Hasta la Pasta Italian Grill is Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Best Bites Buckle Winner for Second Consecutive Year

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hasta la Pasta Italian Grill wins the highly revered buckle at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Best Bites Competition for the second year in a row, this time as the Judge’s Choice Champion.

“The Best Bites event is an excellent opportunity to showcase our culinary talent and have a great time at a fun event with our fellow Houstonians”

This year Hasta la Pasta wowed the judges with Braised Beef Short Rib Ragu on Polenta Grana Padano. Kipp Galleymore, chef and sommelier for Hasta la Pasta restaurants, stated, “The Rodeo Best Bites competition typically draws a large red meat and red wine loving crowd. With that in mind, we put something together that could represent our Italian influences and yet compete with the highly regarded steak houses of Houston. Chef Teresa Guzman and I crafted an Italian approach to the meat and potato mentality with key ingredients such as jalapeños and the great Grana Padano cheese that help set this dish apart.”

Chefs Galleymore and Guzman are credited with the inspiration, creativity and execution to bring the buckle to the Hasta la Pasta Italian Grill restaurants serving the Houston suburbs of Katy, Champions/CyFair and Atascocita.

In honor of the win, all Hasta la Pasta locations will feature the winning dish as a weekend special throughout rodeo season.

Event showcased 70 restaurants to compete for coveted buckle and unveils wine competition winners to crowd of 4,000 guests.

This accolade was awarded to Hasta la Pasta at the Best Bites Competition, where more than 70 restaurants competed to earn the judge's nod. “While we were thrilled to win the people’s choice award last year at this competition, this year we won the even-more prestigious judged event,” said Alan Smith, co-owner of Hasta la Pasta. This competition, coupled with the International Wine Competition truly showcases the culinary talent and variety Houston has to offer. John Maliani, writer for national travel, food and wine publications, recently named Houston as one of the top five restaurant cities in the US.

This year’s event marks the fifth year Hasta la Pasta participated in the competition and the second consecutive year for a buckle-winning entry. “The Best Bites event is an excellent opportunity to showcase our culinary talent and have a great time at a fun event with our fellow Houstonians,” said Jeff Smith, co-owner of Hasta la Pasta.

Supporting Chef Galleymore and Chef Guzman was the Hasta la Pasta Rodeo team comprised of Lauren Dorn and Eduardo Lopez.

About Hasta la Pasta

Hasta la Pasta and its sister concept Lasagna House have delivered the big city dining experience to suburban Houston for more than 15 years. Everyone deserves to have excellent food, perfectly prepared, and to enjoy it with a large selection of wines in a comfortable atmosphere served by our highly trained staff.

At Hasta la Pasta and Lasagna House, our chefs and staff pride themselves on preparing and serving excellent traditional Italian food with a contemporary flair with entrees ranging from $10-$25. All five restaurants (Katy, Champions and Atascocita and Westheimer and FM1960 locations) offer amazing wine lists, banquet rooms for private parties, and a full range of delivery and catering services.

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