January 16, 2002
Chili Cook-off bowls over eaters
Chefs serve up mild to mind-boggling at City Opera House
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
They came with their battle plans, with empty stomachs and with iron constitutions.
The estimated 700-plus attendees at the Eighth Annual Downtown Chili Cook-off were lined up and ready to go when the doors opened at the City Opera House at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday morning.
"I'm going to try everything and then get a bowl of my favorite," said Dennis Greenfelder of Traverse City, attending his first chili cook-off.
With wife, Tracy, ready to share his sampler and get a mini-bowl of her favorite, Greenfelder was eager to tuck into his samples from his first Chili Cook-Off. A big chili fan, he favors toward the thick and hearty style.
"I make chili at home and I like it best with potatoes and Italian sausage," he noted.
All afternoon long, the lines shuffled from station to station while at the tables, the spoons dipped into samples topped by a variety of classic condiments: peppers, cheese, sour cream and onions.
In all, gallon after gallon of chili from the 11 participating restaurants disappeared into enthusiastic maws.
"We're having a great time," said Mary Schiller, whose husband surprised her with a date to the cook-off. "He likes hot spicy food and likes to sample."
The Annual Chili Cook-Off has sparked a friendly, if fierce, competition among area restaurants over the years. The chefs throw themselves into the fray, creating unique tastes and styles for their chilis.
Their creations stretched the definition of this standard Mexican fare of meat and beans, which has crept into American cuisine and mutated almost beyond recognition.
Chef Michael Bower of the Boathouse created his Ethnic Chili using Aztec chicken and roasted corn flavored with fresh ground cumin, cardamom and oregano. He created a seafood chili just for the cook-off, combining crawfish, fresh lobster stock, ham and a Creole green Tobasco sauce.
"I wanted to highlight the spices of South America in the ethnic chili," he said.
Black-eyed peas, corn and green chilis highlighted Auntie Pasta's Green Monster Chili, which chef Pete Anderson created specifically to stand out from the other chilis.
"I wanted a different color because all of the chilis look the same except the white," he said, noting he tested his recipe on coworkers before cooking up ten gallons for the cook-off. "I couldn't use traditional chili beans because they wouldn't work with the color."
Attendees filled out a ballot before leaving, designating their favorite in each of eight categories, plus an overall people's choice award. Winning in a category provides an inspiration for some chefs, who are loath to lose their crown the next year.
"There's a very good-natured competition that happens with these guys, particularly when it comes to defending their titles," said Nancy Sundstrom, marketing director for the Downtown Development Authority, the event's sponsor. "This is a competitive sporting event for them."
Staff at the Horizon Shine Caf‚, a newcomer to the event, made their mark not with their food but with their booth's presentation. Staffers came dressed in traditional Mexican serapes and hats, sewn or created by caf‚ manager and chef Merrie Kirker. The decorated table also featured a wide array of garnishes to go with their nachos and cherry-chicken chili.
"This is fun, if you're gonna do it, you gotta do it right," Kirker declared.