January 22, 2003
Chefs concoct creative chili
Exotic meats and unusual vegetables bowl over Chili Cook-Off crowd
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Driving a hundred miles in a snowstorm to sample chili?
Mary Lou and Dan Deutsch of Presque Isle were just crazy enough to do it Saturday afternoon. The pair read about the Ninth Annual Downtown Chili Cook-Off just the day before and decided to head across the state and try it out. They reached the Holiday Inn in plenty of time and, after sampling eight different kinds of chili and visiting with friends, they felt that their efforts were amply rewarded.
"We like food tasting and this was loads of fun," said Mary Lou Deutsch. "It's picture perfect weather for chili, too."
Deutsch was as adventurous with her taste buds as she is in her travels.
"I liked the one with kangaroo meat in it from Freshwater Lodge," she noted. "It wasn't real hot but the flavor and the texture were wonderful. It was our table's favorite."
From exotic meats to unusual vegetables to heart-stopping concoctions of meats and cheeses, cooks from eight area restaurants pulled out all the stops to keep the 1,000 patrons who attended the chili cook-off coming back for more.
Swinging Cajun and country music kept the conference room at the Holiday Inn jiving as lines of samplers snaked out the door. Diners sniffed eagerly as they patiently waited their turn to fill the eight sample cups or a large bowl of their favorite chili.
"I'm a taster, that's what I like," declared cook-off veteran Nancy Schwartz of Traverse City while she waited her turn. "I like sampling all the different varieties."
Mesquite duck with jalapeno havarti cheese chili rubbed shoulders with Cuban chili featuring roasted garlic and roasted peppers. An ethnic Italian chili with noodles and garbanzo beans provided an unusual combo while a white chicken chili with black beans promoted integration
Varying degrees of heat, ranging from one alarm to three, kept diners warm on the inside. Scott Brooks, executive chef at Auntie Pasta's, touted his three-alarm chili's firm but gentle kick.
"For about three seconds, what you will taste is good home-cooked chili," he intoned as he doled out sample after sample. "Then all of a sudden, there's that little kick, a little heat that makes you sweat a little. But not too much that you're not going to enjoy it."
Joe and Jeff Gardner of Traverse City make the annual Chili Cook-off an excuse for a father-son outing. The two have been coming for the past six years and believe the food is getting better every year. One of this year's creations tasted so good that Joe Gardner is inspired to try making it at home.
"I'm going to make some of that Texas chili with prime rib, beef tenderloin and a special sausage with a sauce from Texas," he said of the winning No Bean entry from Reflections. "These cook-offs are fun, the samples are the way to do it."
The Gardners have a strategy worked out after all these years, a battle plan for the afternoon. Instead of rushing through the line, filling up their eight four-ounce cups right away, they slowly savor a few samples before going back for more.
"Why take all eight at a time, then they get cold," Joe Gardner said. "The line would move faster, too, if everybody took just a one or two at a time."
Executive chef Brooks is one who would appreciate the Gardner's methodical, savoring approach to the concoctions. To the veteran chef, chili is a canvas and the cook the artist who creates whatever he fancies.
"Chili is the thing that starts off with the basic ingredients and you can do anything with it," he noted. "It's an artwork being made."