Chandler’s El Palacio now packaging its award-winning salsas for retail sale

Many Mexican restaurant claim to have “award-winning” salsa. El Palacio Restaurant & Cantina has the trophies to prove it.

The Chandler restaurant took first place in both the mild and hot divisions at the 2011 My Nana’s Salsa Challenge. It won the hot division at the 2012 Maricopa Salsa Festival, and took best-salsa honors at the 2012 Arizona Taco Fest.

Now, it’s teaming up with Gilbert-based El Sol Foods to package its picante (hot) and mild salsas for $3.99 a pint.

So far, the salsas only are available at the Chandler restaurant. On Thursday, El Palacio also will be hawking them at the Chandler Farmers Market. It hopes to be selling the salsas in Valley supermarkets by late summer.