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“This year’s txorizos were really good,” told to EuskalKultura.com Bert Ithurburn, organizer of the event celebrated this past Saturday. In fact, there was a draw in the finals and an extra judge was needed, as a tiebreaker. It is also worth mentioning that Guibert had to compete against his own son’s team to get the winner’s trophy and apron. Next year this popular Basque Californian will reach its 40th edition.

Yuba City, CA, USA Guibert and Sallaberry drove all the way from the Bay Area to Yuba City with a recipe for the chorizos with “really a good blend,” in the words of Ithurburn. “Theirs was kind of mild, not too much bitterness, neither too salty, nor too hot, and with a good texture. It was really good.” Along with them, another 31 teams participated.  Some of them came even from Reno, Nevada or from San Luis Obispo, California, around five hours south of Yuba City.

This year’s winners’ apron was decorated with the Basque flag, a lauburu or Basque cross, and it read 2015 Chorizo Champion. The other prize, an elegant trophy with the names of all the previous winners of the contest, including Guibert’s and Sallaberry’s, will be kept by this year’s champions until the next edition, when they will pass it along to the new winners.

Around 250 people attended the event that was held at the Sutter Youth Hall. And since the event is also a potluck where people share traditional Basque dishes brought from home, participants had the chance to taste tongue, garbanzo beans, sheep balls, macaroni, potato salad, and home-made flan, to name a few. Joe Lopez, a regular attendee native of Spain, cooked also paella with mussels, shrimp, txorizo, and chicken.

Early birds arrived at 10:00 a.m., but the event started at around 12:30 p.m. and it officially finished at 7:30 p.m. Bert Ithurburn was very grateful to the attendants since, overall, people donated around $1200, enough to cover all the expenses resulting from renting the hall, acquiring insurance, making coffee, and bringing utensils for all the participants.