Salsa champ to compete again at SalsaFest

By Diane Saunders
Staff Writer
Published on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 9:45 AM MST

The annual SalsaFest on Sept. 24 and 25 is less than two months away, and fans of this event may be wondering if Mary Lou Kreig will try to win the Salsa Challenge for a third year in a row.

The answer is yes. Kreig will enter the Salsa Challenge, according to employees of the Manor House restaurant in Safford.

“Mary Lou Kreig perfected the recipe herself,” said Brenda Berni, sales and events coordinator for the Kreigs’ hotels and the Manor House.

Manor House server Melissa Gonzalez, left, and hostess Kelly Johnson display containers of Mary Lou Kreig's award-winning salsa that is sold at the restaurant. Photo by Diane Saunders

Kreig and her husband, Dean, own the Manor House and several hotels in the Gila Valley. The Manor House is one of 15 Salsa Trail businesses, which includes 13 restaurants, a tortilla factory and a chile company.

Mary Lou’s salsa is named “Salsa de los Campeones (salsa of the champions), and it took top honors in the SalsaFest competitions of 2008 and 2009. Just two months, ago she introduced her salsa for sale to the public.

Packaged in round, plastic containers adorned with a colorful yellow, green and red label, the prize-winning salsa is a favorite with customers. One container sells for $4.99.

Melissa Gonzalez, a Manor House server, and Kelly Johnson, who works in the kitchen and in the dining room as a hostess, said Kreig’s winning salsa is always in demand at the restaurant.

As a Salsa Trail restaurant, the Manor House has an ongoing contest called Taco Titan — a taco-eating contest held on Taco Tuesday nights. This event features 99-cent tacos and half-price margaritas.

The record on Taco Tuesday nights is 31 tacos consumed in one sitting.

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