PHOTOS: Carne Asada Festival Heats Up Redwood City

Redwood City's Courthouse Square sizzled with the scent of carne asada Sunday afternoon, during the first ever Chavez Carne Asada Festival. People from all over the Peninsula came to listen to the bands and revel in the summer sun. 

"It brought many families together to our city's 'living room' to enjoy an event packed with fun, music, food and neighborliness," said Ernie Schmidt, Redwood City Planning Commissioner.

Chavez Supermarkets and Harris Ranch Beef hosted the event to commemorate the opening of their first store. 

"The working title was 'The Chavez Anniversary Festival,''' said Beto Chavez, General Manager of Chavez Supermarkets. The original store opened in June of 1984 on Arguello Street in Redwood City. can now be found throughout the Bay Area, with in Redwood City and one in Menlo Park. 

Organizers estimate more than 15,000 people attended the free event. It may have been because of the tacos. Harris Ranch Beef gave away about 500 pounds of free samples that were flavored with Chavez seasoning. Nearby Chavez Supermarkets had a booth where people could buy tacos for about $2.50 each. 

"Overall, we went through about 1,000 pounds of meat," Chavez said. Next year, he said that the event will have a lot more food. The event ran out of tacos and beer about four hours into the six hour event. 

That certainly didn't stop people from having a blast. Check out these photos of the event that Hector Flamenco shared with Patch. 

Did you take photos?  Add them to this article! 


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