Flour floated in the air and the smell of cooking (and possibly burnt) masa also wafted around.
On stage at the Infinity Park Event Center in Glendale, an assemblage of Denver "celebrities" raced against the clock to roll, flatten, cut and cook an important staple in most people's homes: a tortilla.
Though this may seem extremely random, the tortilla-rolling contest is an ongoing tradition. On the line were the participants' pride, along with vibrant and colorful handmade rolling pins by local artist Dan Luna. Oh, and money.
But the money wasn't for the contestants. They were helping raise funds for the Tepeyac Community Health Center.
Tepeyac hosted its 26th Annual "Tortillas for Tepeyac" event last Friday, a fundraiser to help support the center's operations. It's an event that started in a church basement and has grown just as the center has grown. The nonprofit raised more than $10,000 on Friday alone. (We're waiting to hear back on the final fundraising numbers.)
"After we first opened, probably our first or second year, we thought what can we do that's creative and could also raise funds. Making tortillas is a part of our culture, so we thought 'How about we do a celebrity tortilla-making contest?'," said Center CEO Jim Garcia. "It was very small and then it just became a very popular event. It's not your typical luncheon."
Tepeyac opened in 1995 under the name Clínica Tepeyac in an 800 square foot space on Kalamath Street in the Highland neighborhood with just two exam rooms.
That increased to 10 rooms when it moved to a 6,000-square foot space on Lincoln in Globeville.
Now, Tepeyac works out of a new center where just one wing of the facility holds 10 exam rooms. The new center, on the first floor of the Viña Apartments in Elyria-Swansea, has quadrupled in size going from that 6,000- to about 24,500-square feet.
"The new building is four times the space of our prior building and we'll be able to double the number of patients seen this year and eventually tripling the number once we are fully staffed," said Dr. Pam Valenza, Tepeyac's chief medical officer.
With the bigger space, come more services. But to meet needs, Tepeyac needs more money.
Tepeyac has expanded its dental service, going from one chair to six. The mental and behavioral health services have also been expanded to host more group therapy sessions and other forms of therapy, like art therapy and healing circles.
Tepeyac also has a pharmacy, making the center a true one-stop shop. Towards the end of the year the clinic will also have a radiology and imaging department.
"Now that we're in this much larger facility, we need to raise even more money," Garcia said.
And that they did.
Before the celebrities took the stage, a small competition between Denver's greatest athlete's took place. Dinger, Miles and Regi the Ranger, mascots for the Rockies, Broncos and Regis University, had their own tortilla-rolling contest. The competition was friendly but fierce, and ultimately, Miles steam-rolled the others, a win hopefully the furry can transfer to the team come football season.
Next, came the 14 celebrities. Mayoral candidates Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston were set to face off, but Johnston had to leave the event early. He was replaced by the great, and cute, Bernie the Dog, mascot for the Avalanche.
Joining Brough, were Chief Brand and Impact Officer of Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation, Adeeb Khan; President and CEO of Colorado Access, Annie Lee; Operations Manager at Mission Yogurt Eric Chairez; CBS4, Denver7 and 9News was represented by Michelle Griego, Lisa Hidalgo and Jordan Chavez. Hidalgo was the reigning Tortilla Titan from last year.
Also on stage were Executive Director of Denver Health Foundation, Crystal Rivera; Owner of Ramos Law, Joseph P. Ramos; Executive Director and CEO of Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Janice Sinden; Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Regis University, Dr. Nicki Gonzalez; Executive Director of Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Rick Garcia and Vice President for Community Investment and Impact at The Colorado Health Foundation, Erin Brown.
There was a bit of controversy when Khan pulled out his own dough but the judges allowed it.
At the end there were mini ones, perfectly round ones, heart-shaped ones, one supposedly shaped as a country and some made with good intentions.
But the real winner was Tepeyac thanks to the money it raised.
"We couldn't do what we do without the support of the community, the support of the people who live in Globeville and Elyria-Swansea and people that come from all over to support Tepeyac," Garcia said. "We serve the highest percentage of uninsured residents in Colorado and we need events like this to raise funds...Events like this are important, not just for raising money but also for building community and introducing people to our mission."
