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“I know my product, and I love my product,” said Pilar Gonzalez, founder of Habibi Gourmet which makes DipIt gourmet yogurt dips. But over 600 other contestants had submitted their made-in-Texas food products to H-E-B’s Primo Picks Quest for Texas Best, aiming for $70,000 in cash prizes and the chance for placement on H-E-B shelves. Gonzalez was one of 25 selected for the final round and traveled to Houston for a “Shark Tank”-like presentation of her business plan to the judges, along with an on-site preparation of dishes using her healthy dips.

“I felt like I was on ‘Iron Chef.’ They gave us a sous chef to help us out. It was a very nice ambiance. Everyone was so happy to be there. The presentations were amazing,” said Gonzalez, clad in her signature slim, black pants and black shirt with the DipIt logo. “I wanted to show them it’s not only for dipping. They can put it on top of corn and use it a sauce to make chipotle shrimp and jalapeno pasta.”