Rita Clark with Texas Trust Credit Union Looks to Reclaim Title as Grand Champion Black-Eyed Pea Chef

Texas Trust Credit Union’s Rita Clark, will compete to regain the title of Grand Champion Black-Eyed Pea Chef in the 5th annual Black-Eyed Pea Cook-Off. Clark will prepare a Patriotic Black-Eyed Burger. The cook-off and festival is a free family fun event benefiting the East Texas Arboretum. The October 8 event will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Athens, Texas.

Dallas, TX, September 29, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Three-time Grand Champion Black Eyed Pea Chef Rita Clark is determined to regain her title at the fifth annual Black-Eyed Pea Cook-off on Saturday, October 8, at the East Texas Arboretum in Athens.

Clark held the title of Grand Champion Black-Eyed Pea Chef for the first three years of the cook-off, and came close to the Grand Champion title last year when she won first prize. This year, she plans to regain Grand Champion honors with her Patriotic Black-Eyed Burger. The burger not only celebrates the “Patriotic Black-Eyed Peas” theme of this year’s cook-off, but pays homage to Athens’ own Fletcher Davis, credited as the creator of the iconic American hamburger more than 125 years ago.

“I love to compete and I love to cook,” Clark said. “I am confident my Patriotic Black-Eyed Burger has what it takes to win the Grand Champion Black-Eyed Pea Chef honors. This burger has something for everyone. It’s not only delicious, but it’s healthy.”

When not testing new black-eyed pea recipes, Clark can be found at the Athens branch of Texas Trust Credit Union, where she is branch manager. Now in her fifth year of culinary competition, Clark’s previous winning recipes include Black-Eyed Burrito, Black-Eyed Peazza, and Chicken Peachiladas.

The Black-Eyed Pea Cook-off celebrates Athens’ heritage as the Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World. The town has a rich history of growing, harvesting, canning, and distributing black-eyed peas to people around the world.

The annual event is a major source of financial support for the East Texas Arboretum, a non-profit botanical garden. The family-friendly festival is free to the public and will include an exotic bird show, theatrical performances, an art show by Texas Artists, a dog show, Scarecrow Trail, arts and crafts vendors, and live entertainment by singer Cody Riley.

The Black-Eyed Pea Cook Off and Fall Festival will be Saturday, October 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Arboretum is located at 1601 Patterson Road in Athens. For information about the festival, call 903-675-5630, or visit www.eastexasarboretum.org.

A copy of Clark’s Patriotic Black-Eyed Burger recipe is available upon request.

About Texas Trust Credit Union
Marking its 75th year in business in 2011, Texas Trust is one of the largest credit union in North Texas and the 21st largest in Texas. It is a full-service financial institution offering checking, savings, mortgages, credit cards, CDs, Money Market accounts, IRAs, and investment and insurance services. Its business services include SBA and conventional loans, electronic payment cards, checking and money market accounts, merchant card processing, online banking, insurance, and the Employee Solutions Network. With 58,000 members and assets of more than $680 million, Texas Trust operates in Dallas, Tarrant, and Henderson counties, as well as parts of Ellis and Johnson counties. Texas Trust branches are located in Mansfield, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Cedar Hill, and Athens. For more information, visit www.TexasTrustCU.org.

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Texas Trust Credit Union
Amber Danford
800-527-3600 ext. 1203
www.texastrustcu.org
Kristine Tanzillo
Dux Public Relations
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