Chili Cook-off Serves Up a Hot Dish

A rain shower appeared out of blue skies early Sunday evening. We grabbed an umbrella and dashed to the car through the pelting rain. Bob and I drove a little over a mile into Montrose to the Light on the Corner Church. The dark clouds must have passed over the courtyard of the church without releasing a single raindrop.

As we arrived at the church's 3rd annual chili cook-off, we couldn't miss the inflated "jumpy" house, twisting and shaking on its moorings, full of wildly gyrating kids. The adults clustered in front of four long tables loaded with chili pots, plastic spoons, tasting cups, chopped onion and shredded cheese.

Pastor Jon Karn welcomed us and gestured to his wife LeLani: "She's the one in blue over there, briefing the firemen." Ten Glendale firefighters from Station 29 in Montrose parked their engines at the curb and formed a perfect circle, listening closely to directions. They'd graciously agreed to judge the chili contest.

Perhaps a beneficent Overseer kept His eye on the event. The group stayed dry and no emergency interrupted the firefighters' hour-long deliberations. Mid-way through his tasting tour, Kevin Samuelson, a firefighter-paramedic, stopped for a photo.

"There's a broad range of chili here. They're all good, from soft to very hot," Samuelson commented.

"It's hard to make a decision." Captain Doug Nyeholt added.

I've declined invitations to judge chili contests because I like chili, but I don't consider myself an expert. Bob and I tried every entry, some twice, and we have no idea how the firemen could rank the chili.

The firefighters awarded first place to Labelle Washington's Jamaican styled entry. Labelle told me that she concocted a mix of spices, paste and sauce. Her secret "jerk" gave Labelle's chili a rich, deep flavor. None of the other chili quite achieved that depth.

The public's first place win went to a traditional all-meat chili made by JC Farrow. His chili, "The Motherlode" was the firefighters' second choice. Farrow's wife Yolanda's chicken and white bean chili took third place on the firefighters' scorecard.

The People's Choice voters gave second place to Rudy De Kruyf's "Buzzard's Breath."

Rudy used smoked sausage in his version. The public voted third place for Barbara Summer's "Slow Simmer." Barbara added a touch of sweetness to her chili.