Baldrick Bake 2024 is the 2nd annual version of this event. Like many experiences in Rocky Point Mexico, it is based on good food and fun with good people. With this one, I cook for the entire staff who works at the Sonoran Sun Resort.
It began as one of those scenarios in life where you make something good out of something bad. Or as some like to say, you use manure to grow flowers.
2023 Lukeville Arizona Border Shutdown
The December 2023 problem seems like ancient history. However then, the shutdown of the Lukeville Port of Entry was a major crisis. For a month, it was a leading national news story in both the United States and Mexico. It seems strange to think about this after just hosting the Baldrick Bake 2024.
For various reasons, tiny Lukeville, Arizona became the flashpoint in the U.S. Mexico Border Crisis. The daily volume of illegal entries was well into the thousands. It grew so high and so bad; the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reached an unimaginable breaking point.
To overcome the overwhelming illegal immigration influx, the agency closed the border. Choosing such action was bad news for those breaking the law. However, the shutdown also meant shutting out all citizens wanting to cross the border legally through Lukeville.
The nightmare scenario had a negative impact on many.
Rock Bottom for Rocky Point Mexico
Closing the border at the Lukeville port of entry was all most Arizonans needed to stay home. Meanwhile, for people like me who travel between Puerto Peñasco and Arizona year-round it was a hassle. San Luis is the nearest port of entry. It adds an inconvenience of at least 2-3 hours’ drive time each way. Furthermore, the shortest route has you navigating a coastal highway loaded with potholes. It is a more unpredictable and unfamiliar adventure to say the least.
Meanwhile, it was more like rock bottom for those in Rocky Point Mexico. Winter is always the slowest time of year here. The local businesses and residents know this all too well. Such is a fact of life in a small Mexican seaside resort town relying on tourism.
Cooking Up Baldrick Bake Idea
For multiple reasons I kept showing up at my Sonoran Sun 510 East condo. Meanwhile, offering support was my only one purpose in cooking up the idea of feeding the 50 or so people who are employees of the Sonoran Sun Resort. They also were scared wondering how long the border shutdown would cut off Puerto Peñasco from the world. Worse than a hassle, they feared they would lose their jobs and their income.
Surely you’ve heard the saying, “Food is life.” I used that mindset in addition to the known costs and effort with cooking to show these wonderful Mexican people, that at least one of their American friends was willing to show up in person to say, “I’m in this mess, too. You’re not alone. We will get through this.”
Accordingly, the idea of the first Baldrick Bake was well-received in mid-December 2023. So much so, I knew in that moment it was instantly beginning what would be an annual tradition.
Baldrick Bake 2024
All members of the Sonoran Sun Resort staff returned for Baldrick Bake 2024. The centerpiece dish this year was a taco spaghetti. I used fettuccine along with diced tomatoes, chile, carnitas, tomato sauce with spices, and melted cheese. We also had garlic bread, snacks, desserts, other treats, and of course, Coca Cola.
My friends and fellow owners were kind enough to offer great help. Myria Rank made a baked ham and pasta salad. Meantime, Roger Galles came through with carnitas. Both acted superbly in serving as loving co-hosts.
People ate, drank, and relaxed. Equally important, they knew the Baldrick Bake 2024 was all about using cooking food to show how much we appreciated them.
These are the people who keep the Sonoran Sun Resort humming any time you book a beachfront condo to stay with us.
