Quest for the best

Encina Dallas wins top prize and $10K in H-E-B competition

Encina pancakes, as served at their restaurant.

Photo courtesyof Jamil Bata

Texas' favorite grocery chain H-E-B has completed Quest for Texas Best, its search for the best Texas-made products to hit the shelves, and one Dallas brand made the cut: Oak Cliff restaurant Encina Dallas won for its Blue Corn Butterscotch Pancake Mix, one of four finalists.

Encina came in third place, winning a check for $10,000, plus an opportunity to get their product placed on H-E-B shelves.

Two Austin companies took top honors: Birria Queen won the grand prize, earning $25,000 for its birria seasoning bombs; and Utopia's Hess Street Foods won first place and $20,000 for its chorizo seasoning paste. Also from Austin, Certified Country Lemonade won second place and $15,000 for its frozen iced teas and lemonades.

The competition is now in its 11th year of engaging small businesses to find the best of their products, in return for $70,000 in cash prizes and placement on H-E-B shelves across Texas. For the 2024 competition, H-E-B received video from 470 entrepreneurs.

Encina H-E-B Team Encina wins 3rd place from H-E-B. H-E-B

Encina was the only restaurant on the list, and its unique blue corn pancakes are one of the most popular menu items at its acclaimed weekend brunch.

The full list of 2024 H-E-B Quest for Texas Best finalists were:

BeeKing's – Honey Dust – Canton
Birria Queen – Birria Seasoning Bombs – Austin
Certified Country Lemonade – Frozen Lemonade & Sweet Tea – Austin
Encina – Blue Corn Butterscotch Pancake Mix – Dallas
Hess Street Foods – Chorizo seasoning paste – Utopia
HydroNation – Natural Sports Drinks – Dallas
La Pale Frozen Fruit Bar – Mini Frozen Paletas – Brownsville
Marasi Foods – Frozen Filled Naan Bread – Dallas (Allen)
Sarape Treats – Chamoy Candy – Dallas
Texas Rice Milling ~ Home of Honestly Texas – Rice – Brookshire

Small businesses drive innovation and keep our communities vibrant, which is why we are dedicated to finding and supporting the best small businesses in Texas,” said James Harris, senior director of diversity & inclusion and supplier diversity for H-E-B. “We are amazed year after year by the creative products submitted for the competition and look forward to making these inventive products available to our shoppers.”

More information about the contestants and product listings from past winners are available at heb.com.

grocery desserts heb small businesses awards

Cheesecake News

Dallas dessert shop Val's Cheesecakes calls it quits on Greenville Ave

Photo courtesy of Val's

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A Dallas dessert shop has closed its doors: Val's Cheesecakes, located at 2820 Greenville Ave., closed for good on December 17 after 12 years.

Owner Valery Jean-Bart issued a statement saying that he was ready to move on to new things.

"The time has come to officially close the doors at our Greenville location," he said. "This is not just the end of a chapter; it is the end of a place that has been a huge part of my life and journey. Over the years, we have built something special here, but the time has come to let this space go so we can move forward with clarity and purpose."

Jean-Bart started selling his cheesecakes in 2012 after a career in civil engineering. He took the inspiration from his mother's love of cheesecakes before she passed from breast cancer.

Over the past decade, he had many ups and downs, with other locations that he opened and closed, often abruptly, and more than one closure followed by a reopening.

But he said this time he was closing permanently, calling the past few months "a challenge" but also a reminder of what matters.

"Focusing on friends, family, and my personal life is more important now than ever," he said. "I am leaving this location on my own terms, proud of what we have accomplished and ready for what is next."

What is next is Val's Blue Label, his other shop in the Cedars District at 1112 S. Akard St. which he opened in March 2023 and which is described as an elevated cheesecake experience that also holds classes and workshops.