Alysha Brooke returns to the scene of her taco triumph on Sunday. 

She brings tortillas, meat, rub and salsa to Southtown’s Gimme Gimme to defend a title she did not expect to win against competing chefs she considers friends.

“I’m only in competition with myself,” said Brooke, chef de cuisine at Cullum’s Attaboy and winner of last year’s Fajita Lounge Showdown. “I’m there to cook next to friends and be with them. It’s not like we’re trying to compete. We’re trying to hang out and talk and just be together.”

The third annual Fajita Lounge Showdown, at 803 S. St. Mary’s St., will feature Brooke and a powerhouse lineup of friendly chefs slinging skirt steaks for a chance to win $500. 

Competitors include chefs from Mixtli, Leche de Tigre, Bar Loretta, Bucán Rodeo, Rosa’s Kitchen, Buddy’s Big Trouble and The Friendly Spot.

Doors open at 5 p.m. The showdown begins at 6 p.m. Admission and tacos are free. Yes, free until the last taco is gone. 

Plan to arrive early. Gimme Gimme owner Aaron Peña expects a crowd of at least 1,000, which would more than double last year’s turnout.  

About 500 people attended the 2024 Fajita Lounge Showdown at Gimme Gimme lining up for free fajita tacos. Credit: Courtesy / Christopher Perez

“This will be our biggest one yet,” Peña said. “With this lineup, it’s shaping up to be a big culinary event.” 

How big?

James Beard finalist Emil Oliva will work the grill for Leche de Tigre. Chef de cuisine Alex Cabrera will cook for Michelin-starred Mixtli. James Beard nominee Paul Peterson will represent Bar Loretta. 

Talk about star power.

“Honestly, it was super easy to get them,” Peña said. “They are our friends and peers. We gave an invite and they accepted.  We’re really excited to have them and not just because of their names – but because we’re fans of what they do in their restaurants.”

The first showdown featured lesser known chefs and drew a few hundred people. Brooke was asked to compete but declined. She’d only been cooking for eight years and didn’t feel ready. 

She agreed to compete in the second showdown but arrived with little confidence.

“I did not expect to win at all,” she said. 

Brooke spotted family and friends in the crowd and fired up the grill. She had a vision, a plan she intended to execute. At one point, she deviated from the plan, improvised and finished by feel.

“When I got to the garnishes, I was at a loss,” she recalled. “I wasn’t sure exactly what I was doing or how I wanted it to look.”

Cooking by instinct and feel was not the plan. But then she tasted her creation and smiled. “I thought it was pretty solid.” 

The judges agreed. They complimented Brooke on her taco’s balance, flavor coordination and execution and awarded her first place.

The winning taco featured Peeler Farm skirt steak, a salt ‘n pepper coriander rub, a Nepal and tomatillo salsa, charred nopalito and corn.

Excitement builds for this year’s event. Brooke is eager to grill alongside her friends. 

Chef Rory Torres prepares food for an attendee at the 2024 Fajita Lounge Showdown. Torres isn’t competing this year. Credit: Courtesy / Christopher Perez

“I full-on respect all of these cooks,” she said. “We eat at each other’s restaurants all the time.”

Peña organized the fajita showdown to bring chefs and foodies together. To build community and have a good time. In time, he wants to elevate the showdown into a massive, must-attend event.

He imagines a crowd of thousands gathering at a large venue. 

“I hope it gets so big we have to move it to a park,” he said. “Like Rosedale Park, where they hold the Tejano Conjunto Festival. I could see it going there.”