The seventh annual Louisiana Regional and State Chili Cookoff will commence Saturday morning, a competition comprised of the nation’s best chili cooks and chili enthusiasts competing for a chance to advance to the World’s Champion Chili Cookoff in Palm Springs, Calif.
The cookoff is officially sanctioned by the International Chili Society, which outlines various rules and regulations to be followed during competition. The event is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Community Radio and Audubon Kiwanis.
The cookoff will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in front of the John M. Parker Coliseum on campus. It will be held in conjunction with the LSU Spring Garden Show and Sale and the Spring Car Show.
The event is open to the public and offers them a chance to taste the different chilis and to vote to contribute to the People’s Choice winner. Net proceeds from the cookoff will benefit Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital.
Individuals from across the country are currently signed up to participate in the cookoff, which includes four separate categories: chili verde, traditional red, home style and salsa.
“Home style chili is a new category added by the ICS that allows you to put anything in that pot you want – it’s not restricted by rules,” said Rae Phillips, co-organizer with the Audubon Kiwanis. “Red chili has a restriction that you cannot have any fillers in that red chili for competition, which means beans, rice, pasta, nothing – just pure meats and seasonings. The green chili, which is chili verde, usually is white meat – like pork or chicken – that has green peppers in it.”
The 2012 Louisiana state champion in the chili verde category and 2013 cookoff chairman Jason Blevins said the chili made at the cookoff isn’t the typical “Super Bowl Sunday-type chili.”
“You really have to take care in what you’re doing,” he said. “It’s not just like you just throw everything in a pot and turn it on and let it cook and it’s done. You really have to watch it, season as you go and create layers of flavor.”
It took Blevins an entire year to create his prize-winning chili recipe that gave him not only a chance at a world title but also $25,000.
“The world competition is a very unique experience — there are cooks from all over the world there and over 500 cooks [present],” he said.
Although Blevins didn’t win world recognition for his chili, he is taking the experience gained from cooking competitively at a high level to help organize this year’s cookoff.
According to Blevins, participants from all over the country, as well as former world champions, compete in the Baton Rouge cookoff, making the event a huge deal for competitive chili cooks.
“Winning this [competition] actually means a lot in the chili community,” he said.
There is a rigorous judging process created by the ICS, Phillips said, which includes a private room for judges to taste different contestants’ chili in unmarked containers.
“They get a spoon full of chili [to taste] and then they each have a pallet cleanser in between the tasting of the chilies they have,” she said.
Prizes for different places in the various categories differ, but the top prize is $700 for a first place finish in the traditional chili category, the most coveted of the categories to win in the competition, according to Blevins.
Winners from each category will advance to the World’s Championship Chili Cookoff, set to take place in October 2013, and compete for prizes up to $35,000.
“Winning this [competition] actually means a lot in the chili community.”
