Hot chili

September 10, 2006

By Michael Rovito

Frontiersman

The signs on the tables read &#8220Please Eat Responsibly” at the annual Big Lake Fall Festival and Chili Cook-off Saturday, and for good reason. Five judges and hundreds of chili lovers took on the task of tasting 17 different chili entries, the most of any year, to determine which ones were edible and which were, well, not quite there.

&#8220There's a couple of them you can probably use to peel paint with,” said Bernie Kohut, an official chili judge. &#8220But some are pretty good.”

Saturday's event featured three competitions, the no-bean, anything goes and people's choice. Located at the Sunset View Bed and Breakfast in Big Lake, chili lovers couldn't of had a better day to enjoy their food of choice.

With a bright sun and warm temperatures, this year's chili cook-off, the fourth annual, attracted more than 200 people, most of whom waited anxiously for the official judging to conclude so they could get their chance at the chili.

With temperatures in the low 60s and a stiff breeze blowing from the west, the sweet smell of chili wafted through the air, making it difficult for spectators to wait for a taste.

When the official judging finally was over, and makeshift chair barriers - erected to keep a curious public out of the chili zone - came down, a tidal wave of chili-hungry Alaskans came roaring in.

While some opted to move from station to station, eating their chili right where it was served, others retreated to the relative calm of the grass to enjoy their cup full at a slower pace.

Beau Sawyer, a resident of Meadow Lakes and a teacher at Houston Middle School, sat on a brick wall cradling a Dixie cup full of competition chili.

&#8220It's great,” Sawyer said. &#8220By far the best bowl of chili I've had yet.”

His wife, Andrea, agreed, summing up her feelings by simply exclaiming, &#8220This is awesome.”

Most judges seemed to share that feeling, taking their jobs seriously, but preparing for what Kohut called the oncoming heartburn.

To keep their taste buds primed, judges took sips of water or juice between each chili sample. Each sample was judged on a scale of one to five, and sometimes multiple tastes were necessary to get an accurate judgment.

Live music and an array of booths, which included politicians, a BP gas pipeline display and Christian school sign-ups, gave chili eaters something to do if they got too full.

And when festival-goers had their fill, they turned their attention to voting for their favorite. That favorite turned out to be Kathleen Conaker of Big Lake, who took the people's choice award, according to Randi Perlman, the cook-off official. Other winners of the day were Gerard Billinger of Big Lake for the no-bean category, and Debbie Stevenson of Big Lake for the anything-goes contest, Perlman said.

The day wound down as the chili ran out Saturday, with contestants taking their once-full crock pots back to waiting cars as tables were disassembled and chairs put away. Those weren't the only things to leave after the competition, as that west wind continued to blow, the faint smell of chili slowly disappeared.

Contact Michael Rovito at 352-2252 or michael.rovito@frontiersman.com.