Canutillo ISD crowns Davenport Elementary as Pozole Champion

CANUTILLO, Texas (KVIA) -- Every kitchen serving the Canutillo Independent School District claims to have the best pozole recipe. Thursday, those 10 CISD kitchens put their dishes to the test at the district's Pozole Cook Off.

CISD kitchens each made a batch of their best pozole to enter the contest. Judges chose a winner based on taste, aroma, texture and appearance.

The kitchens competed for the 2026 CISD Pozole Champion title. All participants had a chance to earn the vote for a special Fan Favorite Award.

Joey Vasquez' team from Deanna Davenport Elementary School claimed victory at Canutillo High School.

"We won because we put love and affection into our pozole," Vasquez said. "It's something that we serve to our kiddos, and we want it to taste just like what they're used to: abuelita's pozole."

Canutillo Elementary School won the Fan Favorite Award.

Marco Macias, a child nutrition director, said the competition used to focus on menudo recipes. He said all the CISD kitchens added their own special touch to their dish.

"Some of them made it with green chili, some of them with red chili, and then the spices, of course," Macias said. "But at the end of the day, they're all good."

Macias said the district organized the competition to encourage children to eat foods special to the Canutillo region. Pozole rotates on the district's cafeteria menu every several weeks.

"We're a border community, so we try to do plates that are cultural, like in this case, pozole, menudo, pastor, flautas. Why? Because we want our kids to eat," he said.