Chili — pride in a Crock-Pot.
Chili can be as unique as the person who makes it, and local residents put theirs to the test Saturday at Chilifest in Vernon Park Mall.
The event, hosted by AMVets and Salute, drew new contestants just wanting to give it a shot and seasoned ones who like to mention when their creation was deemed best of the bunch. Ingredients ranged from the traditional to the rather creative.
Members of Girl Scout Troop 534 put cookies in their chili. They would take two to four cookies, crumble them and use them as a thickening agent.
“We wanted to do it different than my mom, because my mom always wins, and we wanted to try to beat her this year,” Victoria Kosinski said. “We were trying to do a different recipe, but kind of do it the same, in a way.”
Her mother, Colleen, did win best overall.
John Nix with Matrix East went a different direction than most, creating a white sauce for his mix of venison and bacon.
“You can use half-and-half or whole milk, I use half-and-half in mine, and white beans,” Nix said. “A variety of spices. Tomatoes tend to upset some people’s digestive tract, and this is something that I can eat and not have any trouble. It’s one of the reasons I started cooking it.”
Garland Walker angled for the community category first-place award, but fell short to Mary Waters. Walker said chili-making for him is a family tradition.
“I’m still experimenting a little bit further,” Walker said. “The habaneros are talking a little bit today. Kind of spicy, not hot. Radiating taste. But I can say this, that as far as the community category in 2011, I did win first place in that. So, I’m returning to defend my championship. We didn’t have one last year, but I did plan on participating in that and I did make my chili, even though they canceled it. I enjoy participating in it — it’s a worthy cause for the community.”
Jim McLain, exalted ruler at Elks Lodge 740, was there with three pots of chili and selling cookbooks to finance the Elks’ community involvement. He said it was the first time for him at the Chilifest, but he enjoys cooking as a hobby.
For Patrick Rooney, another first-timer, a weekend ritual turned into an interesting chance to see how his chili stacked up against the rest.
“Football season. I make it every Sunday, and everyone likes it,” Rooney said. “So I saw a sign for the AMVets thing out by the high school, and my wife said, ‘Why not put it in there?’”
He said he wasn’t sure how it would turn out, given the variety.
“There’s so many different ways people make it, and so many different ways people like it,” Rooney said. “I guess you never know — it just depends on who’s eating it. It’s just fun — something fun to do on a Saturday morning.”
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wes.wolfe@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.
Breakout Box
Winners from Chilifest
- Best Overall: Guardian Ad Litem, Colleen Kosinski
- Hottest/Spiciest: Guardian Ad Litem, Colleen Kosinski
- Presentation: Mary Elkins
- People’s Choice: Kinston Country Club, Mark Moore
- First Place, Restaurant: Kinston Country Club, Mark Moore
- First Place, Business: Guardian Ad Litem, Colleen Kosinski
- Second Place, Business: Matrix East, John Nix
- First Place, Community: Mary Waters
- Second Place, Community: Garland Walker
- Third Place, Community: Walter Taylor
- First Place, Student: Glennie Manuel
- Second Place, Student: Girl Scout Troop 534