Whenever I'm asked what inspired me to think up KCRW and Gustavo's Great Tortilla Tournament, I mention my favorite corn tortilla — Miramar Tortilleria, which has operated in East Los Angeles since 1951. I then mention sports tournaments like the FIFA World Cup, NFL playoffs, and especially the NCAA basketball tournament aka March Madness.
And then I mention brackets.
Part of the thrill of sports tournaments is seeing unlikely matches, underdogs toppling favorites, surprises happening with every round, and tracking it all. Part of the thrill of sports tournaments is guessing who's going to win — not just the championship but each and every matchup.
A young attendee of the 2022 Tortilla Tournament grooves to the beat. Photo by Larry Hirshowitz
As a result, news organizations and fan websites create blank, downloadable brackets with all the first-round matchups and invite readers to fill them out, either on paper or online, so they can guess how the tournament will play out. Why not do the same thing for tortillas?
Behold our #TortillaTournament Fantasía Bracket Challenge!
Below are all our contestants, seeded and placed in their respective brackets and first-round matchups. (Click here if you want more details on the methodology behind that.)
Fill out your Fantasía Bracket and submit it directly on our Tortilla Tournament website by September 6, 2023. Whoever fills it out and guesses the most winners, gets a prize — a $200 gift card from Northgate Markets!
Whoa, $200? I’d buy a bunch of their bolillos filled with cream cheese and jalapeños if I won… Of course, I’m not eligible. But YOU are! Happy guessing.