VIP / CELEBRITY JUDGING AREA

7th Annual Hard Rock Tampa Taste of Latino Festival 
Sunday, October 26th, 2025
VOTE THE BEST
EMPANADAS AND TOP LATIN FOOD
IN THE WORLD!

    REGISTER AS A VIP/CELEBRITY JUDGE

    WORLD BEST EMPANADA CONTEST

    ​CLICK THE DROP-DOWN ARROW BELOW TO SCORE:  ​​​SCALE OF 1-5:   1=LOWEST      5=HIGHEST

    EMPANADA ENTRIES

    ¡EMPANADAS, EMPANADILLAS, PASTELILLOS y MAS CATEGORY
    Tapas originated in Spain, where according to legend, King Alfonso 10th, The Wise King of Spain, had once been stricken with a serious illness which only allowed him to take in small portions of food with small amounts of wine.   A Brief History of Empanadas. These pastries, filled with seafood, meat, cheese, vegetables or fruit are wildly popular throughout Latin and South America. Thought to have originated in Spain, where the Empanada Festival is part of Galician culture, the name comes from empanar, or to coat with bread.
     
    Contest Categories Include:  To Include variation of small Appetizers, small entries pieces, Empanadas, Pastelillos,  Burekas/  or other.  Dish can be cold, or hot but cannot be in the category of desserts.  

    BEST LATIN DISH

    CHEF's PRESENT THEIR BEST DISH.  Can be anything from Rice, to Pasta Dishes, Meats, and other creative or Latino Fusion  creations.  Entreies include but are not limited to: Tacos, Tamales, Pastelles, Ceviche, Guisados, Paella, Mofongo, Mangu and other! 

    BEST LATIN DESSERT / POSTRE

    These Spanish desserts are a staple in most restaurants and homes for special occasions. One of the most popular ones is Flan, which is a great dessert because there aren’t too many ingredients involved and you can make it from the comfort of your own kitchen with this recipe.
     
    Contest Categories Include: POSTRE/DESSERT: To Include variation of Guava Pastries, Quesitos, Cheese Pastries, Churros, Tres Leches, Flan and/or other popular Spanish desserts.