets sold for Friday night dinner.

Gonzales added that people came to Lamesa from New Mexico, Florida, El Paso and San Antonio.

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“My favorite part of the festival, obviously besides organizing the event, is seeing all the vendors set up and the bands play but mostly having people come to Lamesa,” she said.

Sandy Trevino also works for the city of Lamesa. She said the past year has been difficult on a lot of people, but the festival brings back a lot of good memories and provides an opportunity to create new ones.

“The kids and the youth really need something to enjoy,” Trevino said. “The businesses have been very supportive of the festival, and we have gained a lot of sponsors locally this year.”

 

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A chicken-fried cookoff

Seven teams competed for the title of best chicken-fried steak at the Chicken Fried Steak Festival. Each brought their own recipes and motivations. Some were in it to win, while others appreciated the opportunity to hang out with friends.

During the cookoff, contestants cooked six chicken-fried steaks – two for the anonymous judging and four more for people’s choice judging. During this year’s competition, one contestant added Cheez-its crackers to the breading, another sprayed his chicken-fried steak with butter then added more seasoning after frying it; some contestants used cast-iron skillets while others preferred using fryers.

The following was a look at some of the contestants.

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  • Rene Jaramillo started competing at the festival in 2012 when he won second place. Health issues kept him away for six years, but he returned victoriously, claiming the previous two festival crowns prior to the pandemic.

“Last year we didn’t have the festival,” he said. “I was kind of bummed about that because I wanted to place first three years in a row.”

This is the first time Jaramillo has competed without his cooking partner Luciano Reyes, who passed away from COVID-19 in October. Jaramillo also said the festival marked the first time he had been out of his house in more than a year -- besides going to the store or taking part in dialysis treatments. However, he said he received a COVID vaccine and was excited to socialize with people he hadn’t seen in more than a year.

  • Margaret Salazar knows Jaramillo well. After all, she is his mother. Both are cooks. He cooked at K-Bob’s Steakhouse for 20 years, and Salazar worked 19 years at Burrito Express.

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“We do pretty much what everybody else does with a cast-iron skillet,” he said. “We’ve had these cast-irons for a long time. I have a whole wall of cast-iron skillets at home.”

Salazar and Jaramillo practiced together last week and rated the other’s chicken-fried steaks. Jaramillo said he is using the same recipe that he has won with before.

  • Shawn Alvarez and his father, Ascension, decided to compete in the cookoff after hearing about the festival for about eight years. They are from the South Texas city of George West, which is located 63 miles northwest of Corpus Christi. The father and son along with their wives, Mackey Alvarez and Yvette Lewis-Alvarez, made the roughly 380-mile trek to Lamesa to compete in the cookoff.

“We have heard about it for several years and have always been a little interested in doing it,” he said. “We grew up working in the TNT Cafe while I was young. We always thought we had the best chicken-fried steak.”

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The family has a history of competing in cooking competitions. Back home, they have competed in cabrito and barbecue cookoffs. Mackey said the family enjoys experiencing the different competitions together. Shawn said this year they are testing the waters of the Chicken Fried Steak Festival but they would like to make this an annual event for the family.

Ascension said that there is a different style of cooking in West Texas.

“There is a different style of cooking and preparing foods,” Ascension said. “I’ve tasted their food and it seems like out here people want more spicy food. At home we have the option of spicy or not as spicy, but out here it seems to be only spicy.”

  • Lamesa mayor Josh Stevens entered the cookoff with his partner, councilman Brant Stewert. Stevens has been Lamesa’s mayor for six years and is participating in the cookoff for the second time.

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“This is a big event we all look forward to,” he said. “It happens before summer kicks in and the weather is really nice, so people come out to enjoy some time at Forrest Park.”

Stevens’ favorite part is the food, including funnel cakes and turkey legs, and participating in the cookoff. A typical Chicken Fried Steak Festival for Stevens includes supporting his wife, Kisa, who showcases a gymnastics event for children to show their skills to their parents. After their performances, children usually head to the games and bouncy houses in the park. Stevens said he usually cooks, hangs out with his buddies and enjoys the sunshine.

As it turned out, the mayor and council colleague placed second in this year’s cookoff. They did claim the honor as “The People’s Choice.” However, the cookoff winner was Tyler Sikes, a physical therapist in Lamesa.

Lamesa facts

--Population was 9,221 people in 2019

--The town was founded in 1903

--Lamesa’s economy is based on cotton farming

--Notable former Lamesans include actor Barry Corbin, political scientists V.O. Key, Jr., bluegrass musician Lynn Morris, NFL player Bo Robinson, Texas Gov. Preston Smith, journalist Jerry Taff and country musician Don Walser

 

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Jacy Lewis is a reporter and photographer for MRT.