{"id":374064,"date":"2025-11-12T17:54:29","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T17:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/374064\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T17:54:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T17:54:29","slug":"houstons-beloved-taco-tasting-raises-more-than-100000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/374064\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston\u2019s Beloved Taco Tasting Raises More Than $100,000"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"People'sThe 14th Annual Two Saints and a Taco Tasting was a Houston culinary showcase, featuring 10 taco restaurants serving up authentic creations in support of student scholarships at University of St. Thomas \u2014 and raising more than $100,000 in the process. From beloved mom-and-pop taquerias to some of Houston\u2019s most recognized restaurant groups, each competitor aimed to claim the coveted \u201cBest Taco\u201d title. Held at Saint Arnold Brewing Company<\/strong>, even the host brewery joined the competition with a spicy fried chorizo and potato taco.<\/p>\n

\"FajitaThree awards were presented at this year\u2019s tasting. The President\u2019s Choice Award<\/strong>, selected by new UST President Dr. Sinda Vanderpo<\/strong>ol, went to Fajita Pete\u2019s<\/strong> beef verde taco, a marinated inside skirt steak with roasted poblanos, sweet onions, chimichurri, and avocado crema \u2014 a fresh, vibrant twist on a Fajita Pete\u2019s classic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took my judging very seriously,\u201d said Vanderpool as she presented the award.<\/p>\n

Representing the Basilian Fathers who founded UST, The<\/strong> Reverend Eduardo Rivera, CSB,<\/strong> presented the Padre\u2019s Choice Award<\/strong> to La Cocina de TJ<\/strong> for their tacos de carnitas served on homemade blue corn tortillas.<\/p>\n

\"LAFinally, the People\u2019s Choice Award, voted on by the more than 400 guests in attendance, went to La Viva<\/strong> for their \u201cLa Pina Fuego\u201d taco of slow-roasted pork infused with citrus flavors, topped with queso fresco and grilled pineapple pico, wrapped in corn tortillas.<\/p>\n

This widely popular event began as a grassroots idea of the University of St. Thomas Alumni Association Board of Directors. During the years, it has grown into an unofficial reunion for the UST community and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. This year\u2019s event was co-chaired by a double-pair of siblings and dedicated UST alumni: Dani Herrera<\/strong> \u201997; Meredith McCrary<\/strong> \u201903, MLA \u201924; Dan Garcia<\/strong> \u201901, MBA \u201909; and Joe Garcia<\/strong> \u201903.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo Saints has become more than an event \u2013 it\u2019s a tradition that alumni look forward to each year,\u201d said Dan Garcia. \u201cThe combination of meaningful connection, spirited atmosphere and celebration of UST pride makes it a highlight of the calendar. It embodies the best of who we are as a community and reminds us of the lasting impact of our shared UST experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herrera emphasized the real and personal impact of the funds raised.<\/p>\n

\"Co-Chairs\u201cWe read every application and sit down with the students ourselves,\u201d she said. Last year, we gave more than $80,000 to some incredible continuing students \u2014 people balancing work, family and school while carrying UST\u2019s mission into everything they do. We were delighted to reach our goal of $100,000 this year, but the real impact is personal. The interviews are full of laughter, emotion and stories that remind us why this work matters so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the end of the evening, the event\u2019s beloved motto once again proved true: Beer + tacos = scholarships.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 14th Annual Two Saints and a Taco Tasting was a Houston culinary showcase, featuring 10 taco restaurants…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":374065,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[180173,4345,50,26542,180174,358,180172,3187,77876],"class_list":{"0":"post-374064","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-alumni-association","9":"tag-houston","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-press-releases","12":"tag-saint-arnold-brewing-company","13":"tag-texas","14":"tag-two-saints-a-taco-tasting","15":"tag-tx","16":"tag-university-of-st-thomas"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115538013418843997","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/374065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}